Sony Ericsson’s life-proof handset will live up to its reputation with Billabong.

Sony Ericsson have today announced a partnership between themselves and popular surfing company Billabong to produce a surf inspired handset.

The handset will be designed especially with “sports enthusiasts” in mind.

Although it will come with brand new Billabong casing, this Xperia Active will come with the exact same specifications as its darker coloured brother.

This means that you will find the same 3 inch capacitive touchscreen, Google’s Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system, a 5 megapixel rear facing camera and IP-54 certification.

This means that your handset is resistant to water for up to 30 minutes in one metre of liquid, dust resistant and drop resistant. This makes the phone ideal for those who love “surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding.”

However, this new partnership hasn’t just produced new casing. Users of the Xperia Active Billabong will also find some new unique features such as videos, screensavers and the previously unseen on Android Billabong LIVE mobile application. Users will also find an exclusive surfing game: Billabong Surf Trip.

Stephen Croix from Sony Ericsson said: “Billabong brings a new, enthusiastic and engaging audience who are early technology adopters and influencers in the areas of sports and technology. This partnership is a perfect fit with our brand and the Xperia range of smartphones.”

Sony’s forming of partnerships doesn’t stop here, as this new venture with Billabong will see Sony Ericsson used at all major surfing events run by Billabong across the World.

No information on when this life proof handset will be released has been announced, but more details are expected to emerge soon.