Sony Xperia ZL Formally Unveiled

Sony Mobile has unveiled the Xperia ZL, the sibling handset to the Xperia Z. The Sony Xperia ZL carries a similar feature-set to the Xperia Z albeit with a different design. The main feature that the Xperia ZL is missing over the Xperia Z is the water resistant chassis. However, some may find this more practical on a day-to-day basis as all of the ports are not covered by flaps, unlike the Xperia Z.

There are also a number of other reasons that may skew people towards the Xperia ZL. The ZL has a dedicated camera button, a front-facing camera on the bottom right of the phone which makes it better for landscape video calls, a plastic textured back as opposed to the glass back on the Xperia Z. It also includes infrared/IrDA functionality so that you can control your TV with your phone. The Xperia ZL also has a smaller bezel on the sides of the phone, so it’s not as tall as the Xperia Z. 

Whether you prefer one or the other may be a moot point though, as Sony is only launching the Xperia ZL in selected markets. We can confirm that the Xperia ZL will not be available in the UK, for example.

The Xperia ZL has a 5-inch 1080p OptiContrast Display (443 PPI) with Bravia Engine 2, 1.5GHz quad-core chipset (APQ8064 + MDM9215M) with Adreno 320 graphics, 2GB RAM, 13MP Exmor RS rear camera, 2.1MP Exmor R front-facing camera NFC, MHL, LTE, 16GB internal storage and a microSD memory card slot. Battery specs remain a mystery for now.

The Xperia ZL weighs 151 grams and has dimensions of 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm. The handset will launch in Q1 2013 in black and white colours. It will launch with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and be upgraded to Android 4.2 after launch.