14 DAY TRIAL // Regional carrier Cincinnati Bell is the first mobile operator in the United States to confirm the upcoming availability of the Sony Xperia ZL.
According to the carrier, the smartphone will be available for purchase online and in stores from May 1 for $250/€190 after mail-in rebate and with a two-year agreement.
Although Sony Xperia ZL will ship with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, the Japanese company has confirmed that an Android 4.2 upgrade will be provided after launch.
The smartphone comes equipped with a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, an Adreno 320 graphics processing unit and 2GB of RAM. The Xperia ZL packs 16GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 64GB via microSD memory card.
There are a handful of differences between the Xperia ZL and Xperia Z and the most important is the fact that the latter is IP57 certified (dust and water resistant).
Aside from that, Xperia ZL comes with Infrared connectivity, while Xperia Z does not feature such capability. The former is powered by a 2370 mAh Li-Ion battery, which should provide up to 500 hours of standby time or up to 10 hours of talk time (13 hours in 3G mode).
Another strong point of the Xperia ZL is the impressive 13-megapixel rear-facing camera that features Exmor RS for Mobile, autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. A secondary 2-megapixel front-facing camera is included as well.
It is also worth mentioning that the smartphone also boasts a stunning 5-inch Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution.
“We’re excited to add the Sony Xperia ZL to our line of premium smartphones. With this extraordinary device, customers can connect with each other using the best technology Sony has to offer. The Xperia ZL on Cincinnati Bell’s 4G wireless network creates an unbeatable combination,” said Mike Vanderwoude, senior vice president/general manager, Consumer Markets.