Sony has just announced another cousin to the Xperia S, called the Xperia U. The Xperia U has a small, "compact design" with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 3.5-inch Reality Display, and a 5-megapixel camera. For music, the Xperia U comes with "xLoud" for sound processing. It also has the Xperia transparent element, but the has added the ability to make it illuminate with different colors for notifications. You can customize which color the bar uses, but it has another trick up its transparent sleeve: it can change to match on-screen elements like photos or album art. The Xperia U will come in two base colors, but you can also swap out the bottom cap below the transparent element to a custom color to give it a little more flair.

It will come to the market globally in the middle of Q2 2012; T-Mobile UK has just confirmed that they plan to carry the phone and launch it during that timeframe.

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