Sony Unveils Z4 Tablet And Mid-Range M4 Aqua Smartphone, But No Flagship

Sony has unveiled a new mid-range smartphone and a tablet at Mobile World Congress, although there was no sign of an addition to its premium smartphone range.

The device maker previously opted for a six month upgrade cycle on its premium line, but has suffered from continued poor performance in its mobile division, with rumors it may spin off the unit.

The M4 Aqua Dual is Sony’s first octa-core 64-bit device and features a Qualcomm 615 processor, 4G LTE connectivity, waterproof design, 13MP rear camera and 5MP wide-angle front camera.

Sony said the smarthphone, which will be available in the UAE and KSA from April 2015 priced at Dhs1199, will offer up to two days of battery life.

Dennis van Schie, SVP, head of sales and marketing at Sony Mobile Communications, indicated the device represented a “renewed mid-range focus” suggesting the smartphone maker may be turning away from the competitive premium space, home to Apple, Samsung and HTC devices.

Accompanying the launch of the M4 Aqua Dual is the Xperia Z4 Tablet, with both devices running on the Android 5.0 Lollipop OS version.

The Z4 boasts a 10.1 inch 2K display with Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core 64 bit processor. Sony claims it is the world’s lightest and slimmest 10 inch tablet, while also boasting water and dust proofing and an uncapped USB port.

The device also supports digital noise cancelling and comes equipped with an 8MP rear camera and 5.1MP wide angle front camera.

The Z4 Tablet will compete with the iPad Air 2, which it matches in thinness and beats in lightness at 393g, with LTE and Wifi variants available globally from June 2015.

Sony also highlighted the device’s Bluetooth keyboard attachment and Office Productivity suite functionality, suggesting the Z4 Tablet will also be targeted at business users. A PC style launcher has also been included in the bottom left of the interface.