Sony is bringing out the first SIM-free handset in Japan. The Sony Xperia J1 was introduced just recently and the tech firm will be accepting pre-orders starting March 27. The mid- to high-range unlocked handset bears the same set of specs as the Xperia A2 for NTT DoCoMo. 

It comes with a 4.3-inch 720p liquid crystal display and has a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor set at 2.2GHz to power it up. The device also packs an Adreno 330 graphics and a hefty 2 GB of RAM. Sony Xperia J1 has 16 GB expandable storage. In the imaging department, users can get a load of its 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS rear-facing camera and a 2.2-megapixel selfie shooter. 

The Sony Xperia J1 houses a 2300 mAh non-removable battery, which should handle 81 hours of music playback. Sony touts that the juice can be used for up to two days. And although new, it runs Android 4.4 KitKat. On the connectivity side, the handset offers 4G LTE, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. 

Just like all Sony' mobile offerings, the Sony Xperia J1 is hard-wearing. The brand-new handset is certified with IP58, which makes it capable of resisting dust and water. While doing all that, Sony made sure the smartphone looks good. The device comes in a rounded aluminum frame and a matted plastic body, which users will love for its comfortable grip. 

Upon its arrival to Japan, the Sony Xperia J1 will come with a 55,000 yen price tag. That is about $455 in the U.S. Customers can pre-order the device from the Sony online store starting March 27 and the tech giant should ship the units by April 20, as this will be the day the Sony Xperia J1 goes out into the open. Users will get the white and champagne color combination, which looks rather fresh and refined.