Sony's big Xperia push: XZ Premium takes super slow-mo video, Touch turns walls into HD touchscreens
Sony's Xperia Touch projector turns any flat surface into a touchscreen
Sony's new Xperia Touch projector will make any wall or table a 23-inch HD touchscreen, provided you're willing to pay the price.
MWC 2022
Sony has now revealed how much the Xperia Touch Projector it showed off at CES last month costs. The projector is an Android smartphone minus calling capability, which will project content from all your apps onto any flat surface.
Thanks to an infrared sensor and a camera, users can tap, type, and swipe on the virtual screen. So how much will it cost? Sony revealed at Mobile World Congress today that it will retail for about €1,499 (£1,276, $1,586), although prices may vary in each market.
The virtual display is touch-capable at 23 inches, but is view-only when expanded to 80 inches. It can run any app in Google Play and is compatible with the Sony PlayStation. The screen can be used for browsing, streaming music and videos, projecting a movie, and for video chat. It will also connect to a Bluetooth speaker.
The home screen offers real-time weather information, a memo board for doodles or video notes, and access to a calendar and Skype.
As CNET noted after its hands-on at CES, there are some pros and cons to the Xperia Touch. While it does make sharing easier and offers a bigger surface for interacting with content, it will never be as crisp as a physical display and, like most projectors, works better in the dark. It also takes a few seconds to recalibrate an image after moving the projector.
The Xperia Touch will be available at select retailers in Europe and the Xperia Store Online in some countries from Spring 2017, according to Sony.
Sony has also launched the Xperia XZ Premium, a new 5.5-inch flagship featuring 4K high dynamic range (HDR) display, and Sony's motion Eye camera that can capture and playback slow motion video at 960 frames per second. The launch comes just six months after the unveiling of the Xperia XZ.
Sony's new Xperia XZ Premium can capture and playback slow motion video at 960 frames per second.
Core specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, with 4G RAM and 64GB storage, and microSD support up to 256GB. It will ship with Android Nougat and features a 19-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 2,900mAh battery.
The XZs meanwhile is a 5.2-inch display device that offers a minor update to the XZ. It also has a 2,900mAh battery and will come with Android Nougat.
Sony hasn't revealed pricing yet, but says the device will be available globally in chrome and black from late Spring 2017.
Sony also updated last year's midrange XA models with the five-inch display Xperia XA1 and the six-inch display XA1 Ultra. Both devices feature a 23-megapixel main camera, while the XA1 Ultra also has a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
The products will be available in Spring with Android Nougat in white, black, pink, and gold finishes.