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Sony Xperia line gains smaller SP and L phones

Set to become available next quarter, the SP phone offers a 4.6-inch screen while its slightly more diminutive cousin sports a 4.3-inch display.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read
Sony's Xperia SP and L phones.
Sony's Xperia SP and L phones. Sony

Sony today unveiled two new Xperia phones for people who may find the 5-inch Experia Z and ZL too big to handle.

The Xperia SP offers a super-bright 4.6-inch 720-pixel HD Reality Display. Sony's Reality Display borrows technology from the Bravia TV lineup, which the company says enhances the brightness and picture sharpness. Courtesy of the Mobile Bravia Engine 2, the phone automatically adjusts its display based on the image being viewed.

Packed with 4G LTE, the SP also comes with near-field communications to display photos and videos on a TV and share files with other devices. An 8-megapixel "fast-capture" camera claims to snap quality photos even at night or when facing a strong backlight. Sony has also equipped the SP with a notification light, which can alert you with a different color based on who's calling.

The phone itself is packaged in an aluminum frame and is available in red, white, and black.

The Xperia L sports a 4.3-inch FWVGA display, which offers an aspect ratio of 16:9 designed to ensure that full-screen movies and videos don't get chopped off at the edges.

Like the SP, the Xperia L comes with a fast-capture 8-megapixel camera that taps into Sony's "Exmor RS" technology for higher-quality photos. NFC also is available so users can wirelessly share files with other devices.

Both the SP and L include a "stamina" mode for the battery to squeeze more juice out of a single charge.

"Both of our new models benefit from Sony's proven innovation and engineering expertise - whether you want to enjoy premium HD quality entertainment over 4G LTE on our mid-range Xperia SP or capture every moment in perfect detail with our more affordable Xperia L," Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications, said in a statement.

Sony is on a roll with new Xperia devices. The SP and L models will be available to consumers worldwide starting next quarter. At CES in January, the company also demoed the 5-inch Xperia Z and ZL phones.