Without much in the way of fanfare, Sony Mobile has announced new mid-range and entry-level Android handsets, the Xperia SP and Xperia L. The subjects of many pre-release leaks, these new Xperias were expected to make an appearance at Mobile World Congress, but were no-where to be found on the show floor.
As rumored, the Xperia SP is a 4.6-inch, 720p-screened device with an aluminum trim that incorporates elements of both the Xperia Z and Xperia U. Like the former, it’s uses on-screen keys and has big, stylized metal power button; like the latter, it’s got a customizable light bar down below that can tie into certain apps like the music player. It’s also Sony’s first mid-range phone with 4G LTE support. On the inside, the SP is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip, so there’s plenty of horsepower to go around.
The Xperia L is Sony’s new leading entry-level device for 2013, and the manufacturer’s highlighting its 8-megapixel Exmor RS camera, a component it shares with the Xperia SP. The L is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus CPU and packs a 4.3-inch FWVGA (854×480) display. Visually, it’s a close match for last year’s Xperia T, with a chunky convex chassis.
Both phones run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box, and are due for release during the second quarter in red, white and black color options. We’ve got spec lists and a couple of videos after the break.
|
Xperia SP |
Xperia L |
||
Colours |
White Red Black |
White Red Black |
||
Facts |
Size |
130.6 x 67.1 x 9.98 mm |
128.7 x 65 x 9.7 mm |
|
Weight |
155 grams
|
137 grams |
||
Operating System |
Google™ Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean) |
Google™ Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean) |
||
Processor |
1.7 GHz Qualcomm MSM8960Pro Dual Core |
1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8230 dual-core |
||
Camera |
8 megapixel camera 16x digital zoom Auto focus Face detection Fast capture Flash/Pulsed LED Flash/Photo light Front-facing camera (VGA) Geotagging HD video recording (1080p) HDR for picture Image stabiliser Red-eye reduction Scene recognition Self-timer Send to web Smile detection Superior auto Sony’s “Exmor RS for mobile” image sensor for mobile image sensor Sweep Panorama Touch focus |
8 megapixel camera 4x digital zoom Auto focus Face detection Fast capture Flash/Photo flash Front-facing camera (VGA) Geotagging HDR for both picture and movie Image stabilizer Quick Launch Self-timer Send to web Smile detection Sony’s “Exmor RS for mobile” image sensor Image sensor Video stabilizer Red-eye reduction Sweep Panorama Touch capture Touch focus Video light Video recording (HD 720p) |
||
Music |
3D Surround Sound (VPT) Album art Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP) Clear bass Clear Phase™ Clear stereo Dynamic normalizer Music tones (MP3/AAC) PlayNow™ service* TrackID™ music recognition* “WALKMAN” application xLoud™ Experience |
Album art Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP) ClearAudio+ mode Clear bass Clear Phase™ Clear stereo Dynamic normalizer Manual equalizer PlayNow™ service* TrackID™ music recognition* “WALKMAN” application xLoud™ Experience |
||
Internet |
Google Chrome™* Google Play™ Google™ search* Google Voice™ Search* Google Maps™ for Mobile with Street view and Latitude™* NeoReader™ barcode scanner Pan & zoom Web browser (WebKit™) |
Bookmarks Google Chrome™ Google Play™ Google™ search* Google Voice™ Search* Google Maps™ for Mobile with Street view and Latitude™* NeoReader™ barcode scanner Web browser (WebKit™) |
||
Communication
|
Call list Facebook™ application* Google Talk™ application* HD Voice Noise suppression Polyphonic ringtones Xperia™ Socialife™* Speakerphone Twitter™* |
Call list Conference calls Facebook™ application* Friends application Google Talk™ application* Google Talk™ video chat* Multiple IM Speakerphone Twitter™* Video chat ready Xperia™ with Facebook™ |
||
Messaging
|
Conversations Google Mail™* Handwriting recognition Instant messaging Multimedia messaging (MMS) Predictive text input Sound recorder Text messaging (SMS) |
Conversations Google mail™* Handwriting recognition Instant messaging Multimedia messaging (MMS) Predictive text input Text messaging (SMS) |
||
Design
|
Auto rotation Battery standby mode Gesture input Glove mode Light effects On-screen QWERTY keyboard Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 Screenshot capturing Throw Touch screen Transparent element /Aluminium frame Wallpapers Voice input |
Auto rotation Gesture input Illumination effect On-screen 12-key keyboard On-screen QWERTY keyboard Picture wallpaper Screen capturing Touch screen Voice input Wallpaper animation |
||
Entertainment
|
3D games Media browser Motion gaming PlayStation® Certified* Radio (FM radio with RDS) Sony Entertainment Network* TV launcher Video streaming YouTube™* |
3D games Media browser Motion gaming PlayStation® Certified* PlayMemories* Radio (FM radio with RDS) Sony Entertainment Network* Video streaming YouTube™* |
||
Organiser
|
Airplane mode Alarm clock Calculator Calendar Contacts eCompass™ Notes Setup guide Stopwatch Tasks Timer |
Airplane mode Alarm clock Calculator Calendar Contacts Document readers eCompass™ Infinite button Notes Setup guide Stopwatch Timer World clock |
||
Connectivity
|
3.5 mm audio jack (CTIA) aGPS* Bluetooth™ 4.0 wireless technology DLNA Certified® GLONASS* MHL support Media Go™ Media Transfer Protocol support Micro USB support Native USB tethering NFC PC Companion Screen mirroring Sony Bridge for Mac Synchronisation via Microsoft® Exchange® ActiveSync® Synchronisation via Facebook™ Synchronisation via Google™ Synchronisation via SyncML™ USB charging USB High speed 2.0 support Xperia Link™ Wi-Fi® Wi-Fi® Hotspot functionality |
3.5 mm audio jack (CTIA) aGPS* Bluetooth™ 4.0 wireless technology DLNA Certified® Media Transfer Protocol support Micro USB support Native USB tethering Media Go™* NFC PC Companion Play Anywhere Screen mirroring Smart Connect Synchronisation via Facebook™ Synchronisation via SyncML™ Synchronisation via Google™ Synchronisation with computer Synchronisation via Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® USB High speed 2.0 support USB mass storage Xperia Link™ Wi-Fi® Wi-Fi® Hotspot functionality |
||
Display
|
4.6” 1280×720 pixels 16,777,216 colour TFT with durable tempered glass |
4.3” 854×480 pixels 16,777,216 colour TFT Scratch-resistant touch panel cover glass (Schott 2nd source) |
||
Memory |
Internal phone storage |
8 GB (up to 5.8 GB user-accessible memory)**
|
8 GB (up to 5.8 GB user-accessible memory)**
|
|
Expansion slot |
microSD™ card, up to 32 GB |
microSD™ card, up to 32 GB |
||
Networks |
UMTS HSPA+ 850 (Band V), 900 (Band VIII), 2100 (Band I) MHz GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20) |
C2105 UMTS HSPA+ 900 (Band VIII), 2100 (Band I) MHz GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz C2104 UMTS HSPA+ 850 (Band V), 1900 (Band II), 1700 (Band IV), 2100 (Band I) MHz GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
||
Battery life |
Battery embedded |
2370 mAh typical 2300 mAh minimum |
1750 mAh, typical 1700 mAh, minimum |
|
Talk time GSM |
Talk time GSM: Up to 10 hours and 25 Mins*** |
Up to 8 hours 30 min*** |
||
Standby time GSM |
Up to 635 hours*** |
Up to 498 hours*** |
||
Talk time UMTS |
Up to 18 hours and 53 Mins*** |
Up to 9 hours 6 min*** |
||
Standby time UMTS |
Up to 734 hours*** |
Up to 454 hours*** |
||
Standby time LTE |
Up to 709 hours*** |
N/A |
||
Music listening time |
Up to 39 hours*** |
Up to 43 hours 12 min*** |
||
Video playback time |
Up to 7 hours and 36 Mins*** |
Up to 7 hours 30 min*** |
||
In the kit |
Xperia™ SP, battery, charger, micro USB cable for charging, synchronisation and file transfer, and user documentation. |
Xperia™ L, battery, charger, micro USB cable for charging, synchronisation and file transfer, and user documentation. |