Sony Xperia tipo smartphone launched at Rs 9,999

Xperia tipo is powered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and will contend against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Ace and HTC Desire C.

By Ravi Sharma, TOI Tech | Updated: Sep 26, 2012, 10.06 PM IST

Sony Xperia tipo smartphone launched at Rs 9,999

NEW DELHI: Sony Mobile India today officially launched its first sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone, Xperia tipo. The company also unveiled the dual-SIM version of Xperia tipo, Xperia tipo dual, at the event.

Xperia tipo is powered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and will contend against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Ace and HTC Desire C.

Sony Xperia tipo features a 3.2-inch touch screen and is powered by an 800MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 512MB RAM. The internal storage of the device is 2.5GB, though the memory can be increased up to 32GB via microSD. The Japanese manufacturer is offering 50GB of cloud storage via Box with the Xperia tipo.

The phone maker is eyeing the youth segment with Xperia tipo and is banking upon the music capabilities of the device to lure buyers. Sony has also tied up with Vodafone to offer 500MB of data free for three months for Xperia tipo buyers.

The Sony Xperia tipo is priced at Rs 9,999, while its dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) version Xperia tipo dual is priced at Rs 10,449.

Xperia tipo dual features an additional hardware key to switch between SIM cards. Rest of the specifications are same.

At the launch event, Sony India's MD Kenichiro Hibi said that the company's market share in India is 9-10%, and the company has plans to raise this figure aggressively. The company will also expand the exclusive Xperia Store network in the country, though Hibi did not give a concrete figure.

The company is planning to increase its retail outlets from 10,400 to 16,000+ by the end of the current fiscal year, while the service centres are expected to go up 40%, to 350+.