Sony Ericsson are continuing to strengthen their smartphone line-up following the official announcement of the Xperia X10, but this time it’s back to Symbian S60 for the forthcoming Kurara. At least, we think it will be. Currently the Kurara is a only a codenamed rumour, with little information on the specification.

That was until this week, when several surprisingly clear spy shots turned up showing a phone claimed to be the mysterious Kurara. Sony Ericsson watchers are drawing parallels between Nokia’s introduction of the N97 Mini and the Kurara’s similarity to the Satio, also powered by Symbian, suggesting it is their Satio Mini.

In the profile shot the rounded ends certainly recall the Satio, but also remind of the C905, whereas the front is far more X10 than either of those camera phones. The spec list has also started to form with an 8.1 megapixel camera, 3.5″ AMOLED touchscreen and apparent HD recording being touted as potential headline features.

But is it real? The name has been mentioned before, but there is the chance these pictures don’t show that phone or anything other than a mock-up. One or two things make us suspicious, for example the garish red and green lights where the call start and end keys are located, the odd ‘HD’ branding on the rear – very un-Sony Ericsson – and the profile view not appearing to visually match how the front picture looks.

As usual with these rumours, only time will tell!