S
ony has been on a roll the past few months with a lot of mobile announcements. The latest comes from Bluetooth.org, which details a Sony LT30 smartphone that’s slated for a global release, and judging by the specification, it’s all set to be Sony’s new flagship smartphone. The specifications are similar to those of the Xperia GX, a high-end LTE Android phone that Sony launched exclusively for the Japanese market back in May, so the LT30 could very well be the international version of the Xperia GX.
Let’s start with the screen. It’s a 4.6-inch display with a 720p resolution, which is somewhat similar to the Galaxy Nexus and will also be getting Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA treatment. The second prominent feature is going to be the design. It seems that Sony will be borrowing a few design ideas from the Xperia arc as the LT30 will also feature a similar 'arc' design for the rear of the phone. Sony is ditching the plastic body and going with metal chassis this time for increased durability. However, despite this, the weight is said to be around 140g, which is quite light; it’s also quite a slim phone at just 9mm thick. Finally, the third important addition is a 13MP Exmor R camera sensor for super high quality photos and video. If it’s anything like the sensor on the Xperia S, we can expect really good macro shots along with a speedy response time. The LT30 should also launch with Ice Cream Sandwich as Sony has no reason to stick to Gingerbread now. Asking for Jelly Bean out-of-the-box might be pushing it a little, but if the LT30 does launch later rather than sooner, it could happen. The processor hasn’t been confirmed yet, although if it’s going to be anything like the Xperia GX, then we can expect a Qualcomm dual-core S4 SoC on board. I have to hand it to Sony for not falling victim to the whole quad-core hype and sticking to the more efficient-yet-powerful dual-core chipset.
The Sony LT30 is shaping up to be one hell of a device and might well be the next-gen Xperia arc. There’s no doubt that if the phone looks anything like the GX Sony has launched in Japan, it’s going to be an instant hit. Pricing wise, I would see it launching for around Rs.35,000, and mostly without LTE in India. This would also hopefully cause the price of the Xperia S to drop below the 30K range.
Here's a short promo video for the Xperia GX, which could be the LT30 when it launches globally: