Remember VAIO? It used to be a brand of Sony computers, but Sony sold that business to another Japanese company in 2014, and now VAIO is its own manufacturer of computers. And now it’s making its own Windows phone, too.
The VAIO Phone Biz is a new Windows 10 Mobile smartphone that made its debut in Japan today. The Phone Biz features an aluminum body and a feature set that includes a 5.5-inch 1920x1080 display, octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras. Its got 64GB of built-in storage that you can supplement with a microSD card, and there’s a 2800mAh battery powering the whole package.
VAIO’s Phone Biz will go on sale in Japan in April for ¥50,000, or around $427 USD. There’s no word on when or if the Phone Biz will launch in other countries.
This new VAIO smartphone has a strange name, but it looks like a respectable Windows phone with specs like a 5.5-inch full HD screen, octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a microSD slot. While the Phone Biz may not convince anyone to leave Android or iOS for Windows 10 Mobile, it does look like a solid option for Windows diehards that want something a bit different than Microsoft’s Lumia 950 and 950 XL. Here’s to hoping that VAIO sells the Phone Biz outside of Japan so that more Windows fans can actually try it.