Although Panasonic has offered smartphones in Japan for some time now, devices outside of the country have been conspicuous by their absence. That’s all going to change in 2012, the company hopes, with an ambitious plan to push its Android-powered range in the European market with a 1.5m sales goal this year alone.

The ELUGA – or P-04D – is the first step in that, and will be followed by the larger ELUGA Power. An actual European release date is yet to be confirmed, though Panasonic is pointing to an April window for the ELUGA. Meanwhile the ELUGA Power went up for pre-order at the top end of this month, priced at £399 pre-tax ($633) for a late April release.

The P-04D supports VIERA streaming for owners that also have a Panasonic TV, along with WiFi Direct and an OLED display. More details in our hands-on.

[via The Verge]

The Panasonic ELUGA Power sports a massive 5-inch 720p HD display, which means a resolution of 1280 x 720. It features a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, an 8-megapixel AF camera capable of 1080p Full HD video recording, and 8GB of onboard storage, expandable up to another 32GB via its microSD card slot.

The ELUGA Power has a slender profile of only 9.6mm thick, which feels incredibly thin when paired with its large 5-inch footprint. It’s extremely lightweight at only 133g and boasts IP57 international standard for water- and dust-proofing. This means it can survive in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.

Embedded NFC technology in the ELUGA Power supports emerging wireless payment services and data transfer capabilities, while a large 1800mAh battery with Panasonic’s unique power-saving technology ensures a longer battery life, although talk and standby times weren’t revealed. Panasonic also says that the device takes only 30 minutes to charge up to 50% and 57 minutes to reach 80%.

The device will be hitting Europe in late April, priced at £399 (£478.80 inc. VAT) or about $530 US. However, details for its US release have not been announced yet.

Performance from the 1GHz dualcore processor – albeit running a non-final customized build of Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with Panasonic’s own UI modifications – was smooth, and the OLED screen holds up well to panels from Samsung and others. It’s the hand-feel that really impresses, however: the 7.8mm depth feels even less in the hand thanks to the D-shaped profile.

Panasonic ELUGA hands-on:

It’s also sturdy, with its metal construction, and though the shifted power/lock buttons and volume keys – which have been moved slightly around, to face out the back of the phone – take a little getting used to, we’ll put up with that for the reduced thickness. Panasonic has also managed to squeeze in NFC, HSPA+ and WiFi b/g/n, along with 8GB of user storage.

Unfortunately there’s no underwater internet browsing to be had, as the ELUGA automatically kicks into power saving mode when it’s submersed. That safety measure shuts off automatically when you retrieve it from the water, however, something which only took a second or so.

Does it stand a chance against the iPhone and other Androids in the market? Panasonic may lack brand recognition but don’t doubt the appeal of a slimline phone on store shelves. The ELUGA will drop in Europe come Q2, pricing to be confirmed.

This device has a 7.8mm profile, a “D” shape to slide in and out of a pants pocket with ease, and an 8 megapixel camera on the back with no bump above the surface. This device has a tiny 123×62.0×7.8mm frame, is protected by international standard IP57 water and dustproofing, and will survive 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Dust then is 75 micrometers or less in diameter/no harmful deposit protected for up to eight hours – desert style!

The ELUGA has NFC Near Field Communication capabilities inside, had a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 OLED QHD display up front and a 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMEP 4430 processor on the inside. This smartphone comes with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with a promised upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich in the summer of 2012, and has an “eco mode” that brings Panasonic’s power-saving technology to the forefront. Toshiya Matsumura, General Manager, Head of Mobile Communications, Panasonic System Communications Europe, noted the following of the device:

“Despite the unprecedented increase in the number of smartphone devices appearing over the last few years, we don’t believe anyone has yet managed to truly bridge the gap between style and substance. With the launch of the ELUGA, we’re aiming to prove it is possible to deliver style, function, form, and the very best underlying technology, all in a competitively-priced package.” – Matsumura

This device will be coming to Europe in April of 2012, and does not yet have a release price. This device may be coming to the USA eventually, but likely not for a quarter or two if at all. Check out the photos and see this lovely beast!