Sony targets emerging markets with Xperia E1 & T2 Ultra

MANILA, Philippines – As more smartphone manufacturers battle to increase market share, Sony goes after a new market segment with the release of two mid-range smartphones – the Xperia E1 & Xperia T2 Ultra. 

The Japan-based tech giant says both phones were designed “with customers from emerging markets in China, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific rim in mind.”

Both phones come in dual-SIM variants and will be available in black, white and purple.

Xperia E1 (E1 dual)

The Xperia E1 and its dual-SIM variant the E1 dual, come with a humble spec sheet that includes a 4-inch 800 x 480 WVGA display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage and a 1700 mAh battery. We’ve reached out to Sony about what kind of camera they’ve put on the phone and if there are provisions for expandable storage. LTE is not supported.  

The headline feature of the E1 is its massive 100-decibel speaker. Sony says not even a motorcycle will interrupt your music. The phone also comes with Sony’s Walkman controls that include features like shake-to-shuffle.

Of course the story here should be about the phone’s budget price tag, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month to hear anything official. 

Xperia Blog reports the phone will go for €129 to €149 in Europe. That’s about P8,000 – 9,000 or about US$175- $200. For that price, however, you can have a much higher specced phone from a Philippine or Chinese brand.

Xperia T2 Ultra (T2 Ultra dual)

The Xperia T2 Ultra and the T2 Ultra dual are pretty decent 6-inch phablets with specs aligned more with Sony’s high-end line of devices. 

The phablet comes with a 720p TRILUMINOS display with a Mobile Bravia Engine 2 – a set of algorithms that is supposed to make images and video look better on screen. Its 13 megapixel camera has Exmor RS technology – Sony speak for a backside illuminated display. But it isn’t the same G lens found on Sony’s flagship Xperia Z1 line.

The device is powered by 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on board storage, and a 3000 mAh battery. It comes with NFC and LTE support. 

Xperia Blog estimates that the T2 Ultra will have with a recommended retail price of €339 in Europe, that’s about P24,500 or roughly $543. But if the goal is to penetrate markets like the Philippines, one would hope that regional pricing will be a bit more competitive. – Rappler.com