The Sony Xperia S, Sony's first smartphone since splitting up with Ericsson, will finally make its Australian debut this April.

Sony Xperia S was first launched in select markets back in February. The smartphone will be available through Vodafone and Crazy John's on April 11. Optus didn't give an exact date when it will make the Xperia S available only with a tentative early April date. Other major retailers like Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Dick Smith Electronics, Allphones an Telechoice will have the Xperia S in April.

The Sony Xperia S runs on a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor with 1Gb of RAM. It has a 4.3 inch screen with a 1280x720 resolution with Sony's Bravia HD technology. It also has an impressive rear-facing camera capable of shooting 12 megapixel pictures and recording 1080p video footage. Onboard storage is limited to 16Gb or 32Gb with no room for expansion. The Xperia S launches with Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system with Sony's own TimeScape skin. There are pre-loaded widgets that are fully customizable. Sony promises to upgrade the OS to the more current Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

Harvey Norman told CRN that it will retail the 32Gb model for $599 while the 16Gb model will be priced at $499. Harvey Norman will bundle the phone with a gift at purchase. Optus will offer the phone to business and consumer customers for $0 upfront with a $49 cap over 24 months. Vodafone will release price information this Wednesday.