Sony unveils Xperia ZR, a mid to high-end waterproof device made for underwater photography

Sony released specs today regarding its newest addition to the Xperia Z family today in the form of the Xperia ZR. The ZR packs many of the same components and waterproof capabilities as the Xperia Z, putting it in the mid to high-end range. Sony’s putting a lot of emphasis on the ZR’s higher IP rating (IP55 and IP58 as opposed to the Z’s IP55 and IP57), which makes it perfect for those HD recordings of your underwater adventures.

Powering Sony’s new aquatic handset is the Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz quad-core processor also found on the Xperia Z and ZL. Rounding out the internals are 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot. The display measures out at 4.55-inches with 720p resolution. On the back they put a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor RS camera with an LED flash and “burst mode” capable of taking 15 frames per second.

On the software side of things the ZR features “STAMINA Mode”, claiming to improve the battery life by four times or more by automatically freezing battery-draining apps when the screen is off. The display will also be powered by Sony’s Bravia Engine 2 for crisp, bright images.

The press release says the ZR will support LTE, but the official spec sheet claims HSPA+ connectivity, so it is probably safe to assume that the cellular capabilities will be market dependent. One version of the device will support 900 and 2100 MHz HSPA+ connectivity for the European market and the other will support 850, 1700, 1900 and 2100MHz, presumably for the North American market.

The ZR will be available sometime in Q2 2013 with specific dates varying by the market. As always check back for more information as we get it and hit the source for the full press release from Sony.