Sony's 20MP Xperia i1 rumoured to pack quad-core, 1080p

Is a top-notch photo-blower the new must-have for every aspiring phone-maker? It certainly seems like it. Pics and other purported details have appeared online for Sony's rumoured Xperia i1 camera phone, and as well as its whopping 20-megapixel camera, it looks to take on the likes of the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom with some serious speccage.
These rumoured specs and the leaked pic above come courtesy of Taiwanese site ePrice, so let's not treat them as gospel, but they're not beyond the realms of possibility and paint an intriguing picture.
Let's start with the camera. Its 20.7 megapixels are spread across a 1/2.3-inch sensor, which is the same size as you'll find in many compact cameras. By comparison, the iPhone 5 (which is one of the best phones for photos at the moment) uses a tiny 1/3.2-inch image sensor, whereas the Lumia 1020 boasts an impressive 1/1.5 inch effort.
Its screen is similar to the one on the Xperia Z, a 5-inch 1080p display with some of Sony's proprietary tech. 'Triluminos' and 'X-Reality' are the buzzwords attached to this one, although in reality that'll mean very little.
Inside, we're looking at a top of the range Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip, a real beast of a thing that so far has only appeared in the massive Sony Xperia Z Ultra, LG Optimus G2 and the Korea-only LTE-Advanced version of the Galaxy S4.
That's backed up by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD. There's supposedly a fairly hefty 3,000mAh battery and a decent 2-megapixel camera for Full HD video calls. 4G and NFC are a given.
ePrice reckons we'll get our hands on this epic gadget at IFA, an annual tech show in Berlin at the start of September. I'll be even more interested to see how the Xperia i1 measures up against the S4 Zoom and Lumia 1020 in camera tests.

Sony hoping to work Android 4.1 into Xperia line

Sony has not completely ruled out an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for its 2011 Xperia line, despite what the company may have told you just days ago.
A post on the company's blog today advises that it is "actively investigating" software updates for all of its devices and that 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich deployments still are on track.
Rumors spread quickly last week that Xperia models from 2011 wouldn't see an Android 4.1 update. A member of the Sony UK team hosted a Q&A with Facebook followers where he advised that the Xperia Arc S and a few other handsets would not be getting Jelly Bean. Fast-forward a few days and we've since learned that the rep "gave information out in error."
It's not immediately clear whether the agent was actually right or he let the news slip out in a very unofficial capacity. At this point, I'd be surprised if the left hand is talking to the right hand over at Sony. I suspect that some of the models released in the second half of 2011 will see 4.1, but those released early in the year may get snubbed. Sony was somewhat hesitant to push its Android smartphones stateside until just recently so I cannot imagine too many U.S. users worried about Jelly Bean.
Sony advises that users and interested parties keep an eye on its product blog where it will continue to outline details for Android 4.0 updates and beyond.