Carrying on from unveiling the Xperia Z4 tablet at the MWC in Barcelona, Sony has taken the covers off of its Xperia M4 Aqua, a smartphone that offers front and rear cameras that are more than handy, along with OmniBalance design and a 64-bit Qualcomm processor. We have the specifications, gallery, video and press release after the break.
As you can see from the pictures, Sony’s M4 Aqua looks remarkably like its bigger sibling, the Xperia Z3, and that is no bad thing. The M4 Aqua is a mid-range device, with a Snapdragon 615 Octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM underneath the OmniBalance exterior design. Yes, you read that correctly, a mid-range handset with 2GB of RAM. Coupled with Sony’s minimalist approach to customising its user interface, the M4 Aqua should be pretty slick to handle. The 2,400 battery is enough to get the phone through 2 days of use according to Sony, although Stamina Mode is included in case you really need to eek out the power.
Along with the usual IP65 and IP68 certification (waterproof and dust-tight), that Sony is renowned for, the M4 Aqua also boasts a naked USB port. This means that there is one less cap to worry about losing or damaging. It should be noted though, that this does not mean you can charge the phone while it is submerged.
The M4 Aqua carries two good cameras; a 13MP rear-facing camera with flash and also the 5MP front camera that has an extra wide angle lens for taking those selfie pictures.
Specifications:
- 5-inch HD IPS display with 1280 x 720 resolution
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core 64-bit processor (Quad-core 1.5GHz + Quad-core 1GHz)
- Adreno 405 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 8/16GB internal storage
- MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
- 13MP Rear camera with flash with image stabiliser
- 5MP Front camera with wide angle lens
- A-GPS/ Bluetooth/ NFC/ WiFi/ USB 2.0
- Dimensions: 145.5 x 72.6 x 7.3mm
- Weight: 140grams
- 2,400mAh battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
The M4 Aqua runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, which is something that every Android manufacturer should be striving for when releasing a new smartphone in 2015. Sony says that the M4 Aqua will be released worldwide this spring, with a price tag of €299 ($335). Don’t forget that you can catch the rest of our Mobile World Congress coverage right here.
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Full Press Release:
Barcelona, Mobile World Congress, 2nd March 2015 – Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today refocused its mid-range device strategy with the introduction of Xperia™ M4 Aqua – a smartphone bringing Sony’s leadership in camera, design, battery and performance to an accessible price point.
“Xperia M4 Aqua represents our renewed mid-range focus – with no compromises” said Dennis van Schie, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications. “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.”
Just point and shoot – great pictures without the effort
Xperia M4 Aqua’s impressive 13MP rear camera is powered by Sony’s Exmor RS™ mobile sensor with a large F2.0 aperture, and ISO 3200 sensitivity. It’s powerful digital compact camera technology – and intelligent Superior Auto Mode simplifies your interactions, automatically sensing up to 52 different scenarios, for vivid shots in low-light or strong backlight every time.
Just as with the rear, the 5MP selfie camera has a super wide-angle lens with an 88° field of view, so no-one’s left out of shot – and Portrait Retouch allows you to add fun finishing refinements. The popular selfie editing feature sits alongside Sony’s full suite of preloaded Xperia Camera apps, including other favourites; Sound Photo for adding a short clips to your pictures and Movie Creator, which automatically converts your pictures and videos into snappy thirty second vignette clips – which makes collecting memories or sharing on social media, super quick and easy.
Designed for the way you live – subtlety in hardware and interface design, with Android 5.0 Lollipop
Crafted from the ground up, Xperia M4 Aqua has understated premium looks – a tempered glass display, with the svelte 136g waterproof (IP65/8 rated) body reengineered for cap-less microUSB charging, offering flexible usage wherever you are.
Xperia M4 Aqua will be available in classic White and Black, but also fresh Coral and Silver3 . Sony’s adopted the same subtle principles in its take on Android 5.0 Lollipop’s material design, in keeping with that distinctive minimalist approach to user interface, interactions and native apps.
Xperia M4 Aqua will come with the new look Xperia Lounge Silver, bringing apps, software updates, entertainment, bespoke offers and tips delivered throughout the product lifecycle. As part of this, you’ll be able to enjoy bonus film clips and television episodes4 through the Privilege Plus Movies app.
Do and accomplish more, for longer – Sony’s first octa-core 64-bit smartphone, featuring the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615 processor with integrated 4G LTE connectivity and up to two-day battery life
Whilst some might need to use their smartphone for short bursts on long days, you don’t have to, with Xperia M4 Aqua’s two-day battery life, eliminating the need for regular charging. If that isn’t enough, activate Battery STAMINA Mode to optimize how your battery is used and Ultra STAMINA Mode to keep your phone running on its core functions for a week.
Supporting this optimal balance of performance and power is a Qualcomm® SnapdragonTM 615 processor6 featuring octa-core 64-bit CPUs, advanced multimedia processing and an integrated 4G LTE modem. Thanks to the Snapdragon 615 processor, you can enjoy seamless access to your Xperia Lounge content and experience the fastest news and information download, find your way using maps, check and send email, send pictures to friends and family in seconds and make the most of lag-free online music and video streaming on the go.
Xperia M4 Aqua will launch in 80 countries worldwide, across more than 100 carrier partners for around 299 EUR, from Spring 2015.
Come comment on this article: Sony’s waterproof M4 Aqua comes with a 5-inch HD display, 64-bit Octa-Core processor and runs Lollipop
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