Sony Xperia acro S to start selling in August in Taiwan and Russia

Although it has been unveiled next to the Xperia Go more than a month ago, Sony’s Xperia acro S smartphone hasn’t been released along with its “cousin”, and, until now, it didn’t have an official ETA either.

The ruggedized 4.3-incher has finally got some official availability details, and will launch in Taiwan and Russia sometime in August. The phone’s prices in the two markets will, however, differ markedly– you’ll clearly get the better deal if you live in Asia.

According to the official Sony Taiwan store, the acro S will cost only 17,900 TWD, which would convert into about $550 at today’s exchange rates. In Russia, however, if we are to trust a Sony official tweet, the smartphone will start at 23,990 RUB (around $728), which seems a bit steep for what the gadget has to offer.

Neither of the two sources has revealed a precise shipping date for the Xperia acro S, but we’re guessing that those who pre-ordered the device will get it by mid-August. There’s also no word on the phone becoming available outside Taiwan and Russia, but it’s safe to assume that the device will be put up for sale in other European countries, as well as China and Japan, in September. The acro S might also be coming to the States soon, although Sony did state a while back that the phone wasn’t “currently planned to come to the US”.

Besides the availability and price details, the guys at ePrice have also managed to get their hands on an acro S unit in its supposed official selling package, which has revealed an interesting surprise for future buyers of the phone. It seems that a sleek charging station might be included in the retail box of the acro s. However, that will most likely be a Taiwanese special offer, so don’t get excited just yet!

The Sony Xperia acro S is one of the most intriguing handsets to be released this summer, as it’s set to bring the best of two worlds: high-end hardware and extra protection for rough use. You can check out the phone’s full spec sheet below:

4.3-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution and 342 ppi
Dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon processor
Adreno 220 GPU
1 GB of RAM
16 GB of on-board memory
MicroSD card slot for expanding the memory to up to 32 GB
12 MP rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash
1.3 MP front-facing webcam
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Standard Li-Ion 1910 mAh battery capable of running for 6-7 hours in talk time
IP57 certified for dust and water resistance
Water proof up to 1 meter and 30 minutes
Scratch-resistant shatter proof glass
Sony Mobile Bravia Engine
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, HSDPA, HSUPA
147 grams weight
126 x 66 x 11.9 mm dimensions