Sony launches Xperia E3, E3 dual smartphones in India for Rs 11,999 & Rs 12,999 respectively

Earlier this month, Sony had unveiled its flagship smartphone Xperia Z3, and a compact version of the same called Xperia Z3 Compact at IFA 2014, a consumer electronics show held in Berlin. In addition, the company had also taken the wraps of two new smartphones targeted at the mid-price range segment of the smartphone market.

Christened Xperia E3 and E3 dual, the devices have now been launched in Indian. While E3 is available for Rs 11,999, E3 dual- which is basically a dual-SIM version of E3- has been priced slightly higher at Rs 12,999. The other devices unveiled at the event included an 8 inch tablet christened Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet, as well as Sony's latest SmartWear line.

Here is a look at the specifications of the smartphones.

The smartphone sports a 4.5 inch IPS touchscreen display (854×480 pixels resolution) and runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat OS. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor and has 1GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 4GB that can be further expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card slot.

It has a 5MP autofocus rear camera with Flash that can also record full HD videos (1080p) and a front facing VGA camera for video calling. The camera's features include High Dynamic Range (HDR), image stabiliser, geotagging and auto scene recognition, among others. On the connectivity front, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, and 4G LTE (depending on the region), as well as a microUSB port and a microSD card slot.

The dimensions of the device are 137.1 x 69.4 x 8.5mm and its weight is 143.8gm. Sony has provided a 2,330 mAh battery in the device, which it claims will provide over 12 hours of talk time and 706 hours of standby time. The smartphone also has FM Radio with RDS and GPS (with A-GPS support). While Xperia E3 is available in white and black colours options, E3 Dual can be purchased in white, black and lime colours.

Here is an introductory video of Xperia E3

Note that the only difference between the Xperia E3 and E3 dual smartphones is the fact that the latter comes with dual-SIM capability. However, unlike regular dual-SIM smartphones, Sony's dual SIM management technology enables users to keep both SIMs active so that they never miss a call, even while talking on one of them.

In the price range at which they are being offered, the smartphones will compete with the likes of Micromax Canvas HD Plus A190 (Rs 11,938), XOLO Play (Rs 12,049), Huawei Honor 3C (Rs 12,910), and HTC Desire 516 (Rs 12,659), among others. But we feel the biggest competitors for them will be Motorola's new Moto G offering that is available for Rs 12,999, and Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi's Mi 3 which is priced at Rs 13,999.