Duo of Xperias released to Aussies

Sony claims new tech gives better display.

Sony yesterday introduced its Xperia P and U smartphones to the Australian market in its second handset release without the Sony Ericsson branding.

The Xperia S smartphone, launched locally in March, was the first handset to lose the joint branding.

Sony paid Ericsson $US1.45 billion last October to exit the long-term partnership.

The consumer giant is touting its new products as the cornerstone of its “connected experience” NXT entertainment strategy – content sharing across its TV, laptop and smartphone products. 

Both handsets run on a 1 GHz dual-core chip and Android’s Gingerbread operating system out of the box, but are upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Xperia P’s main selling point is its “WhiteMagic” display – technology which allows greater visibility in direct sunlight through the addition of extra white sub-pixels to the common red, green and blue combination.

The Xperia P carries an 8.1 megapixel camera on the back and a VGA front facing camera for video calls. It has 1GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, and is equipped with NFC and SmartTag.

It will launch in silver from Sony stores for $449 outright and Telstra on a $49, 24 month plan in the coming weeks. Dick Smith will carry the smartphone from July 14 for $447 outright.

Its lower-end Xperia U sister boasts entertainment credentials through additions such as 3D surround sound and Sony’s xLoud technology, which claims to enhance audio volume without distortion.

It is smaller than its higher-end counterpart, at 3.5-inch compared to the Xperia P’s 4-inch display. It carries a five megapixel camera on the back and VGA on the front. 

The Xperia U hits Sony shelves in the next few weeks, at $299 outright. Dick Smith will stock the handset in July for $299 outright, as will Crazy Johns on a range of plans starting from $10 per month for 24 months.

It will launch in black with an optional pink band for the smartphone base included.