MWC 2015: Sony Xperia M4 Aqua and Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet launched

Reported by Zara Ali March 2nd, 2015 at 06:22 pm

Sony has finally unveiled its water-resistant Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone, at the MWC 2015. The phone will be available from spring this year, in 80 countries and 100 carriers for a price of EUR 299 (Rs. 20,600 approximately). The company also launched its Xperia Z4 Tablet alongside.

The Xperia M4 Aqua is the successor to the last year’s Xperia M2 Aqua and it posses almost similar design profile as its predecessor. But the Xperia M4 Aqua runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out-of-the-box. The device will be available in LTE and dual-SIM variants (in selected markets). The device comes with a 5-inch HD display with 720x1280 pixels resolution and is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (quad-core 1.5GHz + quad-core 1.0GHz), paired with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 405 GPU.

It sports a 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera with Sony Exmor RS mobile image sensor and f/2.0 aperture. There is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera on-board with a wide 88-degree field of view. The phone has 8GB and 16GB of internal storage variants that can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. it is backed by a 2,400 mAh battery, which is touted by Sony to deliver up to 13 hours of talktime, and standby time up to 779 hours.

The Xperia M4 Aqua will be available in both 3G and 4G LTE variants, the phone is equipped with support for connectivity options such as NFC, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and USB. As an added attraction, it is dust and water resistant with IP65/8 certification. It weighs 140 grams, measures 145.5x72.6x7.3mm and will be debuting in Black, White and Coral color variants.

Commenting at the launch, Dennis van Schie, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications, said, ”Xperia M4 Aqua represents our renewed mid-range focus - with no compromises. Offering the most popular standout features made famous by our Xperia Z Series; camera capability, two-day battery life and waterproofing - Xperia M4 Aqua brings a proposition and price, products in this section of the market simply cannot match,” he said.

As we told earlier, Sony also unveiled the Xperia Z4 Tablet at the same event. The device features a 10.1-inch display, a much-awaited successor to the Xperia Z2 Tablet, and will be launched in June in Black and White colors options with Wi-Fi only and 4G LTE variants. Sadly, there is no information regarding the pricing yet.

The Xperia Z4 tablet is 6.1mm-thick with IP65 and IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, which certifies the survival up to 30 minutes in 1.5 metres of water. The tablet features 10.1-inch 2560x1600 pixel IPS Triluminos display at 300ppi of pixel density and scratch-resistant glass.

The Xperia Z4 Tablet and Xperia Z4 Tablet LTE is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 SoC paired with a 3GB of RAM and Adreno 430 GPU. It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with an Exmor RS sensor, along with a 5-megapixel front camera with wide-angle lens. The device also boasts Hi-Resoultion audio playback support, Sony 3D Surround Sound technology (VPT), digital noise cancellation, xLoud tech and Clear Audio+.

The device runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and has 32GB of internal storage expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. It supports connectivity options such as 4G LTE (Nano SIM), Wi-Fi with Direct and Hotspot, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/ A-GPS with GLONASS, NFC, FM radio with RDS, and Micro USB. The device is backed by a non-removable 6,000 mAh battery, which is touted by the company to deliver up to 17 hours of video playback.

Sony is also pushing the Xperia Lounge Gold service featuring exclusive apps, aside for video and music content. The company is also planning on selling three accessories alongside, in June. These accessories include the specially designed Sony BKB50 Bluetooth Keyboard, which docks with the tablet to enable laptop-tablet hybrid functionality, with a touch pad, along with many ports. Sony also announced a Sony SRC32 tablet cover, which is a mix of a flip case and stand, the third accessory is Sony BSP60 smart Bluetooth speaker.