PhonesReviews UK- Mobiles, Apps, Networks, Software, Tablet etc

Frustration at Xperia ion release in Taiwan as US waits on

Only a few days ago we shared our hopes with readers that the Sony Xperia ion would be released shortly, following news that this Android smartphone had finally received certification. Many people have been waiting patiently for its arrival stateside but today we have news that it is about to release in Taiwan, which we’re sure will lead to frustration as those in the U.S. still wait on.

This smartphone impressed many when it was unveiled at CES back in January but we noted how it seemed rather strange that so little had been heard of it since. It was officially announced that it would be carried by AT&T in the US but we had heard almost nothing about it since its first reveal until news of it receiving certification came through, leading many to think it may release imminently. However today we have heard that the Xperia ion is about to launch but sadly for now at least, only in Taiwan.

This news is somewhat odd as the phone was originally announced as an exclusive for the US but Unwired View, sourced from ePrice, has revealed a release date for the Xperia ion in Taiwan as April 26, tomorrow in fact. What makes this more bizarre is that the Xperia ion is an LTE-equipped smartphone and there are no LTE networks in Taiwan yet so the market there won’t even be able to make full use of the ion’s capabilities.

Unwired View goes on to say that a release on AT&T looks probable for May or June so hopefully there’s not too much longer to wait. Nevertheless we’re pretty sure that there will be an awful lot of potential US customers eager to get their hands on the Xperia ion who may well feel that they are missing out. The model number for the Taiwan variant of the Xperia ion may well vary from that of the AT&T version (LT28at) and the name may even change for its launch there.

Specs though are expected to be the same and as a quick recap we’ll remind you that the Xperia ion features a 1.5GHZ dual-core processor, 4.55-inch HD display, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable with microSD) and a 12-megapixel rear camera. The only drawback is that it will release running on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS rather than 4.0 ICS although an upgrade will follow later.

In our previous post on the Xperia ion we had several comments from readers venting the general feeling that the wait had been too long and most couldn’t understand why there had been so little information forthcoming on the ion since the reveal. Most were still waiting for a US release soon so let’s hope that AT&T does launch the Xperia ion sooner rather than later. If not, more sales of what does look like a very decent Android smartphone will undoubtedly be lost, especially with the big reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S3 expected next week.

While the wait goes on you may want to check out a video that we’ve embedded below showing a demo of the Sony Xperia ion. Are you still waiting for the Sony Xperia ion on AT&T? Do you feel frustrated that it will release in Taiwan first or maybe you think this is a positive sign that it will soon come to the US too? Let us know with your comments.

Exit mobile version