Sony Xperia neo L ICS vs HTC Eternity Windows 7.5: The Battle Begins in China

Mobile phone users in China have got in their basket of offerings two much-awaited smartphones. Japanese phone manufacturer Sony has just announced its first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, Sony Xperia neo L MT25i. And Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation has made available its HTC Eternity starting from today, the first Windows Phone device to officially reach the country.

Sony Xperia neo L MT25i is just a software-updated variant of the Xperia neo and Xperia neo V, which were launched last year. On the other end, HTC Eternity flaunts a 4.7-inch display and double camera setup and is loaded with specific Chinese apps, a Chinese-language interface for Windows Phone, and unlocked as an open market device.

Recently, Microsoft China held an event in Beijing to mark the release of Windows Phone devices in the country. At the event, the company showcased the Chinese-language interface they designed for the mobile operating system.

Check out the features of Sony's latest gadget and compare them with HTC's device to see how they would stack up against each other.

Display

With a curved ergonomic body and arched ends, Sony Xperia neo L sports a 4 inch FWVGA capacitive touchscreen display, comparatively larger than its predecessors Xperia neo and neo V smartphones. It supports 480 x 854 pixels of resolution at a pixel density of 245 PPI.

On the other hand, HTC Eternity boasts a 4.7-inch Super LCD touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixels screen resolution.

Form Factor

One notable characteristic of the Xperia Neo L is its thickness, which pits it against the trend of ultra thin smartphones. At 12.8 mm in thickness, Sony Xperia neo L has dimensions of 120.0 x 61.0 mm and weighs about 131.5 grams and is available in black and white. HTC Eternity measures just 9.9 mm thickness and weighs approximately 158 grams and is available only in black currently.

Operating System

Sony equipped Xperia neo L with the latest 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and gave it custom user interface. Further, the device also features the Sony xLoud audio enhancement technology, which is said to deliver superior music experience, when compared to similar smartphones in the market.

Then again, HTC Eternity (aka HTC Titan) has been re-released especially for the Chinese market and would be running on Windows Phone 7.5. Of course, it shows only a generic handset, but it claims to deliver a taste of Windows Phone in simplified Chinese. According to Microsoft, its Windows phone released in the country will have the support for traditional Chinese as well.

Processor

The Sony Xperia neo L is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon S2 with Adreno 205 graphics and it has 512MB of RAM to keep things running. In the case of the HTC Eternity, the Chinese market version of the handset also comes with a 512 RAM and is equipped with a single core 1.5GHz processor.

Camera

Sony Xperia neo L touts a 5-megapixel rear photo snapper featuring LED flash, autofocus and HD (720p) video recording. Also there is a secondary VGA front facing camera for self-portraits and video calls.

The HTC Eternity features an 8-megapixel camera with five levels of LED flash, automatic focus, recording and playback support for 1080p HD video. It also has a 1.3-megapixel camera in the front, capable of shooting 720p HD video.

Storage

Xperia neo L has been packed with a 1GB of internal memory storage with memory expansion support up to 32GB via microSD cards. While the HTC Eternity comes with 16GB of internal storage, it lacks expandable memory slot.

Connectivity

On the connectivity front, Sony Xperia neo L MT25i would offer users Bluetooth 2.1, microUSB 2.0, 802.11 Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot functionality, Facebook Inside Xperia, access to Google Play, DLNA certified and whole lot of Google services.

HTC Eternity will feature Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n (2.4 GHz), Wi-Fi mobile hotspot support and Bluetooth2.1 + EDR. Other common profiles include HSP (headset), HFP (hands-free), A2DP (stereo audio) and AVRCP (media control)

Battery

Sony Xperia neo L MT25i has a 1500 mAH battery that gives up to 15 hours of usage when fully charged.

On the other hand, the HTC Eternity sports Li-ion Removable, 1600 mAh capacity battery. Information on stand-by time and talk time are not yet out.

Pricing

No official information has been released on the availability date and price tag of Sony Xperia neo L MT25i. It has been just announced for release only in China so far. HTC Eternity's original handset price is $199.99.