As promised, Japan-based smartphone maker Sony is bringing its Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact smartphones to U.S. shores this month.
Come Sunday, the latest Sony flagship handsets will be available to U.S. consumers, and will initially go on sale through sites like Amazon, B&H Photo and Best Buy.
Earlier in January, Sony Mobile announced that it would begin retailing the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact smartphones in the U.S. on the first week of February.
"Introducing for the first time in the US, the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact smartphones from Sony. Featuring the world's fastest autofocus camera, PS4 Remote Play, and up to two days of battery life on a single charge, you'll never miss a moment with the Xperia Z5 series. Available February 7th at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H," noted the company.
The unlocked variants of the Xperia Z5 Compact and the Xperia Z5 will set consumers back between $499 and $599, respectively.
The smartphones are compatible with LTE networks and not CDMA. Therefore, prior to purchasing, consumers need to keep this factor in mind. This means that in the U.S. the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact being sold by retailers will work with T-Mobile and AT&T, but not with Sprint and Verizon Wireless.
In January, B&H Photo Video's placeholder listings revealed that the Xperia Z5 E6603 model is the one available for purchase from the retailer.
To refresh your memory, the Xperia Z5 is the bigger of the two handsets and sports a 5.2-inch 1080p Triluminous display. The Xperia Z5 Compact, on the other hand, has a smaller 4.6-inch 720p Triluminous display.
Both the devices house the same Snapdragon 810 processor. However, the Xperia Z5 boasts 3 GB of RAM while its sibling has 2 GB. The Xperia Z5 also touts a bigger 2,900mAh battery to fuel its larger screen, the Compact has a 2,700mAh battery fueling it.
Another similarity is the 23-megapixel primary camera, which offers support for 4K video and quick autofocus. The two smartphones are water-resistant and IP68 certified. They also boast a capless USB port.
Both the Sony flagship smartphones will come with Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box, but are anticipated to get updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the near term.
Sony, however, has given the fingerprint scanner a miss in the U.S. variants of the device. The move is cited as a business decision - possibly due to logistical issues.
There is little difference that sets apart the two Sony smartphones. A key factor that could determine a consumer opting for one over the other is the screen size. Those who like sleeker and lighter handsets will prefer the Xperia Z5 Compact as it weighs just 138 g (4.87 ounces), when compared to the Xperia Z5's 154 g (5.43 ounces).
Interestingly, the Xperia Z5 offers a better battery life compared to the Xperia Z5 Compact - 13 hours of talk time vis-à-vis 11 and half hours - which could prompt people who have high usage to opt for the bigger sibling.
