Official images of Sony Xperia J ST26i surface

Reports of the Sony Xperia J ST26i have been emerging since May, and with the brand set to launch a plethora of smartphones in the second half of this year, we can be fairly certain that this handset will be among the models launched in the near future. Though several images of this phone have been leaked, the pictures have been captured in blurry cam shots, and no official images were available yet. According to a report by ePrice, the website has now got access to official photographs of this unannounced smartphone.

The Xperia J handset is expected to be launched in a range of colours. ePrice has displayed images of a beige model. From the images we can see that it adopts the curved back, a design characteristic found on the popular Xperia Arc handset. The front, however, is similar in design to a range of more recent smartphones by Sony.

First official image of Sony Xperia J surfaces

The Xperia J will be an entry-level droid bearing the same squared-off design as the rest of the Xperia series. Despite being an entry-level phone, the Xperia J will sport a large 4-inch touchscreen with a WVGA resolution. The phone is still powered by the older MSM7227 Snapdragon S1 chipset, which features a 1GHz CPU, and the much older, Adreno 200 GPU.

It’s a little puzzling to determine where Sony will place this phone in its line-up. Though it has a large screen, the specifications are still much older than some of Sony's 2011 models. It seems that the display is not of the best quality, which is how Sony has been able to deliver such a wide display for a low price. If Sony can launch this phone in the Rs.10,000 – Rs. 12,000 price bracket, this could set a new bar for entry-level Android phones. In this price range, we also have Nokia’s entry-level Windows Phone offerings such as the Lumia 610.

Here is a quick look at the rumoured specifications of the Sony Xperia J ST26i:

• 4.0-inch display with a 854 x 480 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/ GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
• Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support
• 5 megapixel sensor (Rear) with LED flash, 0.3MP front-facing camera
• Stereo FM Radio
• 1700mAh battery

There had been rumours that this handset will run on Android v2.3 (Gingerbread) but in a related report by ITProPortal, it appears that the handset will run on Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).  The report states, “The Xperia J is also said to come with a cut-down version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is a puzzling decision. It means there will be some features left out and minor updates (like Jelly Bean) might not come straight to the handset”.

Do share your thoughts on this upcoming smartphone from Sony in your comments.