Sony has announced the launch of Xperia ZR and the phone can not only go under water but even shoot HD videos when submerged, a feature best suited for snorkeling.
The company is working hard to reach the number three position in the smartphone sector within the UAE and the region amid stiff competition from Nokia and HTC.
Sony Mobile Communications said its latest new phone will deliver the highest level of water-resistance for capturing photos and Full HD videos underwater. The Android smartphone comes with a 4.6” HD Reality display, 13 megapixel fast capture camera and Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 Pro quad-core 1.5 GHz processor.
Rudiger Odenbach, Vice-President, Customer Unit Middle East and Africa for Sony Mobile speaking exclusively to Emirates24|7 threw some light on the stiff competition within the smartphone sector and how Sony is up there in the third position.
“The growth rate has increased. We have been selling more phones year after year and the numbers have been increasing between 11 to 20 per cent annually, especially since we became 100 per cent owned by Sony last year,” he said.
Sony in 2011 announced that it would acquire Ericsson's stake for $1.47 billion making the mobile division a wholly owned subsidiary.
“Right now we are at the number three position at the global level. We are trying to reach that position here. Our aim is to achieve a target where Sony will become the first choice with regard to the customers’ choice of a smart phone,” he says.
According to him training customers and sales staff at multi-brand retail stores is crucial. Most often it will need at least 30 minutes to explain all the features within a phone. The challenge at the store is to do it within 30 seconds. We are working on various elements to improve our sales,” he added.
Sony he says has stopped producing feature phones and will only focus on smart phones. The company he says has been working towards incorporating new technology within the smartphone.
“Now since we became fully Sony owned, there has been additional emphasis on incorporating the Sony technology - Bravia and the audio technology – into the smartphone,” he says.
The camera in Experia ZR for example comes with Sony’s “Exmor RS for mobile” image sensor with High Dynamic Range (HDR) for both photos and videos, enabling the smartphone to capture better quality images even in very low light. Features include scene recognition with
HDR and noise reduction technology a burst mode capable of shooting an unlimited number of images at 10 frames per second to capture action shots.
In addition to its dust-resistant qualities, the waterproof* phone is IP55 and IP58 compliant, so you can keep it submerged in 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
The phone automatically shuts down battery-draining apps whenever the screen is off and restarts them when the screen is back on in an effort to save battery life.
The phone comes in black, white, pink and mint colours and will be available in select markets from Q2 2013.
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