The Xperia S is Sony's first smartphone to be sold under its own name after it took over Ericsson's share of their partnership last month.
It features a distinctly Japanese look and feel. Gone are the rounded edges and sloping surfaces, leaving behind a sleek, sharp, compact model that reminds one of Sony's long-gone Clie personal digital assistants.
Sony has put in lots of effort to ensure the debut of the Android-powered Xperia S doesn't flop: the phone has some impressive features, like its large, 4.3-inch high-definition display offering 1280?20 pixels and 16 million colours, and a 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor.
The phone's camera has been upgraded to 12.1 mega-pixels, and its aperture has been widened to f/2.4 to handle low-light conditions. You also get 16?digital zoom and full HD (1080p) video recording.
As part of the Sony family, the Xperia S comes with a series of online services, such as the Sony Entertainment Network, and is PlayStation-certified to access Sony's game library.
And with Digital Living Network Alliance certification, the Xperia S can also share content with your television.