Sony's flagship smartphone is finally coming to the United States - but not until this July.
The Sony Xperia Z2 received positive reviews and had technology enthusiasts at the edge of their seats regarding its release date when Sony unveiled its latest offering in its line of smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in February. However, the company will not start selling the Z2 until this summer and did not specify a date.
In an interview with TechCrunch, a Sony spokesperson said an unlocked and contract-free version of the Z2 will be available in the U.S. via the Sony Online Store. However, for those who are not eager on paying a small fortune for the smartphone, TechCrunch said no carriers have yet been announced, although Sony seemed to be in negotiations with various carriers. T-Mobile, the fourth biggest carrier in the U.S., offers the Z1S, but it still remains to be seen which carriers will offer the Z2.
Sony also told TechCrunch that the Xperia Z1 will not be available in the U.S.
This comes after reports in April said Sony is experiencing shortages in smartphone parts, which can lead to delays that could possibly go on for as long as seven months before the phone is shipped.
Sony's newly installed chief executive also said last year that the company is shifting its sights from the U.S. and China smartphones market, which are largely dominated by Apple and Samsung, to Europe and Japan, the company's home country.
"Those two are the most important areas for us and we'll put substantial resources there. But not yet for the U.S. and China. It's not realistic to try to do everything at once. In the U.S. we'll start gradually," Hirai told Reuters.
Sony has not had much success in the U.S. smartphones market following its split from its joint venture partnership with Ericsson in 2011. Since then, Sony has made available only a few of its handsets via carriers - Xperia 10 and Ion via AT&T, Xperia Z1S via T-Mobile and Xperia Play via Verizon.
The Sony Xperia Z2 was launched in select Asian markets in March and April. It is also currently available for pre-order in Canada and the United Kingdom, where stocks will ship starting May. Pundits have hailed it one of the best smartphones displayed at the Mobile World Congress.
The Z2 runs on a powerful quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 processor with a Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon chipset and uses Android KitKat OS. The waterproof handset has a 5.2-inch IPS LCD Triluminos display a 20.7-megapixel rear camera with LED flash.
