Sony Xperia M2 Aqua Price, Specs : Waterproof Version of Sony's Midrange Best-Seller

Not resting on its laurels, the legendary Japanese company has just released an improved version of its 2014 midrange winner, Sony Xperia M2 -- and has opted to offer the revamped handset for almost the same price as that of the regular version upon launch.

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua features all the key technical specifications and main selling points of its predecessor - namely, LTE connectivity support, 8 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash and Exmor RS sensor, HDR imaging, SteadyShot when recording Full HD videos, and a 2,300 mAh battery pack with Stamina Mode boost - but it has three cool things about it that make it even more special.

First, its 4.8-inch qHD (not QHD) screen is no longer plain TFT (like what's on the regular M2) and is now IPS. This means that users can enjoy a superior viewing experience - thanks to richer and more vibrant colors - regardless of the viewing angle.

Second, Sony Xperia M2 Aqua ships with Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system (heavily skinned by Sony's Xperia UI) right out of the box. So you get cool enhancements like unlimited home screen panels, instant full screen view for photos and movies, message consolidation, enhanced caller ID by Google, and QuickOffice integration.

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua

Finally, Sony Xperia M2 Aqua - as its very name suggests - is IP65 and IP68 certified which means that the handset is protected against the ingress of dust and is waterproof. According to Sony, provided that all ports and covers are firmly closed, the phone is protected against low pressure jets of water from all practicable directions in compliance with IP65; and/or can be kept under 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes in compliance with IP68. The Japanese company, however, warns consumers that the phone is not designed to float or work submerged underwater outside the IP65 or IP68 classification range.

Sony Xperia M2 Agua will be available in various territories around the world either before the end of August 2014 or early September. Its official SRP in Europe is 250 Euros, which is our basis for giving it a Philippine price guesstimate of Php 14,500 when it lands here within the next few weeks.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name Sony Xperia M2 Aqua
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category Midrange
Dimensions140 x 72 x 8.6 mm
Weight 149 grams
Available Colors White, Black
Operating System Android 4.4.2 KitKat
Display 4.8 inches (~229 ppi pixel density), 540 x 960 pixels, IPS, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 4-point Multitouch
Processor Quad Core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A7 CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8926 Snapdragon 400 chipset
RAM 1 GB of RAM
Internal Storage 8 GB options, expandable via microSD card slot, supports up to 32 GB
Camera Main: 8 MegaPixels, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features: Geo-tagging, Touch Focus, Face and Smile detection, Image Stabilization, HDR, Panorama
Front: 0.3 MegaPixel
Video Capture Main: 1080p 30 frames per second
Front: VGA (to be confirmed)
Audio and Video Playback XviD, MP4, H.263, H.264, MP3, eAAC+, WMA, WAV player
Ports microUSB v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, 4G LTE HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL
GPS Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS
Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100, 4G LTE 700 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600
SIM Card Type microSIM
Battery Non-removable Li-Ion 2,300 mAh battery
Uptime 641 Hours of Standby, 12 Hours 11 Minutes of Talk Time, 37 Hours 11 Minutes of Music Play
Value-Added Features Xperia UI, Premium Materials, IP65 and IP68 Certified Waterproof
Announcement Global: August 19, 2014
Availability Philippines: TBA
Price SRP: 250 Euros
Guesstimate for the Philippines: Php 14,500