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Sony Xperia SP Available For Pre-Order In The US
It is not too long after the unlocked version of the Sony Xperia Z appeared on the US Sony store, and here we are with word that there is another device released to accompany the Xperia Z on Sony’s digital store shelves. We are referring to the Sony Xperia SP, which is now up for pre-order, and you can choose from either black or white colors. Regardless of the color that you pick, it will still cost you a cool $489.99 – but that is because this is an unlocked model, of course.
So, just what kind of hardware specifications does the Sony Xperia SP pack underneath the hood? A quick inspection would reveal pretty competitive hardware for the mid-range smartphone market, where you would find 1280 x 720 pixels packed into a 4.6-inch display, a 1.7GHz dual-core MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, an 8-megapixel camera at the back with a front-facing VGA camera, 8GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, 1GB RAM, HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100) and LTE (Band I, Band II, Band IV, Band V) support, NFC connectivity, and of course, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean running right out of the box.
If you are rocking to the following devices from Sony – the Xperia Z3+, Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xperia C4, Xperia C5 Ultra, Xperia M4 Aqua, and Xperia M5, then perhaps it is time to sit up and take notice. It seems that support pages for all of these six devices have listed down Android 6.0 Marshmallow as the next version of the OS which will be arriving, never mind the fact that all of them happen to run on Android 5.0 Lollipop at the moment.
If true and all turns out according to plan, then it would mean that Sony would have given the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update a miss, diving straight into development for Android 6.0 Marshmallow which has already been released. Still, it might take some time, so to see Android 6.0 Marshmallow arrive some time this year on the listed devices would most probably happen next year rather than in 2015.
Sony has decided that it is time for three of their older smartphones, the Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1 Compact, and Xperia Z Ultra to pick up the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update at long last, following in the footsteps of the likes of the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, and Xperia Tablet Z in the previous week.
What makes it all the more interesting is the fact that Sony has continued to extend support to these handsets despite them being relatively aged in the fast paced smartphone market. When you apply the update to all three handsets, they will all end up with the build number 14.6.A.0.368, and at the moment, this update will be made live in selected regions, although it is tipped to spread across to the rest of the world in the coming days and weeks.
Do expect to see the infamous Stagefright vulnerability plugged with this update, which is a good thing, among many other improvements and capabilities.
The Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual has been around for some time already, and it is no spring chicken in the big scheme of things where smartphones are concerned. Having said that, it is nice to see that the device itself is on the receiving end of the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update, where it will see the version number bumped up to 19.4.A.0.182 upon installation.
Do bear in mind that the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual happens to sport enough space to stash away dual SIM cards, and this is a slightly modified version of the Xperia T2 Ultra. With Android 5.1.1 Lollipop arriving on the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual, this can only mean that the single SIM model should be able to get the very same update in due time, although nothing official has been revealed just yet. I guess we will just have to sit tight and see.