Sony Xperia ZR announced, can take pics and videos underwater

If you’re proud of the waterproof nature of your Xperia Z and didn’t think there could be anything better, well, the Xperia ZR is here to prove you wrong – the just announced smartphone comes with IP55 and IP58 water and dust protection that lets it be submerged in 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes and take underwater photos and videos with its dedicated camera key.

The Xperia ZR takes design cues from the Xperia Z but settles for less premium materials in exchange for its more rugged water-resistant nature. The 13-megapixel Exmor RS camera sensor is the same as the Xperia Z, which doesn’t inspire any confidence in its image quality, but the ability to take a few pics under water should make up for that.

A 4.6″ 720 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 takes up the front side of the device – not 1080p like the Z or ZL, but still sharp enough that your eyes won’t generally notice any visible pixels. It is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB of RAM, while other mentioned specs include 8GB of built-in storage expandable via microSD slot, 4G LTE and NFC connectivity, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nDuYUlHc1r4

The Xperia ZR will be available in black, white, pink, and mint sometime in the second quarter this year, with accessories like a SBH50 Bluetooth headset, FM radio, charging dock and a smartwatch that automatically connect with the phone.

Pricing wasn’t mentioned, but expect it to sit somewhere in between the Xperia ZL and older flagships like the Xperia T.