The Sony Xperia L1 brings Sony’s flagship phone design to the affordable mobile world, offering plenty of style on a tight budget. Here’s all you need to know about the 5.5-inch Sony Xperia L1, including full specs, camera info and the UK price and release date.
Sony has had a busy 2017 so far. After all, the Japanese mobile giant just finished launching a whole bunch of phones out at MWC 2017. From the full-priced Xperia XZ Premium which boasts a mighty 4K screen, down to the affordable Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra, we’ve already seen plenty of new Sony mobiles this year. But if you thought that was the last Xperia launch for a while, you’d be wrong.
Sony’s new Xperia L1 just launched here in the UK, offering a similarly sleek design to those more premium Xperia handsets at a comfortably affordable asking price. With a 5.5-inch HD screen, 13-megapixel camera and some great Sony features on board, this looks like a solid everyday handset for those on a tight budget.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Sony Xperia L1.
Sony Xperia L1 specs
| PHONE | SONY XPERIA L1 |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 5.5-inches |
| Screen resolution | 1280×720 |
| Water resistant? | No |
| OS | Android Nougat |
| Processor | 1.45GHz MediaTek Quad Core 64bit MT6737T |
| Memory | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB |
| microSD | Up to 256GB |
| Dual SIM? | Yes |
| Battery | 2620mAh |
| USB | Type C |
| Rear camera | 13MP f/2.2 |
| Front camera | 5MP |
| Price | TBC |
Sony Xperia L1 features
The Xperia L1 sports a similar rounded design to the Xperia XZ and Sony’s phones launched at MWC 2017. Those curved edges make for a comfortable fit in the hand, while the slim bezels at the edges of the phone will hopefully make one-handed use possible.
Of course, given that this is a budget blower, there’s no water resistance. You also don’t get a fingerprint sensor; just a standard power button mounted on the right edge. In the UK, the Xperia L1 will be available in black and white. There’s also a pink variant for some markets.
Performance is likely to be limited thanks to the basic Mediatek processor, backed by just 2GB of RAM. However, this should hopefully prove strong enough for basic everyday tasks. You can also expect to play simple Android games without any trouble. Sony’s Smart Cleaner tool is also on board to clean up the phone’s memory and keep things running as smoothly as possible.
The Sony Xperia L1’s 5.5-inch IPS screen with 720p resolution should be a perfectly decent panel for enjoying movies on the go. You can slip in a microSD memory card of up to 256GB in size, to carry around a beefy media collection.
We’re hopeful that you’ll get at least a full day of use from the 2620mAh battery, which should charge quite quickly too.
As for camera tech, the Xperia L1 packs a 13-megapixel camera onto the back for those everyday snaps. This f/2.2 lens will likely capture detailed shots in everything but low light conditions, as well as Full HD video on demand. Around the front you get a secondary 5-megapixel f/2.2 lens for those essential selfies.
Sony Xperia L1 UK price and release date
Sony has confirmed that the Xperia L1 will be coming to the UK via ‘selected retailers’. You can expect the L1 to release in the UK in late April 2017.
While a specific UK price hasn’t been revealed just yet, we’re expecting the Xperia L1 to retail for around £150. We’ll bring you updated information on the SIM-free cost and contract pricing when we have it.