Rogers to offer XPERIA X1a

Internal Rogers documents reveal that the Canadian wireless provider will soon offer the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a smartphone to customers, according to a Tuesday BGR report, effectively becoming the first North American provider to subsidize the device. Starting June 9th, the X1a will reportedly be sold in Rogers' retail locations, but only in areas with historically high data device sales and usage. The quad-band 3G handset was released in the US last fall as a carrier-independent unlocked model.

It sports a 3-inch, 800x480 touchscreen along with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and high-speed HSDPA and HSUPA 3G network support. There is also a Wi-Fi radio and a built-in GPS sensor.

Rogers is expected to expand the availability of the XPERIA X1a to most, if not all, of its stores on June 30th. Initially, the device is said to cost $250 CAD with a three-year voice and data plan, before it goes up to $300. Contract-free, the device will cost between $649 and $749. Sony Ericsson sells the unlocked X1a in the US for $800USD. [via BGR]

By Electronista Staff