stop erminie: Sony Xperia ZL headed to the U.S. with LTE and new color option

Monday, March 4, 2013

Sony Xperia ZL headed to the U.S. with LTE and new color option

Xperia XL

Sony's other 5-incher heads stateside with T-Mobile + AT&T LTE bands and new red color

Good news for American Sony fans with a few hundred dollars to blow on an unlocked smartphone. The Xperia ZL -- the more compact cousin of the Xperia Z -- is landing in the U.S., where it'll be available unlocked from the manufacturer's online store. Like its international counterpart, the ZL packs a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 CPU, a 13MP Exmor RS rear camera and a 5-inch 1080p HD Reality Display screen. The main differences include the unique notification light down below, as well as the smaller chassis size and lack of waterproofing.

Of particular interest is the extra color variant that's cropped up -- a red option with a black front -- and the American ZL's support for LTE Bands 1, 2, 4, 5 and 17. If our calculations are correct, that means it should work on both T-Mobile and AT&T's LTE networks -- T-Mo's in the process of lighting up Band 4, while AT&T has LTE deployed on Band 17. In theory that means you'll have an unlocked handset that can run quite happily on either carrier's 4G LTE -- a unique proposition for the U.S. market. However U.S. carriers being as they are, we'll have to wait until devices begin shipping before we can confirm that everything's working in the real world.

There are no details available on pricing just yet, but previous unlocked Sony handsets haven't come cheap. In any case, there's a sign-up page on the Sony Store where customers can register their interest.

Anyone in the U.S. tempted by the prospect of such an unlocked, LTE-capable Sony phone? Shout out in the comments!