We can’t say this with certainty, but it’s likely the image above illustrates the upcoming Sony Xperia SL, which we’ve already mentioned a week ago. The rumor is that the upcoming device will be launched later this year, sporting a faster (than the original Xperia S) 1.7GHz dual-core processor and new color options, including pastel pink and what looks like blue/velvet. The sad news, however, is that the mentioned processor may be the old-gen Snapdragon S3 (rather than new S4) though we’re sure the extra speed will perfectly justify the “L” suffix.
Now that’s all cool, except one thing – is that enough to take Sony back to the first league, currently dominated by Apple, Samsung and HTC? I don’t think so – what Sony needs are better products and, perhaps more importantly. faster time to market. I already said it before, but it’s worth repeating nonetheless – at the time when Xperia ion was announced, it was the Android smartphone on the planet. Today, only folks who *really* want its awesome camera will get it (presuming it’s available), while others will go for the Apple iPhone 4S, HTC One X or Samsung Galaxy S III.