In the last year or so Sony has ventured out on their own in the mobile world without their longstanding compadre Ericsson. With the extra baggage out of the way the potential for Sony is bright in the eyes in anyone paying attention. Rumors, leaks and suggestions have brought a heavy dose of hype surrounding the companies’ offerings at CES this year. One of the potentially awesome new handset is the Sony Xperia ZL. In the last few weeks leading up to CES, rumors of a Z series Sony device surfaced into the mill and the stakes were high and the expectation was leading us to believe the new Sony handset would be a block buster.
Sony took CES as the chance to announce two new handsets that have been lurking in the shadows. The Sony Xperia Z and Sony Xperia ZL are now official and seemingly worth the wait and anticipation. Both of the handsets are internally identical. Dimensions of the two handsets however are slightly different and leave the Z model slightly larger than the two. The Z is also said to feature a “carbon fiber skeletal frame” a glass back build and boasts and IP 57 certification that gives it water and dust resistance. The Xperia ZL however has a soft touch design that is described as super grippy, and also sports a shutter button. Outside of these small differences, these two phone share the same specs. The devices both use a 5 inch 1080×1920 Mobile Bravia TFT Reality Display at 441 pixels per inch. Running the latest in Android, version 4.1.2 the new Xperia’s are ready! Internally they come packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad core 1.5 GHz processor, Adreno 320 GPU, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of built in storage and expandable microSDHC memory up o 32 GB. Around back a 13 mega pixel camera with LED flash and all the camera tricks you could imagine, including full 1080p HD video recording. A front facing 2 mega pixel, 2.2 on the Z, capable of 1080p HD video recording, round out the camera tricks. Additoinal connectivity for the pair is offered up by GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Micro USB 2.0, HDMI, NFC, DLNA, and MHL. The Xperia ZL comes with a 2370 mAh battery and the Xperia Z sports a 2330 mAh cell. Both batteries however sport new Sony tech called, STAMINA Mode that is said to improve standby times by four or more. This mode comes from a rather simple process, where STAMINA “automatically shutting down battery-draining apps whenever the screen is off and starting them up again when the screen is back on”. The two devices will be made available globally in the first quarter of this year.
Are there any takers out there? While there is no information surrounding its American release, its most likely as safe bet the company will get a variation out to carrier’s state side. Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think of this awesome new set of Sony handsets. Also, remember that the very best in Sony Accessories are here!
