Sony launches waterproof Xperia advance and Acro S

Sony has taken the wraps off two more Android smartphones, the Xperia Advance and the Xperia Acro S. There’s plenty to like about both phones — but sadly they’re both launching with Android Gingerbread installed.

The pint-sized Xperia Advance (which will sell outside the U.S. as the Xperia Go) features at 3.5-inch display that runs at a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. The humble display and last years’ dual-core 1GHz processor indicate that Sony’s positioning this as a budget smartphone option — either as an on-contract freebie or a reasonably-priced pay-as-you-go. There’s a 5 megapixel camera on the back, however, instead of the 3MP units that have popped up recently on other low-end devices. Sony will offer the Xperia Advance in white, black, and yellow some time later this year.

As for the Acro S, it’s a decidedly more high-end affair. It sports a 4.3-inch, 720 x 1280 Mobile Bravia display. It may look familiar, and there’s a good reason for that — it’s the globe-trotting version of the Acro HD which was released only in Japan. The Acro S will offer a 1.5GHz dual-core chip, 1GB RAM, 11GB of internal storage and microSD expansion, 12MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3MP front-facing cam, and NFC support.

Sony’s built both of these new phones to meet IPX5/IPX7 waterproofing standards, and they’re also promising that Ice Cream Sandwich updates will be on the way in the very near future. They’ve recently begun making good on other ICS upgrades, but it’s too bad that the new models aren’t coming pre-loaded with the latest Android OS.

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