Sony Xperia Z1: Release Date Approaches Worldwide, Price And Specs

Sony (NYSE:SNE) announced the Xperia Z1 at IFA 2013 in Berlin this week, a new flagship smartphone that largely follows in the waterproof shoes of its predecessor, the Xperia Z. The Sony Xperia Z1 will have release dates throughout the month of September worldwide.

The Sony Xperia Z1 features updated and more high-end specs than the Xperia Z, and also upgrades the camera to a 20.7-megapixel smartphone sensor, placing it squarely in the ranks of smartphone shooters like the Nokia Lumia 1020 (41 megapixels) and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom (16-megapixels). The Sony Xperia Z1 will launch in black, white and purple on its release, and although Sony has not yet disclosed a date, the phone will roll out by the end of September across the globe.

The Sony Xperia Z1 is expected to roll out on more U.S. carriers than the Xperia Z, where the previous generation smartphone saw an exclusive release to T-Mobile customers. Sony also changed the form factor of the Xperia line with the Z1, adding a rounded, aluminum band around the phone’s edge, for a more comfortable, luxurious feel.

The Sony Xperia Z1 is available for preorder throughout Britain for £599 ($936). The Xperia Z1 will go on sale this month in Germany for a price of €649 ($856), and €699 ($922) in Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Sony has paired high-end specs with the high price for the Xperia Z1, including a 5-inch, full HD (1080p x 1920) touchscreen that utilizes display technology developed by its television engineers, such as the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 and Triluminos screen. The Sony Xperia Z1 also specs a 2.2GHz, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor (MSM8974), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via a micro SD card), and a 3,000 mAh battery. The Sony Xperia Z1 is also capable of shooting video in Ultra HD, or 4K resolution.

Sony has not yet announced specific release dates for U.S. carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile, but U.K. carriers EE, O2, Orange and T-Mobile will sell the Xperia Z1.

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