Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD flashes camera in teaser pics

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD has inched back the curtain and given us a flash of camera in a teaser picture posted to Facebook.

Sony Ericsson revealed four tantalising close-ups of the phone, pictured above. At the time of writing the mysterious picture has 1,000 comments and 4,400 likes. You can win the phone, whatever it is, on the Facebook or Google+ pages.

The enigmatic blower is likely to be the Sony Ericsson Arc HD, previously also known as the Xperia Nozomi.

The pictures show the camera button, the camera lens and the legend 'HD' below it, the micro-USB port and the onscreen toggle to switch between photos and videos with a flick of a fingertip.

These camera-related bits and bobs suggest the new phone will have something special in the snapping department. Sony Ericsson has a strong track record with cameras in phones thanks to its links to Sony's full-blown camera line-up. We expect a 12-megapixel camera with an Exmor R CMOS sensor, which will ensure your pictures pack plenty of punch.

Other rumoured specs include a hardcore dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM and 4.3-inch screen -- potentially displaying an eye-popping 720x1,280-pixel high-definition resolution.

Reports suggest the Arc follows the Nokia Lumia 800 in adopting some of Apple's bad habits. Like the Apple iPhone, it's set to have a micro-SIM and a battery you can't remove.

Hopefully the Arc HD, if that is indeed its real name, will be powered by Google's latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. Leaked shots show the HD running Gingerbread, but hopefully it'll be up to date when it lands in shops.

Son Eric promises, "Just a few more days until we can reveal some interesting news." All this will be confirmed at CES, the tech trade show taking place next week in Las Vegas. We'll be there, so keep your eyes peeled for the latest.