Rising from the ashes of joint venture Sony Ericsson, the company's latest venture into the mobile market - Sony Mobile - is courting Chinese consumers with gusto. The global launch of the new Xperia smartphones was held in Beijing today. Our very own Yin Hang was on the ground for the big reveal, and discovers Sony's plan for reclaiming a stake in the smartphone segment.

A painful divorce after a decade-long marriage to Sweden's Ericsson, but Sony is back on the market - the smartphone market, that is. Its latest offering, the Xperia smartphone, is dressed to impress - all in the hope of enticing some of China's one billion plus mobile phone users.

Sony Ericsson posted a net loss of 330 million U.S. dollars in its final year of operation, citing intense competition and price erosion.

But despite the rejuvenated brand image, Sony faces the same challenges as other Android-dependent handset makers - the likes of HTC, LG and SAMSUNG. The biggest hurdle to market share? Apple.

But the company says its library of music, video and TV content will translate to sales in China.

And from first impressions, all the bells and whistles of Sony's new phone is certainly attracting attention. But are good looks enough to lure consumers away from the undeniable X-factor of the iPhone?

Beijing consumer Mr. Hou said: "I think the phone will be loved by young people. Because the lights on the case change colour. But I'm using an iPhone right now."

Pang Ran, smartphone page editor with Tianjinwe.com said: "Sony made some pretty eye-catching designs and functions this time, for example, it personalized the arrangement of the smartphone tables, its functions have improved a lot. But the prices of the phone is high, clearly it's clearly targeting the top end of the market."

Sony paid 1.5 billion U.S. dollars to take back control from Ericsson, making a huge bet that content integration with TVs and other Sony products will give it a competitive edge against global rivals. And when it comes to long-term viability in an increasingly-crowded smartphone segment - the Xperia will have to prove it's got beauty and brains.

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