Sony’s budget Xperia E4 smartphone gets 4G upgrade

Sony has announced that its budget Xperia E4 handset will be getting a 4G version later this spring. The Xperia E4G will be LTE ready so users can take advantage of the very fastest download speeds on the move. However, the Xperia E4G won’t just be a carbon copy of the E4, as its specification is rather different to its 3G predecessor.

Whereas the Xperia E4 has a 4.7in 960×540 resolution display and a quad-core 1.3GHz ARM Mali-400 MP2 processor, the Xperia E4G will have a 5in 960×540 display and a 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6732 processor. Surprisingly, the Xperia E4G is actually lighter and a fraction smaller than the E4, as it only weighs 135g and measures 133x71x10.8mm compared to the E4’s weight of 144g and 137x74x10.5mm dimensions.

Otherwise, both phones have 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage (which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card), a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear camera with 4x digital zoom and Full HD video recording. They also have a 2,300mAh battery, which Sony claims will be able to deliver a battery life of two days in its energy-saving Stamina mode.

The Xperia E4G will launch this spring for 129 Euros. While Sony has yet to announce an official UK price, the phone will be available to buy from Carphone Warehouse, O2 and Vodafone. It comes in black and white and will be available as a dual-SIM variant as well. 

“Xperia E4 set out to bring many of the premium features people expect of Sony to lower-tier devices; Xperia E4g brings that same quality and ease of use – but with super-fast 4G LTE connectivity” said Tony McNulty, Vice President for Value Category Business Management at Sony Mobile Communications. “With simple set-up and unrivalled 2 day battery life, we believe both models represent value for those who want premium Sony technology and experiences often only associated with high-end devices.”