Sony's killer phones set to take on Galaxy SIII, iPhone 5?

Sony Mobile is trying to emerge as a big player with high-end products. The Japanese consumer electronics firm is gearing up to release new Xperia phones which aim to take on high-end phones such as Samsung's Galaxy S III and Apple's iPhone 5.

The Xperia flagship phone is expected to be showcased at CES and Mobile Congress in 2013. At the same event, Samsung is likely to release its new Galaxy S IV while Apple is rumored to be gearing up for its new iPhone or iPhone 5S launch around the same time.

The Xperia phone may come up with premium features.

Sony's marketing executive Dennis van Schie is quoted as saying: "In the near future we'll finish a flagship model, which will be able to compete with Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S III."

However, Sony has not revealed anything about the specs and features of the device. In the meantime, the Japan tech giant is said to bring forth a set of new Xperia handsets. Well, a pair of them - the Xperia C660X Yuga and Xperia C650X Odin - seem to be better contenders for the iPhone 5 and S3. Here we check out their rumored specs.

Sony Xperia C660X Yuga

A number of tech blogs recently published leaked images and specs of this would-be Sony flagship phone for early next year. The Xperia C660X, codenamed Yuga, is largely expected to carry a 5-inch screen with 1080p resolution, and powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Krait Qualcomm CPU. It will also pack a heavy 12MP rear camera. The software in the device is found to be the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

According to rumors, the new Yuga is going to become a leading player in global smartphone market next year. As per Xperia Blog, the handset has made an appearance in the AnTuTu benchmark and it recorded a total score of 11,321. "Codenamed the Yuga, several pictures have turned up showing a number of specs and details beyond the monolithic design and stand-out power button," says Pocket-Lint.

Sony Xperia C650X Odin

Another rumored Sony flagship Android phone is Xperia Odin (codename). Though little details have emerged about the phone, Xperia Blog says the Odin will run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and other premium hardware features such as a quad core processor, better RAM and a nice display.