Sony launches Xperia Z Ultra phone

Sony has announced a waterproof Android smartphone with a 6.4in screen (16.3cm), BBC News reported.

The firm is pitching the Xperia Z Ultra as being the slimmest large-screened handset on the market.


It can also accept sketches or notes written using a standard pencil or metal-tipped pen in addition to an optional stylus.


The firm has said that it intends for the device to challenge Samsung's dominance of the jumbo-sized handset sector.


According to a study by consultants Transparency Market Research, Samsung accounted for 70% of the overall "superphone and phablet" market in 2012 thanks to the popularity of models including the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2.


Earlier this year, it added the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Mega - a 6.3in-screened handset - to its line-up.
Sony already offers a 5in handset of its own, the original Xperia Z, which it unveiled in January.


The Ultra follow-up was unveiled at the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai. The new device will go on sale in China, Indonesia and Singapore in July and then in Europe in September.


"Southeast Asia is the key market for the product because the trend towards large-screened smartphone devices is stronger there," Calum MacDougall, director of Xperia marketing, told the BBC.


"But we also see the trend in Europe as well.



"In the large-screen segment at the moment most consumers are looking at the Galaxy Note. Now we can offer something that is really distinct: a stronger screen, greater portability, waterproofing and something different around the stylus and the pen."
Sony is not alone in seeking to erode Samsung's lead.


Over recent months Huawei has announced the the 6.1in Ascend Mate; ZTE the 5.7in Grand Memo; Acer the 5.7in Liquid S1; Asus the 6in FonePad Note; and Lenovo the 5.5in Ideaphone K900.


Mr MacDougall said Sony intended to compete against these by promoting the Xperia Z Ultra's "premium" features rather than trying to match or undercut the Chinese and Taiwanese firms' prices.


The Japanese firm reported its first annual profit in five years in May, but some analysts said its figures were skewed by asset sales and did not reflect a turnaround for its electronics divisions.