Price set at $495 for launch Jan. 24; availability in other regions not yet confirmed
Following a string of rumors, Sony has announced a Wifi-only version of its 6.4-inch behemoth Xperia Z Ultra for Japan. Released as a nearly identical version of a phone which really felt more like a tablet in the first place, the Wifi-only model packs the same internals, screen and build as its mobile data-enabled counterpart. That means a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 1080p display, 32GB of storage and an 8MP camera.
Even down to the color options — you have black, white and purple — this looks to be the same big ‘ol slab of Sony that we know from before. It’s funny to see a device that was marketed as a purpose-built phone now simply called a “tablet” in marketing materials with no change in screen size, but we’re inclined to think the Xperia Z Ultra is better suited as a tablet device.
Sony Japan pegs the price of the Wifi-only model at ¥51800, or about $495 USD, with availability online from the Sony store on January 24th. There’s no direct indication of availability in other countries, unfortunately, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Sony brings this Wifi-only model to more areas considering it doesn’t need to be wrangled by the carriers.
Source: Sony Japan; (2)