VAIO Phone Goes Official – But Only In Japan
Will compete against its old owner Sony in the Android smartphone market
The smartphone market is set to welcome back one of its old friends following the reveal of a new device from Sony’s former brand VAIO.
After speculation in recent weeks, the imaginatively-named VAIO phone (otherwise known as the VA-10J) has now been officially announced by Japanese MVNO B-Mobile, which will offer the device at around £22 a month from March 20.
Although it’s unlikely to see a release outside of Japan, the device, which will run Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, looks set to compete with some of the big names on the mid-range smartphone market.
Branching out
Branching outInside, there’s a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 2,500mAh battery. The device, which features a 5in 720p display and 13MP rear camera, weighs just 130g thanks to its plastic build, which is just 7.95mm thick.
The VAIO brand was sold by Sony to a Japanese investment firm in February 2014, making it into a separate company. The first new laptops from the new company appeared last month, with the Windows-powered Vaio Z featuring a hinged lid alongside the Z Canvas, which came with a detachable keyboard that allowed a quick change in form factor.
Its smartphone will now go up against Sony’s already well-established smartphone business, thanks to its Xperia product line, the latest edition of which, the Xperia Z4, is set to be released later this year, accompanying a similarly-titled tablet device unveiled at Mobile World Congress earlier this month.
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