The Sony Xperia Z smartphone will be available to South African consumers by early April, Sony Mobile has announced.
The Xperia, which is aimed at premium devices like the HTC One, Nokia 920, Samsung Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5, has a recommended retail price of R7 999.
Mobile operators MTN and Vodacom will receive the handsets in the next two weeks and they should be on the shelves after that, Sony said. Cell C will have devices in stores by the end of April.
The company is determined to market itself as a premium device retailer, and the Xperia Z is kitted with several features that make it an appealing device.
Sony said that beyond the features like water resistance, Bravia engine and 13 megapixel camera, the user experience was important.
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"Of course, everybody wants to be in that spot, and we want to be a player too with the Xperia Z, but I still think it's a portfolio you brings to South Africa, and make sure that everybody, in some way can enjoy what Sony has, in terms of entertainment capabilities," Mark Fenzel, sales director Middle East and Africa for Sony Mobile SA told News24.
Sony fans in SA won't have access to the Sony Entertainment Network, but the device supports drag and drop content as well as a micro-SD card slot to expand memory.
Fenzel conceded that the company had a long way to go to match Android leader Samsung, but argued that the brand was well-recognised in SA.
"We even hear from our customers that people come into the store and ask for a Sony device. That shows to us that the Sony brand is still strong. Of course, we need to work on it."
Also known as Sony Xperia C6603, Sony Xperia C6602, Sony Xperia Z LTE, Sony Xperia Z HSPA+.
| GENERAL | 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - C6602, C6603 |
|---|---|---|
| 3G Network | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 - C6603 | |
| HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - C6602 | ||
| 4G Network | LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 - C6603 | |
| SIM | Micro-SIM | |
| Announced | 2013, January | |
| Status | Available. Released 2013, February |
| BODY | Dimensions | 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm (5.47 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 146 g (5.15 oz) | |
| - IP57 certified - dust and water resistant - Water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes |
| DISPLAY | Type | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density) | |
| Multitouch | Yes, up to 10 fingers | |
| Protection | Shatter proof and scratch-resistant glass | |
| - Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 |
| SOUND | Alert types | Vibration; MP3 ringtones |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Yes | |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSD, up to 64 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 16 GB, 2 GB RAM |
| DATA | GPRS | Up to 107 kbps |
|---|---|---|
| EDGE | Up to 296 kbps | |
| Speed | HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL | |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot | |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v4.0 with A2DP | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL) |
| CAMERA | Primary | 13.1 MP, 4128x3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, image stabilization, HDR, sweep panorama | |
| Video | Yes, 1080p@30fps, video stabilization, HDR, check quality | |
| Secondary | Yes, 2.2 MP, 1080p@30fps |
| FEATURES | OS | Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), planned upgrade to v4.2 (Jelly Bean) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm MDM9215M / APQ8064 | |
| CPU | Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait | |
| GPU | Adreno 320 | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | |
| Messaging | SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email | |
| Browser | HTML5 | |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS | |
| Java | Yes, via Java MIDP emulator | |
| Colors | Black, White, Purple | |
| - SNS integration - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player - MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/Flac player - Document viewer - Photo viewer/editor - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input |
| BATTERY | Non-removable Li-Ion 2330 mAh battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-by | Up to 550 h (2G) / Up to 530 h (3G) | |
| Talk time | Up to 11 h (2G) / Up to 14 h (3G) | |
| Music play | Up to 40 h |
| MISC | SAR US | 1.05 W/kg (head) 0.56 W/kg (body) |
|---|---|---|
| SAR EU | 0.48 W/kg (head) | |
| Price group |  |
| TESTS | Display | Contrast ratio: 705:1 (nominal) / 2.462:1 (sunlight) |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Voice 60dB / Noise 58dB / Ring 61dB | |
| Audio quality | Noise -81.9dB / Crosstalk -81.3dB | |
| Camera | Photo / Video |