Following on from the success of the Xperia Z and the recent announcement of the Xperia ZR, Sony has announced a new Xperia smartphone, the Xperia M. A mid-range device, the Xperia M shares several design similarities with its more expensive sister phones, such as the prominent aluminum power button, but also brings back the curved rear panel seen on phones such as the Xperia T.
The Xperia M has a 4-inch display with an unusual 854 x 480 pixel widescreen resolution, which has been fitted to a 9.3mm thick body shell which weighs 124 grams. Sony has fitted a discreet notification light below the screen, which can be customized to your preferences, and alert you to calls, Facebook updates and incoming messages.
There’s a 5-megapixel, autofocus camera on the rear of the chassis, which may not match the 13-megapixel monster on the Xperia Z, but still comes with Sony’s Exmor RS sensor, 720p video recording, and HDR capabilities. Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is the operating system, while a 1GHz, dual-core Snapdragon processor and 1GB of RAM take care of the performance.
Only 4GB of internal memory comes as standard, but there is a microSD card slot which can add another 32GB to this figure, plus the Xperia M has 3G HSPA+ connectivity. NFC is also included for use with Sony’s SmartTags, one touch sharing between compatible phones, or using NFC accessories such as wireless speakers.
Other features such as DLNA, GPS, an FM radio, and Bluetooth 4.0 are also included. Finally, the battery has a quoted standby time of 552 hours, and comes with Sony’s Stamina Mode to tweak how its energy is used.
Sony will offer the Xperia M in a choice of four colors – white, yellow, black, and purple – as well as in a dual-SIM variant called the Xperia Mdual. It’s set to go on sale worldwide from September this year, although pricing and the exact launch date has yet to be confirmed.
