Introducing Xperia™ ion – our first LTE smartphone for the U.S. market

For illustrative purposes only. Not for commercial use or re-sale. Use of “Sony” brand subject to regulatory approval.

We’re excited to announce the release of the Xperia™ ion, the first LTE smartphone from Sony in the U.S. and carried exclusively by AT&T. And it has all the features that developers and users alike have been looking for in an Android™ smartphone – 1.5 GHz dual core processor with Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 Mobile Processor, 1 GB RAM, a 4.6-inch, 720×1280 resolution reality display, 12 MP camera with Exmor R™ mobile sensor, NFC, and much more! Get the full specs after the jump.

Our first LTE smartphone in the U.S.

The new Xperia™ ion is Sony’s first LTE smartphone released to the U.S. market and only available through your local AT&T retail store. Xperia™ ion runs on the Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system though an official upgrade to Android™ 4.0 will be released later). In order to provide 4G LTE connectivity, Xperia™ ion includes a Qualcomm Mobile Data Modem™ (MDM™) 9200 chipset. The MDM9200™ is the industry’s first integrated multi-mode, single-chip 3G/LTE solution and supports both FDD and TDD modes of Category 3 LTE configured for the AT&T LTE network. In Xperia™ ion, the modem has been configured specifically for the AT&T network.

For illustrative purposes only. Not for commercial use or re-sale. Use of “Sony” brand subject to regulatory approval.

Also, it’s the first phone from Sony Ericsson supporting Category 14 HSPA+. This means great data rates, whether you are on HSPA+ or LTE. Xperia™ ion also supports five different radio frequency bands, namely LTE 700MHz and 1700MHz, and UMTS HSPA+ 850MHz, 1900MHz and 2100Mhz.

Top key features: Dual core processor, Adreno™ 220 GPU, OpenGL

Inside boasts a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 dual core processor to deliver great battery life and stunning, fluid graphics. This is further supplemented by an Adreno™ 220 GPU, which provides an enhanced level of 3D graphics performance, allowing for high-end, immersive gaming experiences previously limited to PCs and game consoles. The Adreno™ 220 GPU also supports a number of APIs, including OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenGL ES 1.1 and OpenVG 1.1. For more information on OpenGL, see our previous OpenGL blog post.

Other key features: Mobile BRAVIA engine, NFC, GLONASS, ANT+

Another key feature in Xperia™ ion is the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, which delivers superior image quality for photos and videos. Images are sharper, contrast is boosted – darks are darker and whites are whiter, and noise is reduced. Xperia™ ion is also NFC enabled, allowing you to share content with other NFC devices and enjoy an increasing number of NFC applications and services, as well as Xperia™ SmartTags. Xperia™ SmartTags are a new kind of accessory that can launch a number of pre-configured profiles in the phone. Another connectivity feature includes GLONASS global satellite detection, which allows greater positioning accuracy when the device is using navigation-related applications. You’ll also find ANT+, which is an interoperability function that enables the collection, automatic transfer and tracking of sensor data for monitoring of personal wellness. Stay tuned to Developer World for more in depth information about the LTE, NFC and GLONASS going forward! For our current information on ANT+, check out these ANT+ blog posts.

For illustrative purposes only. Not for commercial use or re-sale. Use of “Sony” brand subject to regulatory approval.

Biggest and best entertainment experiences from Sony

Best of all, Xperia™ ion provides the full Sony entertainment experience with access to the Sony Entertainment Network. Enjoy content from Video Unlimited for the latest Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows. Listen to more than 10 million songs, personal music libraries and free radio channels from Music Unlimited. And the PlayStation® Network has PlayStation-certified content to guarantee high-quality smartphone gaming and access to the PlayStation Store.

Xperia™ ion will be available exclusively in the U.S. with AT&T and will be available in the spring of 2012. The available color will be black.

More information

• Watch the YouTube clip of the Xperia™ ion in action.
• Read more about Xperia™ ion on the consumer website.
• Find out more about the AT&T Developer program.
• Download the Xperia™ ion whitepaper.
• Check out the new SmartWatch and Smart Wireless Headset pro accessories.