Sony has unveiled its new line of Xperia smartphones a long time ago, but the S-P-U trio didn't enjoy a very smooth worldwide expansion. The mid-range Xperia P and the low-end U have been made available in select European countries both outright and with carrier contracts, while in the US there are only SIM-free, unlocked versions up for grabs.

Other markets have been even more neglected by Sony, including Australia, but things are set to change in “the land down under”. You can expect both the Xperia P and the Xperia U to be up for grabs in a matter of weeks for all you Aussie tech lovers, courtesy of Telstra and Crazy John’s.

Telstra, the nation’s largest mobile service provider, will be selling the Xperia P starting on June 26. The good news doesn’t stop there, though, because you’ll be able to get the P with no upfront payment if you go for a two-year carrier agreement and the AU$49 Freedom Connect Plan. The handheld will be made available with other plans as well, but the full details will only be revealed next week.

The Xperia P looks very similar to the high-end Xperia S, but sports slightly more modest tech specs. Don't expect this guy to perform too shabby, though, because it does come with a dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, and a decent 4-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen with 960 x 540 pixels resolution.

Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread at the time, the P is set to be upgraded to ICS soon (we don’t know exactly when) and features a cool 8 MP rear-facing camera, 16 GB of internal memory, scratch-resistant glass, and Sony Bravia Engine technology. The 1,305 mAh battery is not very impressive and you also won’t get a microSD card slot, but, all in all, the phone looks pretty wicked for something you’ll be able to get for free.

Sony’s low-end Xperia U will come to Australia via Crazy John’s, a Vodafone subsidiary that doesn’t have many subscribers at this time. The carrier will be offering the U for free with an ultra-affordable $15 plan, but we don’t know exactly when is the phone supposed to start shipping.

This little guy’s specs and features are anything but impressive, but the chic design, dual-core processor, decent display and planned upgrade to Android 4.0 ICS will most likely attract some tech lovers on a tighter budget.

Both the Xperia P and Xperia U will be also made available in their unlocked, SIM-free versions in Australia, courtesy of Dick Smith’s and Sony Centre stores. The first of the duo will go for AU$449 outright, while the U will sell for AU$299.

Are you Aussie readers considering getting the Xperia P or U anytime soon? If so, will you be going for the carrier-branded versions or the unlocked models?