It's been available in some parts of the world since late February, but today Sony Mobile has officially announced global availability of the Xperia S, its current international flagship device. Sony hasn't revealed pricing or carrier availability in specific markets, but in the UK, O2, Three, Orange and T-Mobile offer the black Xperia S, while Phones4U has exclusivity over the white version. SIM-free prices range from £370-400 in the UK, and around €450 in the eurozone.
Unfortunately this "global" release doesn't apply to the U.S., where Sony has no plans to release the Xperia S, or its mid-range siblings the Xperis P and Xperia U. The manufacturer will launch the 4.7-inch, LTE-toting Xperia Ion on AT&T during the second quarter, though.
We recently reviewed the Xperia S, and found it to be a capable handset with some outstanding features, including a great camera and sharp 720p screen. It's running Gingerbread out of the box though, and there's no specific timeframe for that ICS update beyond Q2 2012.
If you're thinking of picking up an Xperia S, or you've already dropped some cash on Sony's latest handset, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: Sony
Reader comments
Sony announces global launch of the Xperia S
yay new snapdragon s3 phones.... oh wait
Usually sony products look very beautiful
The problem is that the Ion doesn't have the clear band on the bottom. I like the looks of the Xperia S and would be all over it if had LTE, but I'm limited to the Ion which doesn't look quite as nice as the S. :(
Buddy just picked up an Xperia S here in Pakistan (where most people use BB). I'll be seeing it tonight, but so far he's very happy with it. It's his first smartphone though, so he doesn't have much to compare it to.