Sony Xperia P and Xperia U unveiled in official pics

Sony has lifted the lid on two new smart phones, both dual-core, both launching this spring, and both transparent. Hang on, what?

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.

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Joe Svetlik

Feb. 26, 2012 11:23 a.m. PT

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The Sony Xperia P and U are official. The U had already leaked, complete with the transparent bar at the bottom, while the P is a completely new handset.

Both boast dual-core chips, both run Android, and both pack NFC. The U is pretty much as expected, while the P is higher-end, closer to the Xperia S in terms of specs. Both will launch with Android Gingerbread, but be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich very soon after launch this spring. And both undoubtedly look the business.

The Xperia P has an aluminium unibody chassis, with a 4-inch display. Added to that, it has WhiteMagic display technology, which Sony claims will make it visible even in bright sunlight -- something we hope to test while out in Barcelona. On the back is an 8-megapixel camera, and it'll record videos in HD. It also comes with NFC, for use with Sony's SmartTags -- just tap your phone on one to launch a function of your choice.

It'll work with the SmartDock Sony launched at CES, letting you connect it to your TV for big screen viewing, web browsing, or game playing. The Xperia P will go on sale in the UK around April.

The U is pretty much as we previously reported. It's more compact and lower-specced than the Xperia P, with a 3.5-inch screen, 1GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera on the back. It features the same transparent bar at the bottom, but Sony was keen to big up its custom options -- you can set it to flash a certain colour when your phone rings or you get a text, or even change colour to match the photos on screen as you flip through your album. The very bottom of the phone is swappable too, so you can change it like an old Nokia case.

It comes with NFC tech as well, and will also go on sale around April. Sony hasn't given prices for either phone.

So, what do you make of them? Can they bring Sony back to its former glory, now it's shaken off Ericsson? Let me know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.