Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z, one of the sexiest Android tablets we’ve ever seen, will come to the United States in May at a base price of $500.

The new tablet shows that Sony is trying to make a new plea with consumers and show it can offer high-quality premium products like Apple and Samsung. But in the Android tablet realm, not even Samsung has been able to make a real dent against Apple’s iPad or cheaper counterparts. The only two Android-based tablets that have done well in any sense are Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7 — but they are much less expensive than the iPad. Why Sony thinks it can win with a $500 Android tablet is a bit of a mystery.

At the very least, the Xperia Tablet Z features an impressive set of specs. It has a 10.1-inch screen with 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution, a Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core processor, NFC, LTE, and an 8.1-megapixel camera. The device runs Android 4.1, weighs 17.4 ounces, and measures 6.9mm thick. That last spec is particularly impressive and makes it one the thinnest tablets ever.

The Xperia Tablet Z is also waterproof — to a point. Sony claims it can be submerged in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

While we know the Tablet Z will hit the U.S. in May, we don’t have an exact date just yet. Sony will match the iPad’s pricing strategy to a fault with a $500 16GB model and $600 32GB version, both in black. The tablet will also come in white at some point.

Xperia Tablet Z via Sony

Following its impressive Xperia smartphone showing at CES earlier this month, Sony has revealed an Android tablet companion with some eye-popping hardware — the Xperia Tablet Z.

We’d already reported that the Xperia Tablet Z was coming soon, but now it’s official. For specs, it features a 10.1-inch screen with 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution, a Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core processor, NFC, LTE, and an 8.1-megapixel camera. The device runs Android 4.1 and weighs 17.4 ounces.

While that’s quite a list, the most impressive factor on the tablet is its incredible 6.9mm thickness. The Xperia Tablet Z is one of the thinnest mainstream tablets we’ve seen to date. For comparison’s sake, the iPad mini is 7.2mm thick, while the full-size iPad is 9.4mm.

Sony said the tablet will be available in Japan this spring but has not indicated whether it will hit the United States. The company also hasn’t revealed specific dates or pricing. Hopefully, we’ll see a release in the U.S. and the gadget will come in at a nice price point.

Take a look at the backside of the device below:

Tablet photos via Sony

I was impressed by Sony’s new Xperia Z smartphone at CES, and it looks like it will soon have a tablet companion.

Sony and Japanese carrier NTT Docomo will reportedly announce the Xperia Tablet Z on January 22, Pocket Lint reports. It looks like Docomo accidentally spilled the beans about the tablet on its website, but not before the Japanese gadget site Blog of Mobile caught wind of it.

Just like with its smartphones, Sony has made some noble efforts at Android tablets in the past. The company’s Xperia S tablet (above) has been one of the better looking Android tablets since its release, but it’s also quickly learned that good design isn’t enough to outsell cheaper alternatives. If Sony can craft a tablet that looks as elegant as the Xperia Z, but also make it easily affordable, it could finally make a dent in tablets.

Under the hood, the 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z will feature a 1080p screen, a Snapdragon S4 processor, 32 gigabytes of storage, and 2 gigabytes of RAM, according to Pocket Lint. It may also feature an 8-megapixel rear camera, which would be surprisingly high-quality for a tablet.