With all new flagship devices there are always two crucial milestones from the consumer’s perspective. The first is the unveiling of the device. In terms of Sony’s Xperia Z3 this was back at the start of September when we first learnt of the Z3 and its smaller sibling, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. During IFA Sony lifted the blinds and allowed the world to see the new Z3’s in all their glory. This was the time when rumors, leaks and suggestions faded away and all we were left with was the devices, their specs and their various features.
The second milestone which to consumers is probably of more importance is the release date aka ‘when can I get it’. Sometimes this information comes thick and fast after the unveiling but more often than not this info is slow-coming again setting the rumor mill into action. The release milestone is also a lot more fragmented then the first unveiling milestone. For instance, you can technically only unveil the device once and the world sees. In terms of release dates, these vary by region, country and even carrier. In terms of the Z3’s this has been no different. Since the Z3’s unveiling we have speculated as to when they will get a US release date. Very recently documents on the FCC highly suggest the Z3 was nearing its US release by listing bands which are associated with AT&T and Verizon. Even more recently (yesterday in fact) Sony held a special event advising there will be a Z3 variant, the Sony Z3v which will be an exclusive Verizon release. Now it seems the Sony Z3 Compact might also be nearing its US debut. The news today is literally about as close as one can get to an official release announcement without Sony giving an official announcement. Today it seems the Z3 Compact has popped up on the Sony US website with its own page. Need more confirmation? Well, on the page is a very big and shiny ‘Buy Now’ button. Of course once you click buy now, you will only be directed to an information page with no further option to purchase but either way, a buy now button certainly should tell you soon enough you will be able to buy now.
Need a quick reminder of the Z3 Compact? Well, the Z3 Compact comes with a 4.6″ screen with a 1280 x 720 resolution. Inside there is 2GB RAM and a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor (clocks at 2.5GHz). You also get 16GB internal storage as well as external MicroSD card slot (up to 128GB). Like the bigger brother the Compact offers a 20.7MP rear camera along with a 2.2-megapixel front shooter. The device also comes with a 2,600mAh battery, loaded with Android 4.4.4. (KitKat) with Sony’s UI on top.