Sony Xperia J (ST26i) details has been leaked and if the specifications are to be believed including the price tag, this handset could spell trouble for low cost companies in India namely the Karbonn, Spice and Micromax. This handset will be announced in the coming IFA event.
Mobile review website has already done a review of this yet to be announced / launched handset. The Sony Xperia J is expected to be priced at €150 to 160. The Xperia J price in India could be well under Rs. 12,000.
Micromax recently launched the Micromax A100 and the A90 handset. For now the A100 seems to be the best option for about Rs. 10,000. The Sony Xperia ST26i (J) will probably hit the markets in September and a few more weeks to hit the store shelves in India.
Once you go through the specifications you will find it similar to the Spice, Micromax and Karbonn handsets that we have been talking about. Moreover the price difference will play a crucial role. Most users will not mind paying an extra 1K or 2K for brand like Sony.
The Sony Xperia J ST26i is powered by MSM7227A 45nm ARMv7 processor from Qualcomm Snapdragon clocked at 1 GHz with Adreno 200 GPU. Spice Mi-425 runs on MSM7627A chipset and so does many other handsets. If you compare both the chipset there is hardly any difference, both are cortex –A5.
The ST26i further comes with 512MB RAM and 170 MB free internal phone memory, you will need a microSD card for additional storage. The display screen is 4 inches with FWVGA resolution (854×480). Some handsets come with WVGA resolution ie. 800×480. The reason being is WVGA = 5:3 and FWVGA = 16:9 aspect ratio. This is an entry level device and probably will not come with Bravia engine technology that most Sony handset come loaded with.
There are two cameras a front VGA and a rear 5MP auto focus but with VGA video recording. This is what is being offered on A100, Mi-425 and A9. The Xperia J runs on Android 4.0 (ICS) and the chances of getting a Jelly bean update is also high.
Other features included are Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, micro USB and 3.5mm audio port. A 1700 mAh battery keeps the Xperia J going for about 1 to 2 days of moderate to heavy usage.
So you see the handset competes well with the existing low cost models available in India (hardware / feature wise) but for now we do not know the retail price which I believe will be the key decision maker. A small price difference between the competing models will attract more users towards the Xperia J. I believe this handset supports Single SIM.
Sony Xperia J ST26i Key features and Specifications
- 1.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227A ARMv7 processor + Adreno 200 GPU.
- 512MB RAM, 170MB free internal storage and MicroSD slot.
- ICS (Android 4.0).
- 4 inch capacitive touchscreen with 854×480 pixels resolution.
- 5MP auto focus camera with LED flash and front vga camera.
- 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, microUSB, 3.5mm jack and multi format media player.
- Battery : 1700 mAh.
- Price / release date unknown: 150 to 160 Euros (Under Rs. 12,000 in India). Expected to hit the markets in September.