If you reside in the States, it’s probably best not to get your hopes up when it comes to Sony handsets. Availability has been, at best, spotty. That’s one of the reasons the two new phones announced at IFA a few weeks back managed to make waves stateside – the company clearly appeared to be planning a US push.
This morning, Sony offered up some key news on that front. While there’s no mention of carrier partnerships hidden in today’s press release, GSM subscribers will be able to pick up an unlocked version of the flagship Xperia XZ and the X Compact, starting October 2nd and September 25th, respectively, through Amazon and Best Buy (and “participating retailers”).
Sony’s really focused on imaging for both of these handset. The 5.2-inch XZ features a 23-megapixel rear facing camera with a two autofocusing sensors capable of capturing good shots in a variety of different light conditions. The phone can, naturally, shoot in 4K (this is Sony we’re talking about here), supported by five-axis video stabilization. The handset will $699 for the unlocked version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
The 4.6-inch X Compact (this is what qualifies as “compact” now) features most of the same camera features you’ll find on XZ. Ditto for storage and RAM, though the processor and battery have been been downgraded along with screen size. That one’ll cost $499.