Newsletter
Sony has been the topic of many conversations recently regarding their rise to the #2 spot eclipsing HTC in terms of Android manufacturer device sales. That has left only Samsung ahead of them and with the latest rumors Sony appears to be taking a page right out of Samsung’s book in order to bring the fight. A post on Sony’s forums along with recent scores posted to Antutu’s benchmarking site point to 4 key devices planned for release during 2013 and all of them look to be capable competitors in the heated smartphone arena.
Xperia 4
The Xperia 4 is slated to be a mid to high tier device coming in at 4″ with a 720p display giving it a 360ppi. On board will be a 12MP rear camera, an unnamed 1.5GHz quad core Qualcomm SoC along with 1.5GB of RAM. It should feature 16GB of onboard storage with a microSD card slot and an 1,800mAh battery. For those who still prefer the smaller form factor this should be one of the most capable devices available.
Xperia 5
The Xperia 5 is said to be a 5″ device featuring a 1080p display matching that of the DROID DNA from HTC. This high-end model will feature a 1.5GHz quad core Snapdragon S4 Pro, a 13MP camera, 2GB of RAM along with 32GB of onboard storage and a 2,400mAh battery. It would appear to be that this model would have the most broad appeal and be the flagship for the everyday consumer.
Xperia 5R
The Xperia 5R would take a page right out of Motorola’s playbook and feature almost identical specs to the standard Xperia 5 except for the addition of a larger 2,800mAh battery a la the Razr and Razr MAXX. Some are saying that they will be regional variants of the same model and likely won’t be released along side one another. The larger battery and additional water resistance are nice touches and hopefully this is the model that reaches U.S. shores come next year.
Xperia 6
It is the rumored Xperia 6 phablet that draws the most attention and appears to be Sony’s answer to the new category created by Samsung’s Galaxy Note/ Note II. It is said to rock a 6″ 1080p display which is definitely pushing into tablet territory and be powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 3GB of RAM which is until the point unheard of, a 13MP camera, 32GB of storage and a substantial 3,500mAh battery. While this device has is no way been confirmed it would certainly push the limits on what is an acceptable size for phone and it would be interesting to see how Sony is able to package the device to minimize the impact of its massive footprint.
Xperia Q4 Flagship
The last model is more speculation than the rest and even if proven to be true is subject to change and is intended for a Q4 2013 release. It is said to sport a 5″ 1080p display, and be powered by an unknown quad-core A-15 SoC that will surely be a powerhouse. The other specs include class leading 3GB of RAM, a 16MP camera, and a 3,000mAh battery. There currently isn’t even a quad-core A-15 chip to choose from however we do know that a number are in the works, if this device is even close to the rumored specs Sony is in for a Renaissance in 2013.
As with all rumors take these with a grain a salt however the Xperia 5 closely resembles the previously outed Odin/ Yuga devices and should be announced with the first half of 2013. The other good news is that all of the devices are already running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean in all its buttery goodness. The jury is still out on whether or not 6″ is too big to be considered a phone do you think that the Galaxy Note II is already the limit or is there still room to go?
Via: Android Authority