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VAIO's slick metal Windows Phone is resurrected for Android

Two words, though: Japan only.

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VAIO, freed from the Sony yoke, made one ropey-looking Android phone all on its own. Then, learning several lessons, it made a gorgeous, machined slab of aluminum that, unfortunately, ran Windows Phone 10. Now, like practically all other phone makers, its changing tack, introducing the VAIO Phone A: an identical phone that's running Android 6.0.

Launching in early April on Japanese phone carriers (if not elsewhere at the moment), the spec sheet remains largely unchanged -- although VAIO has added a few more 3G radios and a second SIM card slot to make it at least a little bit more global. (Yeah, we're eking out any signs that it might leave Japan.) It still has a full HD 5.5-inch screen, a Snapdragon 617 processor and a good three-gig dose of RAM, which is all fine, but you'll probably be buying it for the classy looks, not the smarts inside. (There are plenty of higher-powered Android phones out there.)

VAIO Phone A launches on April 7th, in Japan alone for now, where you'll have to cough up 24,800 yen (around $223) for that aluminum slab. There is, at least, more demand for Android-powered phones.