News: Sony Brings Xperia Stateside; Schedules February Release for the Z5 & Z5 Compact

Sony announced that it is releasing its flagship Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact handsets to the United States on February 7th, a first for these flagship devices.

Those of you who prefer a smaller smartphone would do well to check out the Z5 Compact. The 4.6-inch display is only 720p, which is kind of a downer, but it still packs the 23-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera of the full-size model.

Specifications

Xperia Z5

• 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display
• 23 MP rear camera; 5 MP front camera
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
• 3 GB RAM
• 32 GB storage (expandable with microSD up to 200 GB)
• Waterproof and dustproof
• 2900 mAh battery

Xperia Z5 Compact

• 4.6-inch 720p IPS display
• 23 MP rear camera; 5 MP front camera
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
• 2 GB RAM
• 32 GB storage (expandable with microSD up to 200 GB)
• Waterproof and dustproof
• 2700 mAh battery

Both the Z5 and Compact will ship with Android 5.1.1, but Sony says it will update both models to Marshmallow, although there's no timetable on when that will happen. Also, no word on whether the recently released pink model will be made available in the U.S.

Sony doesn't have any partnerships with carriers in the U.S., so you'll have to buy an unlocked version from Amazon, Best Buy, or other retailers. The Z5 runs you $599, while the Compact will be $499. The phones also lack CDMA radios, so they can't be used with Verizon or Sprint.