Earlier this week, it emerged that VAIO - the company formed when Sony sold off its PC business - was planning to unveil a new Windows 10 Mobile handset this week. Right on cue, VAIO has unveiled that device, and as its name suggests, the Japanese manufacturer is aiming it at business buyers.
The new VAIO Phone Biz features premium specs to match its slick aluminum body.
That said, the handset's specs put it firmly in the upper-mid-range of the market, rather than being a true flagship-class device.
It has a 5.5-inch Full HD display, along with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, rather than the Snapdragon 810 found in many top-of-the-line smartphones - such as Microsoft's Windows 10 Mobile flagships - or the newer Snapdragon 820 that is just starting to be introduced in the latest devices.
Nonetheless, the Snapdragon 617 includes support for the high-end Continuum feature in Windows 10 Mobile, which allows users to connect a mouse and keyboard to the phone, with the device itself connected to a larger display, offering a PC-style user experience, including a desktop-style Start menu and interface.
However, since the Phone Biz only has a microUSB 2.0 port, it only supports Continuum via a wireless display adapter.
Here's an overview of the key specs of the VAIO Phone Biz:
- 5.5-inch LCD with Full HD (1920x1080px) resolution
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor (1.5GHz + 1.2GHz)
- 3GB RAM
- 16GB storage (plus microSD card support up to 64GB)
- 13MP rear camera
- 5MP front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 4G LTE connectivity (bands 1, 3, 8, 19, 21)
- microUSB 2.0
- Mono speaker
- GPS
- 2800mAh battery
- 156.1 x 77 x 8.3mm; 167g
VAIO says that the Phone Biz is "the smartphone to accelerate your business", and its launch site for the device focuses heavily on making it appeal to business customers, rather than the wider consumer market.
The device will go on sale in April, priced from around ¥50,000 JPY ($424 USD), and leading Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has already signed up to support the device. However, there's no information yet on availability or pricing outside of Japan - if indeed the handset will ever be sold in other markets.
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