The new Sony Xperia Z looks to be off to a terrific start, with analysts reporting that 4.6 million units have been sold in just 40 days. Some of that success is being attributed to the fact that Sony announced the device before competitors like HTC and Samsung had a chance to throw their latest flagships into the mix.

Sony unveiled the Xperia Z at CES back in January, a month before HTC announced the HTC One, and several months before Samsung announced the Galaxy S4. The Xperia Z was one of the first smartphones to pack a 1080p display, which is coupled with a speedy quad-core processor, and a 13-megapixel Exmor RS camera.

What’s more, the Xperia Z is both waterproof and dust-proof, and its slender glass form factor measures just 7.9mm thick.

These things make for a very attractive smartphone — one that’s clearly popular with Android fans. Sales figures aren’t official until they’re announced by Sony themselves, of course, but if the analysts are correct, then the Japanese company may finally has a smartphone capable of stealing market share from Samsung.

• ViaPhoneArena