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The Sony Yuga seemed like a huge leap forward when we first got wind of it, just a few weeks ago. A 5-inch 1080p screen? Fantastic. But now it seems like more of the same.
Russian site Mobile Review has given the Yuga — which will almost certainly be called something different when it’s properly announced — a thorough hands-on. It confirms the Yuga has a 5-inch Full HD (1,080×1,920-pixel) screen, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor and a 12-megapixel camera.
That sounds top-notch — a serious hike over this year’s top of the line specs, apart from the processor, which is the same as the Nexus 4. It squeezes more performance out of the chip, according to Mobile Review’s testing, with a Geekbench score of 2,034 edging the Nexus 4’s 1,975.
The problem is there’s a rash of 5-inch, 1080p, quad-core Android phones floating around in yet-to-be-announced limbo.
The HTC Butterfly and the new Sharp Aquos phone (unlikely to come to the UK) are both confirmed 5-inch Full HD-ers. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is strongly tipped to pack the same heat. They’ll all have quad-core chips and handle 4G data too, I have no doubt.
So with all the major Android phone makers apparently conforming to this new screen standard, what’s going to set them apart? A bit of detail in the design, sure, and the chip performance and Android bloatware customisations. Some might have expandable memory, some not.
This might not seem like the most exciting circumstances for gadget fans, but I think it could be a real boon. I left out one difference between these phones, and it’s the most important: the price. If these phones are all much of a muchness, one of them might try to grab market share by being significantly cheaper. Look at how popular the Nexus 4 has been — top-notch core specs; low, low price.
It’s also a great advantage to Android app developers, especially games makers. If they know a huge chunk of their target market is using phones with the same chip and the same screen, they’ll be able to spend more time making a great app and less time optimising it for each device.
This is all just speculation of course, so take it with a large pinch of salt. We’ll know much more after the huge CES tech show in January, when some of these hi-def monsters will probably show their huge faces.
I, for one, welcome our new 5-inch 1080p overlords. But what about you? Are you after something a little smaller? Or a touch more distinctive? Start the resistance in the comments below, or acquiesce meekly on our Full HD Facebook page.
Image credit: Mobile Review
