Seemingly out of the blue, Sony has revealed a brand new Android smartphone in the form of the Xperia ZR, which has an impressive set of specifications and waterproof capabilities to boot.
Like Sony’s flagship Xperia Z, the new Xperia ZR features waterproof capabilities that allow you to shoot pictures and videos underwater. However, with this model Sony is really focussing on underwater camera hi-jinks. The phone is both IP55 and IP58 compliant, which means you’ll be able to shoot photos and videos in fresh water up to 1.5m deep. Sony doesn’t recommend using it in the sea – salt and gadgets don’t really mix.
To achieve great pictures and videos even when underwater Sony has given the Xperia ZR its latest 13 megapixel Exmor RS camera sensor alongside an LED flash and dedicated camera button, which should give the same results as the excellent Xperia Z.
In order to differentiate the ZR from the Z, Sony has scaled down the screen size and quality to 4.55-inches and the 720p resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. On the plus side the panel is OLED, which should help with battery life as well as offering vibrant colours and great viewing angles.
Inside there’s still plenty of power thanks to 2GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chip clocked to 1.5GHz. Sony has opted to give you 8GB of internal storage, which can be augmented with a micro SD card up to 32GB.
Android Jelly Bean 4.1 is the operating system of choice on the ZR, coupled with Sony’s skin and ever-expanding selection of apps and services that tie in with other brands such as Bravia and PlayStation.
Connectivity comes in the form of speedy 4G LTE for mobile networks, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, DLNA and GPS giving you just about every modern smartphone connection you need.
In terms of design, the Xperia ZR looks much like the Xperia Z from the front, but on the back it’s got a curved plastic shell that makes it thicker than the company’s flagship. Four colours are available including the now standard black and white, plus vibrant pink and turquoise.
Sony will make the Xperia ZR available around the world between July and September. There’s no word on price just yet.
UPDATE: According to UK retailer Clove, the Xperia ZR will not be coming to the UK. Bad news.