We’ll admit to being spoiled rather a lot by Sony’s Xperia Z lineup of devices but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give the company’s less high-spec products some attention now and then. Sony has detailed a new mid-range Xperia handset in the T3 and you know that things are moving on technology-wise when a 720p, quad-core smartphone is considered mid-range.

The Xperia T3 is set to be a 5.3-inch, 1,280 x 720 smartphone with Sony’s typical run of screen tech – aka a mobile Triluminos display with the Bravia Engine 2 for added prettiness.

On the inside the T3 will feature a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, likely the Snapdragon 400, which isn’t a whole lot of juice for a smartphone but we’ll take it regardless. We’re going to be looking at 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage with an Android 4.4 KitKat OS installed from day one. We haven’t had our paws on it yet but we hope that the same minimal skinning changes seen in the Z2 flagship have made their way here.

Rounding out what we can expect from the Xperia T3 are an 8MP camera, which will come replete with a selection of camera-based apps that – while gimmicky in places – should give users a few interesting options, as well as a 2,500mAh battery that should last all day at least.

Now we just need a little hands-on time. It should be landing in SA at the end of July, with pricing to be detailed later.