Mobile World Congress 2017: Sony launches slow-mo Xperia XZ, XZs, XA1, XA1 and smart Projector

Sony, the Japanese electronics giant which is trying to make a comeback in the smartphones segment, launched the new Sony Xperia XZ smartphone with slow-mo camera and a new smart projector at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Sony launched the Xperia XA1, Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra, XZ Premium, and the Xperia XZs smartphones at MWC2017 (Evan Blass/Twitter)

Japanese handset-maker Sony on Monday launched four new smartphones and a smart projector at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona.

As a part of the new launches, the company unveiled the Sony Xperia XA1, Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra smartphone, along with the XZ Premium and the Xperia XZs smartphones.

While the XZ Premium is a high-end variant of the XZ, the XZs is essentially a smaller variant. Similarly, the Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra are successors to the Xperia XA and Xperia XA Ultra smartphone launched by the company last year.

In terms of specifications, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium comes with a 5.5-inch Triluminos HDR display with 4K (2160 x 3840) resolution. The XZ is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor (Gigabit LTE speeds with X16 LTE modem) paired with Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB RAM. In terms of storage, the XZ Premium sports a 64GB inbuilt memory with the option to expand further via a microSD slot (up to 256GB).

In terms of optics, the phone comes with a 19-megapixel rear camera with Sony's new Motion Eye camera system (based its new memory stacked 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor) that provides 5x faster image scanning and data transfer. This means users can now create videos by recording in 960 frames per second, providing Super slow motion video playback that is apparently four times slower than other smartphones in the market. There's also a 13-megapixel front camera with 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS sensor for selfies.

The Sony XZ Premium packs a 3230mAh battery, runs on Android 7.0 Nougat and has Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, NFC, and USB Type-C (USB 3.1) port.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium will be available globally sometime in late Spring in Luminous Chrome and Deepsea Black colours. Sony will also launch a range of accessories including the Quick Charger UCH12Wix which offers hours of battery time by plugging in for just a few minutes and Bluetooth Headset with Speaker SBH56 which enables hands free talking through the loud speaker whilst multi-tasking and has a remote camera shutter.

The smaller Sony Xperia XZs comes with a 5.2-inch (1080x1920 pixels) Triluminos display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor

with Adreno 510 GPU and 4GB RAM. The XZs comes in 32GB and 64GB of internal storage options with the option to expand further via microSD slot (up to 256GB). The phone will draw power from a 2,900mAh and will be available in select markets from April onwards in Ice Blue, Warm Silver and Black colours.

Sony also launched the Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra smartphones at the event. Design wise, both the smartphones resemble the previously launched Xperia XA smartphone a lot. Starting with the larger Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra, the phone features a 6-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display, and is powered by a 64-bit MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core (quad core 2.3GHz + quad core 1.6GHz) SoC with Mali T880 MP2 900MHz GPU and 4GB RAM. The smartphone offers 32GB and 64GB of internal storage, which is expandable further via a microSD card slot (up to 256GB).

In terms of optics, the phone sports a 23-megapixel rear Exmor RS image sensor with hybrid autofocus, 24mm wide-angle lens, f/2.0 aperture, 5x zoom, and HDR mode. There's a 16-megapixel Exmor RS sensor at the front with front flash, 23mm wide-angle lens, f/2.0 aperture, OIS, and autofocus. The phone, that runs on latest Android Nougat, will draw power from a 2,700mAh battery. Connectivity options include LTE (4G), LTE Cat6/4, GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), and UMTS HSPA+ (3G).

The smaller Sony Xperia XA1 smartphone features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display, sports a 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and offers a 2,300mAh battery unit. The front camera is at 8-megapixel with no front flash or OIS. All the other specification details remain the same as the Xperia A1 Ultra smartphone.

Both smartphones will be made available in Spring in White, Black, Pink, and Gold colours. Sony will also launch matching Style Cover Stands alongside in White and Black colours, along with a range of complementary accessories. Price of all the smartphones will vary depending upon the regions.

The company also launched a Smart projector that offers a new way to use Android apps.The Android-powered device was first teased at last year's MWC. The machine uses ultrashort-throw projection technology to display apps on a nearby wall or table. The resulting 720p image can be configured to be between 23in to 80in (58.4cm to 203.2cm) in size. Built-in sensors let the surface used act like a large touchscreen.

Called the Xperia Touch, the projector can turn table tops and walls into interactive displays. Sony says it expects families to "huddle" around the image when using it. The device is designed to be used while connected to a power source, but can work for up to an hour unplugged.

Sony plans to charge €1,499 ($1,584; £1,269) when it goes on sale in Europe and Japan.