Mobile technology heading into 2012 is all about the marriage of two features: the lowest price tag and the highest specifications. Look no further than Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) strategy with the recently released iPhone 4S. With a two-year contract at either Verizon (NYSE:VZ), AT&T (NYSE:T) or Sprint (NYSE:S), you can get a fine iPhone that sports a voice-operated personal assistant and an 8-megapixel camera that can shoot HD video in 1080p — all for just $200. Some fancy specifications and a nice price.
Sony (NYSE:SNE), true to tradition, is pushing at least the high-end aspect with its latest mobile devices. Case in point: the company’s latest Sony Ericsson Xperia phone. While Sony hasn’t officially debuted the phone yet — with pricing, release date and name all missing — a device certification fact sheet for the phone popped up at Bluetooth SIG (a website for the not-for-profit trade association representing Bluetooth technology) on Thursday. The listing for Sony’s new phone claims to bring the Xperia line into “super phone territory.”
What makes the new Xperia — its temporary name is the decidedly un-catchy catalog ID LT28at — a super phone? The device is built for use on LTE 4G networks like the kind Verizon and AT&T currently are expanding across the country. It has a 4.55-inch, 720p HD screen, labeled in the certification as a “Reality Display.” It also boasts a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a second front-facing HD camera. LT28at sports two microphones as well, for better noise suppression and stereo recording. As with the rest of the Sony Ericsson lineup, LT28at runs on Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system.
It’s an impressive array of features. How does it compare to its brethren? Right now, Sony Ericsson already is preparing another device to be what industry followers thought would be its flagship smartphone in early 2012, the Xperia Nozomi. The Nozomi, whose catalog name is LT26i, has a 4.3-inch screen, slightly smaller than the new super phone, but that screen also outputs in 720p. Nozomi also has some beefy processing power inside, at least according to November rumors at Engadget. Word is that its horsepower is comparable to Samsung‘s (PINK:SSNLF) Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet (this is, of course, unconfirmed).
So the super phone’s real super feature seems to be the 13-megapixel camera. Professional-grade digital cameras like Samsung’s NX200 are 20-megapixel devices. The new Xperia is significantly improved over the already impressive camera in the iPhone 4S. Still, it only makes the LT28at Xperia competitive in the high-end smartphone market. The 3G Droid MT917, a relative of the new Droid RAZR from Motorola Mobility (NYSE:MMI), also has a 4.5-inch, 720p screen, as well as a 13-megapixel camera — as does the Droid XT928.
Those are 3G devices, though, so the new Xperia could at least market itself as a 4G device with these impressive features. However, by the time it releases (likely in the first half of 2012), it’ll be hard to say what the rest of the competitive landscape will look like. HTC, Apple, Samsung and others all have new smartphones in the pipeline, so it’s possible the LT28at might be less super and more Clark Kent by the time it hits the market.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at @ajohnagnello and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.
