Sony unveils yet another budget phone: the Xperia E

Sony unveils yet another budget phone: the Xperia E
Look everyone: it's the Xperia E!

Want to spend a little less on a mobile phone but still get the latest version of Android: Jelly Bean?

The Sony Xperia E has been launched and looks like it's going to be sitting alongside the Xperia Miro and Tipo in the Sony range, with some low-end specs on offer.

To start, we're only seeing a 3.5-inch HVGA screen attached to this new phone, which comes with a depth of 11mm, while measuring 113.5mm x 61.8mm for height and width…dinky.

To supplement the average display there's a 3.2MP camera on offer and a 1GHz processor to chug along in the background.

What's louder than loud?

The big features Sony is extolling are the xLOUD audio technology and 3D surround sound for those times you want to feel more immersed in your tunes. And there's also HD voice and noise cancellation on offer, so you know you'll be able to hold decent conversations with whoever you're trying to communicate with.

Of course, there are still all the same Android 4.1 goodies on offer – Google Maps, Mail, Contacts and the like. Plus with the new version of Google's OS you're getting access to the intuitive Google Now.

The Sony Xperia E release date is set for Q1 2013, so it won't be one for your Christmas list sadly (incidentally, we've done ours here. Check it out so you know what to buy us…). We also have no idea on price as it stands, with Sony checking into it for us.

However, we're thinking the Sony Xperia E will be offered on pay as you go for around £120 when it launches – or even cheaper if we're THAT lucky.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.