In a fittingly lackluster way, Sony has unveiled the successor to its Xperia S smartphone, the Xperia SL. I say fittingly lackluster because the announcement came without the usual bells-and-whistles that come with smartphone revealings. Without any hoopla, Sony simply posted a picture of the phone, along with its specs, on its website with a little “coming soon” star next to it. As of now there is no definite release date, though Sony does plan to hold a press conference in Berlin on August 29th to announce the availability. Expect to learn exactly when the Xperia SL release date is on August 29th.

But what may be truly lacking luster is the fact that there are very few differences between the Xperia S and upcoming Xperia SL. The SL will feature the same 4.3 inch display, the same 12.1 megapixel camera, the same amount of RAM (1GB), and will also run on Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The only significant differences are that the SL will run on a 1.7GHz dual-core processor as opposed to the old 1.5GHz, and that the SL boasts 15 more minutes in battery talk time.

The reviews on the Xperia S have been surprisingly status quo, mostly noting that it flaunts an eye-catching design, Android’s trusty 4.0, and a connection to Sony’s large movie and music library. The cons may outweigh the pros as it’s often-cited as having quirky capacitive buttons, slow 3G data, an uninspiring screen, and a pokey processor. Its $559.99 price is also a little too rich.

As of now there is no price, no availability date, and no list of carriers for Sony’s Xperia SL.

Despite Sony’s assumed lack of originality, BostInno still wants to hear from you. Let us know what you think of your phone. Do you use Sony? Do you like Sony products? Which smartphone do you prefer? Are you thinking of getting into the “phablet” game? Let us know in the comments section below.