With a modestly understated launch, Sony has slipped out news of the successor to its Android-powered Xperia S smartphone, the Xperia SL.
Upgrades see a faster processor onboard – beefed up to a Snapdragon 1.7 GHz dual-core processor from the S’s 1.5 GHz – but there seems to be no headline-grabbing changes afoot, with the phone retaining the 4.3-inch 280 x 720 pixels display.
As with its predecessor, there’s an 12.1-megapixel camera onboard, while the OS has moved forward a generation to Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
It’s rather a smart looking affair, measuring 128.0 x 64.0 x 10.6 mm (5.0 x 2.5 x 0.4 inches) and weighing 144 g (5.1 ounces).
The Xperia SL is now listed on Sony’s website and shown in silver, black, white and pink – although there’s no prices or availability details yet.
Specs
Camera and video
- 12.1 megapixel camera with pulsed LED flash and Auto focus
- Sony’s Exmor™ R for mobile CMOS sensor
- 16x digital zoom
- Aperture f/2.4
- HD video recording (1080p)
- 3D Sweep Panorama
- Image playback, supported formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WBMP
- Image capture, supported format: JPEG
- Video playback and recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4
- Face recognition and Smile detection
- Front-facing camera (1.3 megapixel, 720p)
Connectivity and communication
- High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
- WiFi and WiFi Hotspot functionality
- HDMI Support
- DLNA Certified
- Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync, SyncML, Google Sync and Facebook
- aGPS
- WebKit web browser with Pan & zoom
- Bluetooth technology
- Native USB tethering
- NFC
- ANT+ sports fitness
Memory
- Flash memory: 32 GB (up to 26 GB user-accessible memory)
- RAM: 1GB
Networks
- GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
- UMTS HSPA 850, 900, 1900, 2100
Entertainment
- TrackID music recognition
- xLOUD Experience – audio filter technology
- FM Radio with RDS
- 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones
- Audio playback, supported formats: MP3, 3GPP, MP4, SMF, WAV, OTA, Ogg vorbis, FLAC
- Audio recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4, AMR
- 3D and motion gaming
- Timescape with Twitter integrated
- Xperia™ with Facebook™
- Sony Entertainment Network (selected markets only)
- Clear audio and clear bass
- 3D surround sound
- PlayStation™ Certified
- TV launcher
- “WALKMAN” application
Display
- 4.3”, 1280 x 720 pixels 16,777,216 colour TFT
- HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
- Scratch-resistant, shatter proof sheet on mineral glass
- Capacitive touchscreen with on-screen QWERTY keyboard
- Screenshot capturing
Pre-loaded applications
- Google Voice Search
- Google Talk application
- Google Maps with Street View and Latitude
- Google Mail
