Sony Xperia U, codename Kumquat, revealed in leaked photo

Here's the first decent look at the forthcoming Sony Xperia U. Also known as the ST25i and codenamed Kumquat during development, the Xperia U is one of Sony's first phones since taking control of the Sony Ericsson brand.

Xperia Blog has a leaked photo of the Xperia U, which looks a lot like the Sony Xperia S -- complete with transparent strip at the bottom -- but with a smaller 3.5-inch screen.

Inside is reported to be a 1GHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera, with the screen displaying a 480x854-pixel resolution.

Sony obviously reads CNET UK. When it came to codenaming the Xperia U, Sony went with Kumquat, as predicted by our own Luke Westaway back in July last year. If Sony, Nokia, HTC and the rest are reading -- and they are -- here's some more suggestions for phone names: Avocado, Periwinkle, Beardbag, Hosepipe, Wishing Well, Peacock Pocket, Magician, Chinstrap, Milkshake Headache, Trapeze Banana, Flowerpot and Bum Sock.

Look out for the Sony Xperia Avocado and HTC Hosepipe at Mobile World Congress, the annual phone fiesta where all the big names launch their new phones for the year. We're heading to MWC mob-handed, so keep it CNET UK for all the news, previews and hands-on videos.

Sony is expected to reveal new phones including the Kumquat, LT22i Nypon, MT27i Pepper and a possible Windows Phone. We hope they help Sony turn around last year's gigantic £200m loss as the partnership with Ericsson dissolves.

Is the U for you? Do you like the look of the latest Sony phones? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook page.