It was only a matter of time before rumors of an Xperia Play 2 started floating around. The original was released over a year ago and has since only seen different versions for different carriers sporting special colors but no hardware changes. Before we dive into this on any sort of level, seriously consider this a big fat rumor of mass proportions.
Back in September of 2011 we reported on Sony Ericsson telling us during an interview at VDCC 2011 that they are not ruling out an Xperia Play 2 type of device. Now that Sony owns the Ericsson branch, this is more than likely possible. For a second generation device to even matter though, the hardware at launch would have to be way better then what the original Play came with when it launched. Now we get to enter the rumor…
The rumor is that Sony is currently working on a new generation device, essentially an Xperia Play 2. While the layout of the buttons and controls won’t really change much aside from some aesthetics to better suit Sony’s look, the hardware that will be coming with this rumored device seems pretty solid. So far the rumored specs are a4.3-inches running a resolution of 1280 x 720, a 8.1MP camera with LED flash and 16X zoom. It is also said to have a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor stuffed inside of it.
The above picture is apparently what it will look like although we strongly suggest considering this a render or concept art more than an actual device. According to the source though, that is what it will look like. While we have no doubt that we could see a second generation Xperia Play device soon, we are strongly guessing it won’t be until later this year, probably Q4 2012 or early 2013. It makes little sense for a dual-core chip to be put in there when Qualcomm’s quad-core are coming in Q4 2012. Top that off with the original device being given a long shelf life and any type of recent release seems unlikely.
One last thing to keep in mind is that now that Sony has full control over mobile product, they have always gone with Tegra-based chips in their past devices. While there could be still some sort of existing contract with Qualcomm they have to honor regarding chipsets, we may end up seeing a Tegra-based chip in this instead. If it is at all true of course. Still, the idea of an Xperia Play 2 heading our way is a nice one. Hopefully it is a lot better at launch than the original.
Website Referenced: Concept-phones via AndroidSpin
