Sony Mobile today announced two new water resistant smartphones, the Xperia go (to be known as the Xperia advance in the U.S.) and Xperia acro S. Both come with extra durability and water resistance with scratch resistant mineral glass displays and protection against dust and water immersion that meets industry standard IP ratings (International Protection).
Industry research demonstrates that consumers consider durability and water resistance as important features when purchasing a smartphone. For example, a study conducted in Japan by Mobile Marketing Data Labo highlighted water resistance in the top three most important features for smartphone buyers. In a recent poll on Sony Mobile’s Facebook community more than a third of participants stated durability as the most important feature when choosing a smartphone.
Sony Xperia go (ST27i/ST27a) specifications:
- Processor: 1GHz dual-core NovaThor U8500
- Operating system: Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
- Cellular connectivity: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band UMTS/HSPA (tri-band in Americas)
- Other connectivity: A-GPS, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA
- Display: 3.5-inch HVGA (320×480) with Mobile BRAVIA Engine
- Input: Capacitive multitouch with “Wet finger tracking”
- Memory: 512MB RAM
- Storage: 8GB onboard and microSD cards up to 32GB
- Rear-facing camera: 5MP AF with LED flash and 720 HD video capture
- Front-facing camera: None
- Connectors: 3.5mm audio jack, micro-USB
- Battery: 1,305mAh
- Dimensions / weight: 111 x 60.3 x 9.8 millimeters / 110 grams
- Other: Dust and water protected (IP67 certification), Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited
The Sony Xperia go will be upgraded to Android 4.0 at some unspecified point in the future.
Sony Xperia acro S (LT26w) specifications:
- Processor: 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260
- Operating system: Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
- Cellular connectivity: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and quad-band HSPA+
- Other connectivity: A-GPS, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA
- Display: 4.3-inch HD (1280×720)
- Input: Capacitive multitouch
- Memory: 1GB RAM
- Storage: 16GB onboard and microSD cards
- Rear-facing camera: 12.1MP AF with pulsed LED flash, Sony Exmor R sensor, and 1080p HD video capture
- Front-facing camera: 1.3MP with 720p HD video capture
- Connectors: 3.5mm audio jack, micro-USB
- Battery: 1,910mAh
- Dimensions / weight: 126.0 x 66.0 x 11.9 millimeters / 149 grams
- Other: Dust protected and water resistant (IP55 / IP57 certification), Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited
The Xperia go (Xperia advance in the U.S.) and Xperia acro S will be available globally starting in Q3 2012. Pricing information was not announced.
Read more: Sony Xperia go and Sony Xperia acro S