Sony's new Android smartphone, the Xperia Ion, will be available through AT&T beginning June 24. It comes at a very affordable $99.99 with a 2-year plan.
The 12-megapixel camera will likely be one of the Ion's bigger selling points, and will allow for full HD video recording. A 4.55" 1280 x 720 display will show you what you're recording with that camera.
The Xperia Ion will be powered by a Qualcomm S3 dual-core processor running at 1.5 Ghz, and will boast 16GB of internal memory. USB, Wi-Fi, HDMI, Bluetooth, and NFC make up the robust list of connectivity options. Ion will also be the first phone to take advantage of AT&T's 4G LTE network.
One of the Ion's most intriguing features is the ability to hook it up to your TV via HDMI cable, and have the phone interface appear on the big screen. You can then control your phone through your TV's remote. This feature should be of intense interest to gamers, who can now play their favorite Android games on their television.
The only real stumble out of the gate for the Xperia Ion is the initial lack of Android 4.0 Gingerbread support, with the Ion being stuck in the dark ages of 2.3. 4.0 will be supported in a future update though. The S3 processor is also not quite as powerful as the newer S4 processors which power some of the top mobile phones on the market. Lastly, the Ion is only available through AT&T, which may prove to be a deal breaker for anyone who would prefer to deal with another provider.
Considering the features and the price point, it's hard not to recommend the Sony Xperia Ion to anyone in the market for a mobile upgrade. The powerful camera, 4G LTE support, and television connectivity make this phone a very viable (and cheaper) option than its main Android competitors, the Galaxy S III and HTC One X.
