First Ericsson-less SONY smartphone

4.3-inch 720p display. Today it's been officially announced, and the specs are designed to impress: besides the gap-free laminated Reality Display, the Xperia S features a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 12-megapixel Exmor R camera sensor, NFC support, PlayStation certification, and a unique "transparent element" along the bottom that offsets the solid black face. On paper, the phone is quite similar to AT&T's Xperia Ion — also announced today — but it lacks the Ion's LTE support (a sign of its European focus) and uses a slightly smaller display.

It'll be available in both black and white when it launches toward the end of the first quarter in "select markets." It'll have Android 2.3 out of the gate, unfortunately, but the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade shouldn't take too long.

It's due out in Australia sometime before Easter.
Note this is just a PlayStation Certified device, so there's no magical fold-out d-pad or anything on it. You'll be playing PS1 games on the touch screen (though being an Android phone, you've got no shortage of more recent titles available either).

SONY said: I disagree, because there are no physical gaming controls to be found.

chucky110 said: I have never liked using on screen controls. It feels......how can I put this. Oh yeah shit

Huddo said: i agree with beta.
by the time you put your two thumbs on the screen you cant see what the hell is going on and end up failing anyway