Sony Xperia T flagship unveiled at IFA 2012: offers 4.6-inch HD display, 13MP camera and NFC

The Xperia T, formerly codenamed Mint, rumor and leak victim since January, has officially broken cover. Revealing its 4.55-inch face to the crowds in Berlin, the Reality Display packs a 1,280 x 720 resolution and offers what Sony is calling the "best HD experience on a phone to date." The company claims you can view vids in full 1080p HD quality, though we're still waiting to receive additional clarification on this statement. (Update: Sony clarified that it was merely referring to the 1080p video recording capabilities of the phone.) The Xperia T runs on Ice Cream Sandwich, but we're told it will be upgraded to Jelly Bean shortly after launch. It also features a 13MP fast capture camera and boasts a feature Sony is calling Sleep to Snap, which means you can go from a black screen to taking photos in an instant. What else does this new flagship offer? A one-touch function with NFC which you can use to tap to connect to other Sony devices, a 60-day premium trial of Music Unlimited and a new tier called Access which will be available in Europe for 0.99 Euros per month and will deliver full access of the service to PCs and the PS3.

The T -- which will be known as the TX in select markets, and should be launching globally over the next few weeks -- also sports a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260A Snapdragon S4 CPU, pentaband UMTS / HSPA+ radios, a front-facing cam with 720p video capture, MHL connectivity, FM radio, 16GB onboard storage and an 1,850mAh battery. Dimension-wise, the T will weigh 4.9 ounces (139g) and come in at 9.35mm thick. Lastly, the new Xperia flagship will be available in black, silver and white hues (while the TX appears to come in pink as well). Pricing is still an unknown, but as we've seen before, it may largely depend on the market anyway. We'll keep you posted as more details come in.

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Brad Molen contributed to this post.

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New Xperia smartphone series with Sony's best HD experiences deliver next step in connected entertainment

29 August 2012
Xperia T and Xperia V combine Sony's best HD experiences, easy connectivity with 'One-touch' sharing enabled by NFC and award-winning arc design
Sony's media applications introduce a consistent user experience across Sony devices including the new Xperia Tablet S
Xperia J makes stylish smartphone design affordable with a standout screen size
29 August, 2012 – Berlin, Germany – Sony Mobile Communications ("Sony Mobile") today announced a new range of Xperia™ smartphones, along with the first Xperia Tablet from Sony Corporation at the consumer electronics show IFA. Featuring in the upcoming James Bond cinema release Skyfall, Xperia T (also coming in a variant known as Xperia TX for some specific markets) is the new global flagship model, providing Sony's best HD smartphone screen, camera and easy 'One-touch' functions enabled by NFC (Near Field Communications). Xperia V shares many of the same great features with Xperia T, but is also LTE enabled for superfast network performance and comes with the highest level of water resistance in smartphone. Xperia J has eye-catching design with a stand-out screen size for consumers looking to combine great style with affordability. Xperia Tablet S brings Xperia to the world of tablet for the first time. Xperia T will launch globally over the next few weeks. Xperia V and Xperia J will launch globally in calendar Q4 2012.
"This year's IFA marks an important milestone for Sony and Sony Mobile Communications. Xperia smartphones are at the heart of Sony's mobile strategy of delivering a consistent user experience across devices, enabling consumers to easily and quickly access the world of entertainment that Sony delivers," commented Kunimasa Suzuki, President and CEO of Sony Mobile Communications.

Xperia smartphones: best of Sony's technology and design
Xperia T and Xperia V combine Sony's best screen, camera and connectivity to provide consumers with the best HD experience with which to enjoy content on any screen, any time. Xperia T, Xperia V and Xperia J build on the same design language first introduced by the award-winning* Xperia arc and Xperia arc S – combining a slim form factor with an emphasis on the display for excellent viewing.
More entertainment with Sony's media applications and Music Unlimited
Sony's media applications ("WALKMAN®", Album and Movies) combine the best of Sony's technologies and connect consumers to a variety of entertainment services. They form an integral part of the UI on Xperia smartphones, tablets and VAIO PCs to deliver a consistent and superior entertainment experience.

Through the "WALKMAN" application, consumers can easily enjoy Sony's recommended sound in ultimate clarity and presence across the entire spectrum of sound by just activating Sony's ClearAudio+ mode***. A wide variety of music can be accessed from this application, including consumer's music stored in their PCs, a list of songs "liked" by a consumer's Facebook friends and millions of songs through Music Unlimited.
The Album application combines an intuitive user interface that enables consumers to view, sort, and share pictures with an ability to consolidate photos posted on social media such as Facebook.
Consumers can enjoy video content in high picture and sound quality through the Movies application. It also provides movies synopsis from the rich database of Gracenote.
Furthermore, with Album and Movies applications, consumers can remotely enjoy their photos and movie content stored in their home digital media servers.

Xperia smartphones shipping from September until the end of the year will come with a free 60 day trial of Sony Entertainment Network's** cloud-based digital streaming music service Music Unlimited giving consumers the opportunity to subscribe directly from their Xperia and enjoy access to millions and millions of tracks.

'One-touch' functions for content sharing
Sony is putting NFC at the heart of content sharing through its 'One-touch' function, taking NFC beyond the traditional uses such as eticketing and payments. Now, consumers can easily and instantaneously enjoy their music and photos across an array of NFC enabled Sony devices, by simply touching one to another to establish a wireless connection without a cumbersome pairing process. For example, Xperia T and Xperia V users can stream music wirelessly with 'One-touch' to the new Sony SRS-BTV5 NFC enabled speaker, also announced today at IFA.

Product Details

Xperia T key features:

4.6" HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine for razor sharp clarity
13MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep mode to snap in just over a second
Full 1080p HD video recording capabilities and a 720p HD front camera for the highest quality content
Easy connectivity with 'One-touch' function enabled by NFC
PlayStation™ Certified
Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery life, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch. Detailed timing to follow
MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen without the need for a charger
Use Xperia TV Dock with MHL to HDMI converter and charging connector to enjoy photos and videos on an HDMI enabled TV
In some markets Xperia T will be known as Xperia TX
Available in Black, Silver and White colours