Sony Announces New Android Smartphone, Phablet

It’s been a pretty busy few weeks for Sony’s Xperia line of Android smartphones. After recently unveiling a duo of new devices in the Z1 line, the company on Tuesday announced the Xperia E1 and Xperia T2 Ultra.

Looking to further capitalize on its Walkman brand, Sony is mainly touting the Xperia E1’s music functions. In addition to the Walkman controls that will be familiar to anyone who’s used a Sony smartphone to play music, the Xperia E1 also boasts 100Db rear speakers, which the company says can overcome the noise from a motorcycle.

“Xperia E1 combines the best of Sony’s audio technologies with a premium design and great hardware to create a smartphone for people who want to express themselves out loud.” said Calum MacDougall, director of Xperia marketing at Sony Mobile Communications in a press statement. “It’s a new, music focused player in our Xperia line-up that is underpinned by the best of Sony’s design, display and content offers.”

The Xperia T2 Ultra is both larger and higher-end than the Xperia E1. The T2 Ultra has a phablet-sized 6-inch 720p display and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon chip. It packs 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and a microSD slot for additional space.

“Xperia T2 Ultra will lead the category through its combination of advanced display and camera technologies, it will bring large-screen entertainment in an amazingly portable form factor and it will do it all whilst providing incredible value for money,” MacDougall said. “Its large HD display will deliver big screen entertainment on the go whilst the efficiency of the design will allow it to remain the worlds most portable large screen smartphone.”

Both the Xperia E1 and Xperia T2 Ultra will ship running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Pricing and release date details are unknown so far, but it’s unlikely that either device will make a debut stateside any time soon. According to Sony, the new phones will roll out first in emerging markets, including China and the Middle East.