Sony Xperia SP And L Take Exmor Photography To The Midrange

Sony has thrown out a pair of new Android smartphones, the Xperia SP and Xperia L, hitting the midrange with features like "Exmor RS for mobile" cameras as on the flagship Xperia Z. Of the two phones, each expected to arrive in Q2 2013, the Sony Xperia SP is the most interesting: a 4.6-inch 720p aluminum-frame handset with 4G LTE, 8-megapixel camera, and a transparent strip that lights up in different colors and pulse-patterns depending on new notifications and music.

There's also Sony's Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 system for improving on-screen contrast and colors, again as we saw on previous Sony flagships, and the Battery STAMINA mode which promises extra runtime by selectively shutting down mobile data use while in standby. Sony will be offering it in white, red, and black versions.

Inside, there's a Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.7GHz dualcore processor, 1GB of RAM, and NFC, along with the usual WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

Sony Xperia SP notification light:

Somewhat more humble, though cheaper, is the Sony Xperia L. It too has an 8-megapixel camera, but pairs it with a 4.3-inch FWVGA display rather than 720p. It also has NFC and a dual-core processor, and the same white, red, and black color options, plus a dedicated camera shortcut that Sony claims goes from lock to photography in under a second. In fact, Sony is positioning the Xperia L as a photography device first and foremost, with onboard HDR abilities.

Sony Xperia L overview:

Sony hasn't announced pricing for the new phones, though we're expecting them to comfortably undercut the Xperia Z.