[NewsPoster]

Sony has announced the follow-up to its Xperia E3, weeks ahead of an expected launch at Mobile World Congress. The price-conscious stablemate to the anticipated Xperia Z4, the 10.5mm-thick Xperia E4 sports an "OmniBalance" physical design, with curved edges and a premium-in-appearance aluminum power button, surrounding a five-inch 960x540-resolution display, featuring scratch-resistant glass.

Backed by a quad-core 1.3GHz processor with an Adreno 330 GPU, the E4 has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. On the back is a five-megapixel camera with a 4x digital zoom, 1080p video recording capabilities, HDR, and image stabilization, while the front bears a two-megapixel camera capable of 720p video, while its 2,300mAh battery is said to provide a maximum talk time exceeding 12 hours, a standby time of up to 696 hours with Stamina, and a video playback time of over six hours.

Running on Android 5.0, its speakers use Sony's 3D surround sound technology and Clear Audio+ software. Connectivity options include USB tethering, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.1, though its cellular connections only extend to 3G.

Sony is planning to ship the Xperia E4 later this month, with single and dual-SIM versions. Pricing has yet to be announced, though it should surface just before Mobile World Congress takes place.