Pictures of mid-end Sony Xperia SP spotted in the wild

Sony unveiled its next flagship handset during CES, but there has been almost no information about the company’s 2013 line-up of mid-end and low-end devices. However, it looks like we have at least some information about the company’s next mid-end phone—the Xperia SP. The device allegedly popped up in the flesh alongside the Xperia V for comparison's sake on German website Android Hilfe.

The website confirms earlier rumours about the smartphone's specifications. According to the website, the Xperia SP will be powered by a 1.7GHz processor from Qualcomm and an Adreno 320 GPU. The phone also appears to have a slightly larger screen than that of the Xperia V, measuring at 4.5-inches.

The Xperia SP on the left, and the Xperia V on the right

It also has a lock button on the side, as is the norm for Sony’s recent handsets. The phone will be capable of LTE, and the material of the body seems to be plastic. The back of the handset can be removed to reveal a microSIM and microSD card slot, but the battery doesn’t seem to be replaceable. The Xperia SP will run on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.

The name of the handset, earlier dubbed the C530X, was revealed alongside the C210X, which will be named the Xperia L. The Xperia L is expected to run on a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon chipset, which could either be the MSM8227 or the MSM8627. The graphics of the handset will be handled by an Adreno 305 GPU and it will have an FWVGA resolution display—480 x 854—with virtual buttons. It will run on Jelly Bean 4.1.2.

Sony recently revealed the price of its upcoming flagship device, the Xperia Z. The company's UK website states that the Xperia Z will cost £529 (approximately Rs 45,000) in the UK, but there is no information about its launch or how much it will cost in India.

Our grey market sources have hinted that the device may make it to Indian shores in the next couple of weeks, but there has been no word from Sony about the launch.

We expected the Xperia Z to be in this price bracket, considering it is IP-certified water and dust-proof. It will be interesting to see how well the device performs in terms of sales against the HTC Butterfly, or even the relatively older iPhone 5, both of which are in the same price bracket.