Sony XPERIA ZL European Launch In April

We’ve had a good time with the Sony XPERIA Z at CES, but most people forget that there are other handsets from Sony coming up. For instance, the Sony XPERIA ZL is said to be launching in a couple of months in Europe, and we will probably have to wait for carrier deals until this is announced in the USA. So far, we know that one of the variants works on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network, but LTE support (AT&T, Verizon) may need a little more time.

If you are not familiar with the XPERIA ZL, it’s a 5″ Android phone that features a 1080p display (443 pixels per inch or PPI) and excellent color rendering specs. It is driven by a Sony BRAVIA video processor which takes care of image filtering and color corrections. To fight against glare, Sony has made sure that there is no air gap, a technique commonly used in high-end displays.In the back, there is a 13 Megapixel camera whose lens sends incoming light to a Sony EXMOR RS sensor, one of the best in the industry. EXMOR ES is Sony’s strongest advantage in digital imaging right now. The camera can also capture high dynamic range (HDR) movies, which are much better at handling strong backlighting for example. An interesting feature to look at is the Superior Auto mode, which is a reference to what Sony has developed for the NEX cameras. We’ve tested it with the NEX-F3, and it does work very well — we’d love to see how the smartphone version performs (Official specifications at Sony)

In terms of design, the Xony XPERIA ZL is not as thin as the XPERIA Z, but the build quality is still very high, and seems quite resistant to scratches, thanks to a rugged back side. What do you think? Is the ZL a compelling addition to the XPERIA Z, or would you prefer it if Sony was putting 100% of its efforts in a single amazing phone?

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: Cellphones, Rumors
Tags: europe, Sony, xperia, XPERIA ZL