Smartphone cameras are a hot topic this year, and a straw poll would probably see Nokia as the camera phone kings. However, there’s an ever growing queue of manufacturers waiting to out snap them. The latest leak from Sony’s direction is the C680X Honami phone (expected to be branded as the Xperia i1).
If you want reliable leaks about Sony phones get yourself over to esato.com. They’ve got several insiders who seem happy to divulge Sony’s secrets. This time it’s regarding the specs of the handset codenamed C680X Honami. Tagged to be their first true attempt at seriously high end imaging, Sony’s basically taken an Xperia Z, given it a Red Bull and some whey protein, ripped the (pretty damn decent) camera out of it and let the optics guys loose on it. Just take a look at the specs:
- 5 Inch Full HD Reality / Triluminos Display with X-Reality
- 2.3GHz Qualcomm S800 processor + Adreno 330 GPU
- 2+ Gb RAM
- 32 Gb Internal Memory + SD Card slot
- 16.2 or 20 Megapixel camera, with BIONZ chip for mobile. 1/1.5” CMOS Exmor RS. All new image processing algorithm, G Lens, Xenon Flash/Dual Led flash
- S Master Walkman Mobile sound chip
- Single or Double Twin Stereo Liquid Magnetic Speakers
- 3000+ mAh battery
- Glass + Metal body with Carbon Fibre
- Android 4.2.2
- IP57 certification
The stand out features are the 16.2 or 20MP sensor (depending on who you believe!), BIONZ processor (the same technology used in many of Sony’s DSLR cameras) and the Xenon flash.
There’s also talk of a makeover for the Sony user interface (how about just removing it?).
I only hope they solve the viewing angle problem on the display, which is the only thing stopping me from buying an Xperia Z at the moment.
One problem Sony’s had in recent years is getting their new products in ahead of the competition. They stole a jump on HTC and Samsung with the Xperia Z launch this spring, but with an expected Announcement date of early September I wonder if it’s going to be behind the pack before it starts.
Oh, and as always, these are rumours from trusted sources, not cold hard facts, so take this pinch of salt with you when you leave…
Source – Estato
Sounds good spec wise but I think Sony need to focus on the general usability and unique software selling points rather than the camera on phones. Especially as despite all the megapixels and fancy sensors, other phones seem to take better photos.
Who cares about viewing angles? I actually like them to be mediocre because I don’t want people creeping on my phone in public places.