Sony Ericsson MT27i Pepper spied early
updated 03:35 pm EST, Sat January 7, 2012
Sony Ericsson Pepper may be Xperia neo V sequel
One of Sony Ericsson's rarely mentioned other 2012 smartphones was leaked in earnest on Saturday with photos and detailse. The MT27i, or Pepper, is expected by XperiaBlog to be a direct sequel to the Xperia neo V with a much more squared-off look that's consistent with the Nozomi and likely other models. Performance may be the biggest leap, as it should jump from its single-core chip to a dual-core 1GHz chip, most likely the ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500.
Although it would have a strictly average five-megapixel camera with 720p video, the Pepper is expected to get a 3.7-inch, 480x854 screen that would have been considered high-end just a year ago. It may likewise have active noise cancellation or better sound during video with a microphone near the camera. A possible giveaway as to its OS choice is the lack of a dedicated search key, which could mean using Android 4.0 instead of 2.3.
Questions remain as to when the phone will ship. Sony Ericsson has been repeatedly teasing a launch for at least one phone at CES next week. If following the pattern from 2011, though, it could leave just one high-end phone for CES and save the remainder for Mobile World Congress in late February.
