Sony’s CES 2013 press conference is happening live right now, and the company has just announced their new flagship Android smartphone, the Xperia Z. Corey got a quick eyes-on look at the Xperia Z shortly before the press conference began, but now we’ve got full specs for the new phone.

The Xperia Z features a stunning 5-inch 1080p display, and also has a glass back panel, much like the iPhone 4S and Nexus 4. Inside, the phone is packing a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 4G LTE, a 13-megapixel Exmor RS camera sensor, NFC, and a 2330mAh battery. Uniquely, the Xperia Z is waterproof up to a depth of 1 metre, which also means that the external ports - including a microSD slot - are covered by plastic flaps. Out of the box, the Xperia Z will be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, though Sony promises an update to Android 4.2 will arrive “shortly after launch”.

According to The Verge, the Xperia Z’s camera sensor is capable of shooting “HDR video”, meaning it is powerful enough to combine three video streams of varying exposure to produce perfectly exposed shadows and highlights. The 13-megapixel shooter is also capable of taking still shots while recording video, and features a 10fps burst mode when shooting at 9-megapixels.

Sony has also announced the Xperia ZL, a design variant of the Xperia Z for select markets, including Canada. The Xperia ZL is identical to the Xperia Z specs wise, including the 5-inch, 1080p display, though it is a little shorter and thicker. The Xperia ZL also swaps the glass back panel for a plastic one, and is unfortunately not water or dust proof like the Xperia Z. Those hoping for a solid launch date will be disappointed: Sony will only commit to a vague “Q1 2013″ launch window.

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