Sony Ericsson prepping 1.2GHz Android smartphone with 12MP camera & 1080p video?


Sony EricssonPlant this firmly in rumourville for now, but there is chatter on the interweb that Sony Ericsson is planning to launch two high-end smartphones. One will be an Android phone (the successor to the Xperia X10), whilst the other will run Windows Phone 7 (successor to the Xperia X2). Both phones are listed in this leaked NTT docomo Winter 2010 roadmap (codenames SO-01C and SO-02C).

This news in itself shouldn’t be surprising, I’d be more surprised if SE wasn’t working on its next-gen flagships. The real interesting questions come from what specs could we see for the Android variant (I imagine the WP7 handset would be broadly similar hardware wise). Esato forum member avmaxfan is claiming to have some inside knowledge and suggests both phones will run on a 1.2GHz processor.

He says the X10 successor will run Android Gingerbread, have a 12.2MP camera sensor capable of 1080p video and will be out by the end of the year. No-one knows who avmaxfan is, he’s a new member on the forums therefore has no track record for such claims. However, to give the claims some credence, respected mobile veteran Eldar Murtazin recently tweeted the following: “If se will launch 12 mpx Android smartphone in October they will win a game for 2011. This product have to be one of the first of next gen”.

That in itself is vague but could point to some inside knowledge of a 12MP Android handset to land in 2010. His comments regarding “this product have to be one of the first of next gen,” could mean that SE will be first out with a smartphone with >1GHz processor. Obviously treat all of this with a pinch of salt but what we do know is that Sony Ericsson is planning an update to the Xperia X10. The main question to ask is does the above spec-list sound too good to be true…


68 responses to “Sony Ericsson prepping 1.2GHz Android smartphone with 12MP camera & 1080p video?”

  1. Great the X10 goes the way of the Satio consigned to history. I just SE would stop pumping out half finished phones every other month. A little less quantity and a bit more quality please.

  2. I think that what Eldar meant when he said ‘this product have to be one of the first of next gen’ refers to its commercial potential as opposed to any inside knowledge…

  3. I’m not a member of the “SE bashing fan club” , but the company would most certainly be signing their own death warrant if they were to release a successor to the x10 only 9 months after the original.

    Brand loyalty is something Sony Ericsson need to focus on or they’ll learn the tough reality of what consumer backlash actually means.

    If any SE rep’s are reading this (which I’m sure they do) please be advised that a move like the one mentioned above wouldn’t be wise. I don’t know what your market research reveals, but as an Android user I can tell you this much – we aren’t your average, ignorant phone buyer. Most of us are tech savvy consumers and unlike your competition we purchase mobile phones after conducting extensive research. We know the difference between Donut, Eclair and Gingerbread.

    I would be loathe to believe the content of this article just yet, so I’m dismissing it as pure speculation. X10 owners will eventually see FROYO since it’s a testing platform for Gingerbread. As for WM7, I doubt Sony Ericsson will use it to replace Symbian as its penultimate OS.

  4. I really don’t think Sony Ericsson truly understand what a ‘flagship’ Android device is supposed to be and who the truly is their customer. They don’t seem to understand what a Sony Ericsson ‘fan’ is either. And they definitely don’t read these posts!! SE really need to look at HTC for some inspiration.

    If we’re lucky, we may see froyo after SE release the Gingerbread PSP phone, but something says, this is just hoping.

  5. By next month…… I don’t think so
    Announced yes, with a release some time next year…. but noway are Sony releasing a monster phone like that which nobody has heard or seen in just few weeks time, its unrealistic and it they were then it’ll be sent to die.

  6. like i just got the xperia x10 and waiting for the upgrade and then i get all hyped that its coming in september then i read its not coming to canada till october , december. Like what the hell then they announce a phone with 12mp and 1080 HD I JUST GOT THE PHONE lol. Great another happy SE customer at its finest.

  7. Ok Guys some more info

    1. The WP7 device is called the Xperia X11
    2. The next android phone will be Xperia X12 (codename CLIARO)

    Specs wise X12 will be superior to X11. This again shows that is betting more on android then Wp7.

    And as many of you guys have been expressing concern about the X12 being bulky, well it won’t be bulky. It is 3mm thinner than the Xperia X10
    ————————
    As for the OS, X12 is running Android 2.2 Froyo
    There is a slight chance that if Gingerbread or Honeycomb is announced officially by Google soon then maybe the X12s that actually hit the store maybe running 3.0 or would go the X10 route and update the OS through a firmware update.

    —–>>> avmaxfan comments

  8. Won’t happen. If these phones were coming out, there would have been leaks months earlier. Of course, the phones themselves wouldn’t start shipping out until what had seemed like best tech when first leaked is now old news…

  9. yay! now I am sure that my x10 will be the LAMEST handset in the world with price among the PRICIEST! THX SE

  10. As far as i know SE would release this 12MP Flagship with Android 2.1 and promising updating to Honeycomb after release. Then again some desperate custumers where hoping for the update while all major vendors have updated their handsets to Andrid 4.5 Bananasplit.

  11. Get a grip on reality guys.

    Yes, I’m sure you’re upset about SE not giving you the latest Android software, but I also think you’re ignoring lot of the facts.

    Fact 1. Froyo (or any android platform for that matter) utilizes poorly written code, resulting in more RAM being waisted on simple background tasks which are more or less unecessary.

    Fact 2. It has a tendency to drain the battery very quickly. Why? Well you only need to look at Fact 1 but it also incoroprates useless features like live wallpaper and other eye candy.

    Fact 3. Full Flash on a mobile phone is so slow you’ll wish you never had it. HTML5 is a much better option.

    Fact 4. Multitouch features like pinch to zoom are a gimmick. Your phone works fine without them.

    Fact 6. Your X10 already has many of the 2.1 features.

    Fact 7. Android will suffer a serious loss of market share once meego is released.

  12. @Gregory
    you are right about some facts but i have to disagree with fact 4 my friend,
    MT will make text entry much smoother, and also look at X10 2.1 video, the guy still struggles sometimes to push or flip things around!!

    you can see it is not the OS problem! it is duo to lack of multi-touch.
    pinch to zoom is just one example of the benefits of MT.

  13. @Gregory

    Fact7: Well i think its time to wake up dude. Meego is nothing else than another Debian Clone which will only make aperience on embedded Devices.

    Sooner or later Nokia will have to choose between android or windows mobile.

  14. Excellent I love SE but am bitterly fustrasted with X10 not getting the right updates.
    But the fact that Sony are lunching A highend phone to compete with Samsung G S and HTC is welcomed by me. I hate the fact that my X10 has no Multi Touch and Super AMOLED. So the new one will certainly have the most up to date features and I can show it of to my mates who always laugh at my X10 with it 1.6 (although they have a right to). Now laugh at this 12MP and 1080p. bring on the Desire HD and the Galaxy S. OK so I have to cough up another £500 bills.

  15. @Asad
    Don’t get too excited my friend, i will not be surprised if SE missed some of the basic featured of currently smartphones! like still having 65k colors and no MT, or even low volume headphone speakers!
    be careful not to get been laughed at even harder!!! 🙂
    i’m not gonna trust SE anymore!

  16. Hisham,
    I would not worry too much about Asad. He buys phones purely to compete and show off to his friends. Let him do as he pleases.

  17. Don’t really know if this is true, but if it is i can’t believe they’ll release this kind of specs with only a single core >1Ghz… makes no sense (other than battery saving) , mainly cuz qualcomm has already released 1.5 Ghz Dual cores and so did Samsung… other than that, the specs make sense, SE keeping ahead of *media*-Smartphones… About the Gingerbread comment, it also makes sense ( Can SE really release this in time ?.. (-: ) and we can suppose higher than 512 ram as is required although not mandatory.

    2cents
    Sp

  18. any one wana give sony ericsson a call? lool

    Owner of Sony Ericsson home page
    Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Limited Liability Company)Nya Vattentornet,221 88 Lund,Sweden

    Capital of company
    EUR 100 000 200
    Phone number
    +46 (0) 10 80 00000

  19. All I want to see is an official spec list from SE that includes MT and Froyo or above.
    The 8.1 camera I have is no better than the 3.2 cybershot from five years ago

  20. It will take a lot(definitely more than this) to convince me to buy another SE phone. From all I have seen and understand, SE are like the apple of the android world. They just release devices that look good on the outside but are pure nonsense on the inside(exept the mini/mini pro as I feel they are in some way good value for money). I mean they are about to launch the x8 in September 2010 still with 1.6. They just don’t seem that bothered with the software side. Just like apple, they create a sub-standard piece of crap and then use mad marketing and advertising to generate huge sales. Once bitten twice shy they say. It will never happen again to me. HTC only from now on.

  21. I really don’t think SE can release this new “super phone” before the end of 2010. Remember how early details about Xperia x10 were leaked? And somewhere around the official announcement (I think X10 was announced around November, if i remember correctly) the “expected” release date was Winter 2009 or early 2010. The X10 came out almost a half a year later.

    I would like to believe that SE is stepping up and releasing updates/new phones in a timely manner, but even if this rumor about the super phone is true, there’s no way the phone’s coming out before the end of this year.

  22. This is fake,can’t be source.

    >Both phones are listed in this leaked NTT docomo Winter 2010 roadmap (codenames SO-01C and SO-02C).

  23. Considering the X10 only went on sale in March/April a lot of X10 owners will be annoyed if this phone goes on sale before September/October 2011. It seems very unlikely a phone with the specs above will go on sale before 2011 but if Sony Ericsson do make another android phone they have to get the software updating right and have the phone running the latest Android/Windows Phone 7.

  24. @jo I seriously hope Sony don’t listen to your crappy advice or for that matter any other phone manufacturer.

    How many different android phones has HTC released this year ? Practically every month they are releasing a new handset and some months 2 or 3 each with slightly different features as well. What about Motorola ? how many high end handsets did they release this year running android ? What about Samsung ? So Sony shouldn’t release an awesome new handset why ? Because you will be offended ? Everybody stop creating new phones because Jo has bought a phone and he wants it to remain the best until his contract ends.

    Most of us conduct research before buying a phone and we have no brand loyalty.. If by the time my contract ends there isn’t a decent new SE phone on the market I wont be buying it. People looking to buy phones in 2-3 months when they go phone shopping and they see this tired old x10 and they see the new HTC line with a 1.2GHz processor or the new Samsung with the quad core cpu they are working on or the new Motorola with a 1.2Ghz processor , do you really think they will pick this phone up ?

    If Sony stop supporting this phone, then they are idiots simple as that, but if they also dont release new phones frequently with great specs, again they are idiots.. Product loyalty means d!c in this day and age its about the best phone for the best price..

  25. @lav why should current SE owners be annoyed if they released a new SE phone ? Why should I care if they release a new better model tomorrow ?

  26. Sony releasing something with the newest software this fast? Is it the 1st of april already? Seriously, I’d become the king of the US sooner. (which is not possible)

    If they release this phone this october, it won’t even have Froyo on it, mark my words.

    That 12MP camera won’t do any good because the photo making software probably is sh*t. You won’t have any real use for the 1.2 ghz processor since the newer 3d games usually require MT.

  27. @ Joost

    All that information has been recycled from the forum with avmaxfan. Many blog/article sites are recycling this information now. All this is still questionable because this member is still unknown. He could simply be just a troll.

  28. EVERYONE on this website, let’s make 1 thing clear.

    You bought the phone for the phone, not for the ability to update.
    If you bought the phone for the ability to update, then you are buying a phone for the wrong reason. WTF is wrong with everyone. The phone is fine the way it is, Android 2.1 was bonus!

  29. @firestarter

    Unfortunately you are a moron, so there is a high probablity you will be excluded from Sony Ericsson’s focus group.

    Do you even know the first thing about running a successful business?? Unlikely.

    Go back to your misguided world of Hollywood and “gordon Ghecko” idioms about “greed being good” firestarter.

  30. @ josh if you are annoyed with others annoyed at not being happy with the phone why are you on this forum complaining about people, go away and enjoy your phone

  31. Promises, promises 🙂 IMHO It is not possible that the successor (x12) will have 2.2. SE is only considering 2.2. First will come 2.1x at the end of this year… There is no time for 2.2. I think x12 will get 2.1 on start or … 3.0 (gingerbread). If 3.0 – x12 it will not appear until the spring (earliest). Probably depends on changes in new 3.0 OS and offcial hadware demands. But what about x-family ? it is very likely that x10, x8 will not get 3.0 – hardware issues. SE is looking for Nokia N8 with this 12mpix. It’s pitty that x8 did not get camera from x10, because x8 looks nice.

  32. If SE releases an Android with OMAP (Texas instruments) CPU that would be really surprising since they work hard together with Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson.

    I know that ST-Ericsson are testing dual 1,2GHz ARM cortex A9 CPU’s at the moment with the following specs and it’s destination is SonyEricsson in Q1 2011:

    Full HD 1080p camcorder, multiple codecs supported
    (H264 HP, VC-1, MPEG-4)
    High-resolution, touchscreen display support up to XGA
    Simultaneous dual display support
    High performance 3D graphics, support for
    OpenVG 1.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0
    Dual camera support with Integrated ISP 18 Mpixel and 5 Mpixel
    Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS enabled platform
    Built-in USB 2.0, HDMI out
    Support for multiple operating systems, Symbian, Android
    and Linux-based platforms
    Optional support for mobile TV standards

    Highly efficient, low-power ARM dual Cortex™- A9 processor
    Dual multimedia DSP for low-power, flexible media processing
    High-bandwidth LP-DDR2 interface
    ARM Mali™ 400 GPU and NEON®CPU extensions
    State-of-the-art HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) Release 7 modem
    Unique audio architecture with a wide range of audio codecs supported
    Advanced power saving architecture enabling class-leading audio and video playback times

    I have no doubt that SE is working on a new high-end android device but the OMAP makes me wonder wether this “insider” really knows what he/her is talking about.

  33. I agree with Firestarter, HTC releases a phone every month, Motorola does the same thing at almost the same rate. My only mistake was buying a phone with 1.6 when I should have waited and purchased a phone with 2.1. I will probably not buy another SE phone again unless it launches with the latest OS from the start. Anyone notice how HTC and Motorola seem to update their devices so frequently! I will probably go that route next time!! The reason why SE can get away with releasing 1.6 on new devices, is because people are buying them and SE only cares about profits and not the customer.

  34. I’m looking at this leak as the potential for good news.

    1. It appears that SE is very happy with the X10 series and have plans in the making for hardware updates. That they produced those funny web ads is also good news.
    2. It’s about time to intro a new phone if they have any desire to maintain any momentum.
    3. The leaked plans for the existing units say we’ll have the first version of 2.1 shortly, and then tweaked/fixed versions later this year. Some say an improved UXP will be a part of this.
    4. A new phone (very possibly released by Mar 2011) with 2.2 and an improved UXP would mean to me that it’s possible that they will put the update onto the X10, which I think will be the only X10 in the series capable of running it due to memory and CPU constants.
    The X10 and it’s smaller siblings are using the same base code. I think that once the X12’s 2.2 is making it’s way through development, the X10 could be brought along for the ride, once. I had already been of the opinion they would never do this since there’s no incentive to do so, Google feels it’s okay to be on 2.1 or 2.2 if the phone’s hardware is not up to snuff.
    5. The X10 will never get Android 3.0, with the memory below 512mb and CPU it won’t have enough resources to support it well.
    6. By the time we get 2.2, Google and SE will have all the bugs shaken out of it. It seems to me that many of the android phones are experiencing issues due to the underlying OS itself, combined with drivers issued by the OEMs that are inadequate. We should be grateful for the lack of GPS issues, and additional battery drainage due to having a SD card in the slot that Galaxy S owners have when they point music, photos and video to the external storage.

  35. This puts me off going to buy an X10 Mini Pro tomorrow. Should I wait and hope for a mini version of this rumoured X12, should I get the X10 Mini Pro or should I get some other phone (which one for max £300?)

  36. if you’re fooled once do you want to be fooled again?
    the majority of users won’t
    employees will
    i am not an employee.
    specs and saying you want to make the best don’t make a super-phone, decent support does.
    neglect that 2.2 is not a huge improvement compared to 1.6 or 2.1 is making yourselves not trustworthy, and trust sells

  37. Well I grew tired of waiting for SE to fix the ailing problems of the Xperia X10 – so I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S … and boy am I over the 549$ x 2 I wasted on SE > Same 1GHz processor is blazing fast on the galaxy – it is 3x lighter and the OEM apps are phenomenal contacts from FB auto populate no painful linking required. No need for Task-killer Samsung built their own, live wallpapers – scrolling waterfall application screen. MORE MORE MORE

    12MP camera sounds the rave, but with no LED flash as in the Nokia – its as good as nothing.

    I had hopes for the Xperia X10 – Sony could have tossed in the PS3 remote play application but they kept that for the Ano … when Samsung included allstream – an app that gives you media sharing capabilities on your Galaxy, just sit back and take your 6TB media collection with you anywhere thanks to VPN and HSPA+ the dream just got better and Video calling – Video calling from FB contacts from anywhere to you anywhere.

    SE dropped the ball … Never SE ever again.

  38. Here is the funniest thing out of everyone here talking about this issue of the supposed super phone. NOBODY talks about what kind of battery it needs to run everything on the phone itself. It DOES NOT matter if it’s running on the newest OS system based on preference,of course, unless it has ALL technological advances on the phone. Ya SE has let people down by losing that lil umph that made them so great in the early 2000’s, but me myself I’m currently satisfied with the AT&T branded X10 and it’s running both the current Super Security and Lookout(which should have came stock with the phone)Apps and now my battery(with the help of this websites tips and tricks) is lasting for almost 2 days without charge!! And by the way my last phone was the S710a(kept it for almost 7 years till I bought the X10 last month) because IMHO there was still no phone out there that compared to its basic awesome features and early ergonomics. Here’s a thought for SE, why don’t you just invest in some of the companies out in the market(Not take them over,INVEST) and make EVERYONE happy with your efficiency of making a phone right and proper. I will accept any reciprocating answers,opinions,ideas and hates but you got to admit that you liked this comment 🙂

  39. So I would agree with Josh and some others that made good points. If there was ever a X12 made in this upcoming year(Mid 2011) and released 8 months later then I would seriously invest money,not only to buy the phone but maybe in some the companies stock, then I would consider buying it bu till then…. THIS PHONE IS THE SHIZNIT!!! Here’s another thought SE, why spend more money in making phone accessories when manufacturers out in the market make some of the better products out there for you….

  40. If you only just got the X10 a month ago – YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY EITHER VERY POOR, OR NOT A PHONE CONNOISSEUR So its easy to see why you would be content with this Garbage SE turned out – you keep the same phone for 7 years, you are a budget shopper. Good for you –

    Although for the rest of us looking for quality products – SE has heavily disappointed us, as there are phones out there that sport the same array of features as the Xperia X10 and do 100x more. … . like playaprez pointed out Galaxy S is one of them, I am personally thinking of switching.

    Battery life is an android managed feature, you have an inhouse charger – car charger, travel charger, usb charger to combat this … so NOT a big deal.

    PS – hope you enjoy the next 7years with your Xperia X10

  41. How much did all you X10 users pay for this phone to become so bitter? It must of been quite a large amount. I myself paid $400 (Canadian funds) and am very happy with the phone and all it’s gadgets. Timescape UI still blows people’s mind when they see it appear. My girl has an I Phone 4 , the hardware is great while the software is horrible. HTC , well I would be embarrassed to walk the streets with such an ugly ass phone. I dig my 3 homescreens for X10 and when 2.1 is released for SE we will see, until then don’t talk.

  42. @Oscar- First of all who the FUCK are you?! Everyone here puts there name and then writes comments about others which obviously you don’t, so that makes you lame. 1. I’m not Poor like you think I am because I have a very good Job working for a Private city. 2. I AM, a phone Connoisseur because I saw this phone first hand 6 months ago here in the States and through people I know,they tell me their honest opinions of unlocked and locked type phones plus going through all websites reviews(Ex: PhoneArena,Engadget, Etc.) 3. I AM a budget shopper because I kept the last best thing SE made in a small compact form that you guessed and mentioned lasted7 years!!! So Kudos for you and what you paid attention to.

    The X10a is not SE Garbage just SE lagged on it and kept it on the back burner for too long.
    I have no complaints on it because it’s my first Smart phone and I don’t know any other phone that works 100x more unless your talkin about having access to the Open Android market then that’s different. I, as many others here, that still have their phones here, LOVE the feel of the phone,meaning it’s ergonomics ,it’s basic functions and how much more you
    can make of it with the UI/Timescape. Battery life, if managed by Android, is not doing a good job. So basically what your saying is that tips and tricks from other members in this forum/members are full of shit although it’s been proven??!!!
    Out of 100 million swimming shit heads you’re the one that made it up the Snatch canal?!Sucks to be you man!!!

    @Ryan- I only paid 149 American dollars because I received a discount with At&T for being a long time customer and The “City” discount also helped lower my bill. I agree with you about Timescape because people that seen my phone and that part of it are like”DAmn!!!!!”
    All other phones out there are really not ergo but then again it’s all about preference.

    P.S. I will enjoy my phone for another 7 years because I love talkin to actual manufacturers and have them make something for you first and then give it out to the public later for resell…. It’s called sponsorship and hustle so get wit the program!!!

  43. Hi all, yes I am fed up waiting too, gone back to my p1i, atleast its reliable!
    I’m not too bothered about 16 m colours, I just want to be able to hear the person I’m calling and them hear me, anyone else having same problem? I have to redial upto three times before person I’m trying to call can actually hear anything from my end, SE if you read this could you please let me know anyway I can sort this, it is not a network issu but my x10, I reckon se rushed this phone out without caring about its actual ability, another case of style over substance, I will not be fooled again!