Sony teases new Xperia smartphone on Twitter and confirms the launch date

In what Sony is calling “an industry first”, the Xperia C5 Ultra comes with twin front and rear 13-megapixel cameras. We’re withholding judgement until we try the devices ourselves, as Sony’s attractive specs have a habit of translating into not-quite picture ideal cameras.

The Xperia C5 Ultra is for those who want their phone to withstand a drop in the water.

The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra (above right) has a large 6in FHD display, 1.7GHz, 64-bit octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, aluminium frame and a 2,930mAh battery which Sony claims will offer two days of life. The M5 has the added plus point of being waterproof and dust-tight.

Sony has announced that both phones will become available in emerging markets in the coming weeks, which means that neither device is likely to come to North America. As for the Xperia M5, we weren’t expecting it to arrive this early as the Xperia M4 Aqua is still fresh.

Cameras aside, the C5 Ultra’s most interesting feature is its huge 6in Full HD display.

The Xperia C5 Ultra is being marketed as a “PROselfie smartphone” and allows shooters to use either the front facing or back facing 22mm wide-angle camera without worrying about poor quality images. This includes a 5x clear image zoom, hybrid autofocus, automatic scene recognition and 4K HDR video capture, this is definitely one for photo professionals. There’s a 2,600mAh battery loaded, powering a 64-both 2.0GHz octa-core processor, and 3GB of RAM. It has a rear and front camera with Exmor RS 13 Megapixels sensors and an LED flash with video recording in Full HD. Besides that there’s dual SIM card support, and memory can be expanded by a microSD card up to 128 GB. And the phone’s Full HD 1,920-by-1,080 display makes it easy to admire your photography while on the go. The Xperia M5 comes in three color options – black, white, and gold.

Unfortunately, while Sony confirmed that both devices should start to roll out in mid-August, no pricing information was given, which is always frustrating (if not exactly rare) at the launch of a new phone.