Sony’s new thinnest Xperia Tablet Z

2012 was a rough year for Sony as the company watched rival Samsung capture the mobile lead thanks to its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets, and Apple continue its global dominance with the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini. But Sony does not appear to be ready to simply fade into the shadows of gadget history; the company quietly released its new entry into the crowded tablet field on Monday.

The Xperia Tablet Z was announced with a simple press release on the Japanese version of the Sony Mobile website, complete with specifications and photos. Offered in black or white, Sony's new 10.1-inch tablet runs on Android 4.1, has a 1.5-GHz, quad-core processor, and comes with an 8-megapixel camera that automatically adjusts to optimum settings when shooting in dark areas.

Available in black or white, the Xperia Tablet Z features a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 and high-quality image reproduction powered by Mobile Bravia Engine 2. At 6.9mm thick and 495g, it’s perhaps the thinnest and lightest full-spec tablet on the market today.

Inside, the Xperia Tablet Z is packing a Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (with a micro-SD slot for expansion), 6,000mAh battery, 8.1MP Exmor R camera, NFC and LTE connectivity.

The tablet has also been made waterproof and dustproof – like its sister smartphone, the Xperia Z unveiled at CES – and features Sony S-Force virtual surround sound technology.

Following on from the Xperia Tablet S, the Xperia Tablet Z sees Sony trying to take the lead in the Android tablet space. Pricing and release information is yet to follow, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for this one.