Since the launch of the Tablet S and Tablet P last year, little has been heard from Sony on the subject of future tablet plans. However, that changes today with the leak of a massive cache of slides detailing the company's next-generation "Xperia tablet." The slides first appeared in an XDA forum post, where the poster said the tablet would come to market in time for the holidays.
The new tablet will be "positioned as part of the Xperia family," which includes Sony's range of Android smartphones. Externally, the leaked slides indicate a thinner, lighter design, while keeping the Tablet S's trademark "wedge" design and 9.4-inch screen size. Tentative specs list the thickness as 8.8mm at the bottom of the wedge, and 11.85 at the top. The device is said to weigh 570 grams, down from 598. And in contrast to the plastic chassis of Sony's earlier tablet, the new model will be constructed of anodized aluminum-magnesium alloy and splashproof glass. Screen resolution looks set to remain at 1280x800 pixels (WXGA).
Internally, the Xperia tablet will apparently sport an NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU with 16, 32 or 64GB of storage, and the camera specs have been bumped up to 1MP on the front and 8MP around the back. Battery life is estimated at 10 hours of Wifi browsing, on a 6000mAh battery. Interestingly, the OS version is marked as "ICS or later," suggesting the possibility that the Xperia tablet will ship with Jelly Bean at launch.
In addition to Android 4-point-something, you can expect the full Sony Entertainment Network suite, including PlayStation support and access to the Sony Reader store for e-books. A range of third-party apps are mentioned in the slides too, including the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Picasa, Box.net, Skype and Facebook, which may be pre-loaded.
A range of accessories is promised too, including stands, carrying cases, and a Microsoft Surface-style keyboard cover (though there's no indication of whether this works the same as Microsoft's offering). Tentative pricing starts at $449.99 for the 16GB version. 32GB is set for $549.99, and 64GB for $649.99.
With the IFA show just around the corner, and Sony confirmed to be in attendance, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for a possible unveiling in Berlin late next month. For more details, check the slides after the break.
Source: XDA; via: XperiaBlog
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