Xperia Neo to Get UK Launch This Week

And Vodafone will get its very own exclusive red model.

The Xperia Neo was somewhat overlooked when it was launched at Mobile World Congress this past February. The device had the unfortunate luck of debuting alongside the PSP Phone, now known as the Xperia Play, and such a hotly anticipated device casts a fairly large shadow. However, it seems the Neo may finally making some headway in its long journey to shop shelves.

CNet UK cites Sony Ericsson Italy, the Netherlands and the UK in reporting that the device will land this coming Friday, July 1. The phone was originally supposed to go on sale in April but was delayed by manufacturing problems. Preorders are currently doing the rounds, with pricing going as high as £380 from third party retailers, and carriers listing the device as 'coming soon.'

Neo is supposed to be a low-cost alternative to Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc (the Arc costs about £100 more) and the two share a lot of the same specs. They both run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), they both feature 8-megapixel cameras, 512MB of RAM and up to 32GB of storage, and they both have 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 CPUs. As far as we can tell, the biggest difference here is size. While the the Arc boasts a 4.2-inch display, the Neo packs a 3.7-inch display and the Arc is a little heavier than the smaller Neo.

If you're on Vodafone, you'll also have the option of a carrier-exclusive red handset, which is currently listed as 'coming soon' on the network's website.