Recently a YouTube video was uploaded showing what is supposedly Sony Ericsson’s X7 and X7 Mini smartphones, both running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. If the information is to be believed, then the X7 will sport a 4.3 inch screen, be powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 processor, have an 8.1 megapixel camera that can record 720p video, and even support HDMI, which is something that as far as we knew is not supported by the OS. Then there’s the X7 Mini, which uses the older 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor found in such devices such as the Google Nexus One and a wide variety of Android devices currently on the market, has a 10.1 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and a full blown Xenon flash. It too does video in 720p.
It’s a bit telling where this industry is heading if the “Mini” version of a smartphone packs a 3.5 inch screen, which only 3 years ago was considered massive. Both of these devices are slated to be announced during the first quarter of next year, so in all likelihood we’ll see them at Mobile World Congress on the show floor. Sony Ericsson’s naming scheme, with an X followed by an arbitrary number, may confuse consumers since they’ll see the X10 and wonder if it’s better than the X7, when in fact they both run two completely different operating systems and are meant for different audiences.
Smartphones are where the money is these days, so it’s difficult to say how much these puppies will cost, but you can be rest assured that Sony Ericsson is going to try and bump up their margins to something a bit more respectable than what they’ve been pulling in the past when they manufactured feature phones and had a strong lineup of midrange devices. We’re only 3 short months from the largest mobile trade show of the year. Can’t wait!
[Via: Pocket Now]