The Sony Xperia Z3 should be a monumental achievement for Sony, as it will be the first device to get a localized U.S. market launch near the same time that it launches in other markets around the globe. It won’t however be the first Sony device to hit U.S. shores or on T-Mobile’s network. While some of us are patiently waiting for the opportunity to pick up the Z3 from T-Mobile, Sony is apparently gearing up to launch the Xperia Z3 Compact, and the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact in the U.S. as well, making the entire family of devices available to U.S. consumers. In addition to this, the Xperia Z3 itself looks like it will be available outside of T-Mobile, as a carrier agnostic variant, or basically GSM unlocked.
Sony appears to be doing this with all three devices in the Z3 family, so even if you’re carrier isn’t picking up the Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact, or Z3 Tablet Compact, you should be able to snag the unlocked version and get a hold of it anyway. This is only a possibility however if your network runs GSM tower technology, so unfortunately that still leaves out Sprint and Verizon Wireless when it comes to major US carrier players. Sony has listed on their Sony Mobile website that all three devices are “coming soon” to the U.S., by way of their now open availability to all U.S. consumers to pre-register for knowledge on when all three devices will be available.
When it comes to T-Mobile, the Z3 will be available sometime this Fall according to Sony at their announcement during IFA recently, so we shouldn’t have too long to wait for those of us on T-Mobile’s network. There is also still a chance that other carriers will pick up devices from the Z3 family, although at this point the Z3 is still looking like a T-Mobile exclusive. There is also no mention of any carriers adding the Z3 Compact or the Z3 Tablet Compact to their lineup at some point, but with unlocked availability soon that might not matter to some consumers. You can pre-register to get notified about the availability of all three devices from the link below, and as soon as we know ourselves when you can either pre-order or actually purchase these devices through the U.S. store, we’ll be sure to update.