Sony has today announced the Xperia ZR, a midrange alternative to its flagship Xperia Z. Like its bigger brother, the Xperia ZR is waterproof and promises to survive depths of up to 1.5 meters. It also has some pretty impressive specifications for a midrange smartphone.

In fact, if the Xperia ZR had arrived just a few months ago, it would be considered a high-end device. It has a 4.6-inch 720p display that boasts Sony’s Reality Display technology, plus a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. There’s also 2GB of RAM, and a 13-megapixel rear-facing Exmor RS camera.

The Xperia ZR runs Android, but Sony hasn’t confirmed which version. We’re assuming it’ll launch with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, just like the Xperia Z, with a 4.2 update coming later on.

One of the Xperia ZR’s biggest selling points is that it’s completely waterproof up to 1.5 meters deep. While that won’t allow you to take it deep sea diving, it does mean that the occasional dip in the bath or the kitchen sink won’t be it any harm.

Check out the Xperia ZR’s promo video below:

https://youtu.be/nDuYUlHc1r4

It’s really great to see Sony’s latest smartphones don’t mind a bit of water, and we can only hope that other smartphone manufacturers consider waterproofing their own devices in the future. I’m pretty sure we’ve all lost a cellphone to liquid damage at one point.

The Xperia ZR will be available globally during the second quarter of this year, Sony says, but its price tag is yet to be confirmed.

• SourceSony