Sony Xperia C3 arrives as “world’s best selfie smartphone”

Sony has officially launched the Xperia C3, a new mid-range handset designed specifically for smartphone fans with a love of selfies – it’s the company’s first camera with a front-facing flash for more flattering photos.

Announced first thing this morning, the Xperia C3 has a five-megapixel front-facing camera with wide-angle 25mm lens that provides an 80 degree field of view. It is paired with a soft LED flash, the first of its kind in a smartphone, in order to capture more flattering photos in low light. Combined with a Superior Auto mode which adjusts pictures based on lighting conditions automatically, Sony says the C3 is the world’s best smartphone for taking seflies. Sony has also added several selfie-specific camera apps designed to get the best from both front and rear cameras.

Apart from the front-facing camera, the Xperia C3 is otherwise a fairly mid-range handset. The 5.5in display might be huge, and use Sony’s Triluminos display technology, but it only has a 1,280×720 resolution panel. The rear camera is only an eight megapixel model – not the flagship 20.7-megapixel sensor found in the Xperia Z2. Inside it’s the same story; a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, and although it includes a microSD card slot you’ll only be able to use 32GB or smaller cards.

The 2,500mAh battery should at least keep the Xperia C3 powered up, especially using Sony’s Battery Stamina 3.0 mode, and the dual SIM card slots will let owners use home and work SIMs simultaneously. Sony’s own Xperia user interface will sit on top of Android 4.4 KitKat, and include the usual selection of Sony specific apps and services.

The Xperia C3 will be going on sale around the world from August onwards, with China being first on the list to receive the handset. It will be available in black, white or mint colours, but Sony has yet to set an official price.