Along with the Xperia ion, the Sony Xperia S is the first smartphone to bear just the "Sony" name. The Xperia S not only introduces a new design philosophy for Sony's handset range, but the name is also pleasingly short considering that some previous models have had up to six words in their names.
The Sony Xperia S is a seriously high-end device, powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in flash memory. The large 4.3" display has 720 x 1280 pixels resolution, giving full 720p HD playback capabilities. On the back is a 12 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, and there is a secondary 1.3 megapixel camera on the front for video calling.
There are lots of Sony enhancements built in to the Xperia S, including an Exmor-R enhanced image sensor, BRAVIA engine enhanced graphics, xLoud and TrackID music enhancements, integration with Sony's entertainment services and the Xperia S is also PlayStation certified.
Other features include an FM radio, HDMI port and of course the Xperia S has all the usual features such as 3.5G, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. The Xperia S will ship with Android 2.3, upgradable to Android 4.0 during Q2 2012. The handset is also NFC capable and has a set of optional NFC tags, although quite how useful that will be remains to be seen.
As is becoming common, the Xperia S has a built-in battery, a 1750 mAh cell quoted as giving up to 8.5 hours talktime on 3G and 17 days standby time. The Xperia S measures 128 x 64 x 10.6mm and weighs 144 grams.
This is a very slabby phone, although the design is lifted by a transparent element near the bottom of the handset. It does look very much more like a Sony product than a Sony Ericsson product, and it will be available in both black and white colour schemes, in the UK the white version will be exclusively available at Phones 4U.
It's an impressive device, and the Sony Xperia S marks a strong start for Sony's smartphone ambitions in 2012. No indication was given on price, although we suspect that this will retail for up to €600 or so at launch. Sony say that the Xperia S should be available from Q1 2012.
source: mobilegazette.
