Sony Xperia i1 'Honami' leaks again, LED flash not xenon

Sony's next-generation camera phone has been spotted again, but with a different flash than previously rumoured.

Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.

See full bio

Joe Svetlik

June 29, 2013 2:30 a.m. PT

1 of 4

We saw the Sony Xperia i1 leak just a couple of days ago, and here he is again, in all his 20-megapixel glory.

It's rumoured to be a smaller, more photo-centric companion to Sony's flagship Xperia Z Ultra, and to be codenamed the 'Honami'. Just one thing. In these pics, posted by Just Another Mobile Phone Blog, the handset sports an LED flash, instead of the xenon one previously reported. So what's going on?

Just Another Mobile Phone Blog insists the handset will ship with the xenon flash, as previously stated. The device isn't official yet, so obviously there's no way of knowing, or even if these pictures are bona fide, so take all this with a pinch of salt. An LED flash gives a softer, more even illumination, while xenon has a stronger burst of light.

Other than that, there's not much to learn from the pictures. You can see the microSD card slot in one of them, but that's about it.

The Xperia i1 is just one of a new generation of camera phones. Joining it is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom -- on sale a week on Monday, spinoff fans -- with a ridiculous 10x optical zoom. We usually see that kind of zooming power on compact cameras, not smart phones.

Nokia also has a new camera phone up its sleeve, named the Nokia Lumia 1020, aka the Lumia EOS. The Finnish phone firm will unveil the new blower on 11 July at an event in New York. Expect it to go head to head with the S4 Zoom for the title of best mobile-slash-camera this summer.

Sony hasn't said when we'll see the Xperia i1 Honami hit shop shelves. What would you like to see from the phone? And who'll win the war for best camera phone of 2013? Let me know in the comments, or on our picturesque Facebook page.