Sony Xperia L1 news – release date, UK price, features and specs

Following on from its bumper smartphone launch at MWC 2017, Sony has announced another new phone. This time around it’s a cheaper option for those on more of a budget. Here’s what you need to know about the Xperia L1 release date, pricing info and specs. See also: Best cheap phone 2017.

We weren’t expecting any new phones from Sony for a while considering it launched four in Barcelona last month including the Xperia XZ Premium and Xperia XA1. Nevertheless, the Xperia L1 is here to form a new range of more affordable handsets.

Sony Xperia L1 release date and pricing info

Now Sony has scrapped the quite sensible naming system for its Xperia phones, we’re still struggling to get our collective heads round the new line-up. What was the Xperia E range, standing for entry-level now appears to be the Xperia L.

The Sony Xperia L1 release date is set for ‘late April’ currently and although we haven’t heard from any retailers in terms of a price, Sony said it will be “accessible price point”. We assume that means it will be a budget phone with a price of £150 or under.

Sony Xperia L1 specs and features

There’s not a huge amount to get excited about when it comes to the Xperia L1 but that’s budget phones for you. In terms of design and style, it looks similar to the Xperia Z5 Compact we feel but bigger.

“Xperia L1 is a smartphone that matches form with function” said Tsutomu Sato, director of global product marketing at Sony Mobile. “It combines an immersive display and smooth performance within an iconic Sony design, that you can be proud to show off.”

Headline features include a 5.5in HD screen, quad-core processor Micro-SD card slot and, USB-C and a 13Mp rear camera.

What is a shame is that Sony’s usual waterproofing hasn’t quite trickled down, if you’ll excuse the pun to cheaper phones like this yet. This means it doesn’t particularly have anything to make it stand out compared to rivals such as the Motorola Moto G5.

Here’s a full list of Xperia L1 specs:

• Android 7 Nougat • 5.5in HD screen, 720p • MediaTek 1.45GHz quad-core 64-bit processor • 2GB RAM • 16GB storage • Micro-SD cards slot, up to 256GB • 13Mp auto-focus rear camera, f/2.2 • 5Mp front camera, 24mm wide angle, f/2.2 • NFC • Bluetooth 4.2 • 4G LTE • Google Cast • GPS • USB-C • 2620mAh battery • Nano-SIM (available in single and dual-SIM) • 151 x 74 x 8.7mm • 180g • White, black and pink colours