Sony's super-high-end Xperia XZ Premium goes on sale in the U.S. June 12 for $799

Sony just keeps doing its thing, launching high-end phones with ultra-high prices.

Coming in pretty close to initial leaks, Sony has announced that its ultra-high-end flagship Xperia XZ Premium will launch in the U.S. unlocked on June 12 with an unsurprisingly high price of $799. There will be one week of pre-orders from Amazon and Best Buy before it fully launches on June 19.

Even though it's been over three months since Sony announced the new flagship — and therefore flagships from Samsung, LG, HTC and more have since launched — it still has an impressive spec sheet. If you're willing to drop the cash, the Xperia XZ Premium is offering a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (plus SD card), a 3230mAh battery, IP68 waterproofing and of course that ridiculously dense 5.5-inch 4K display. The XZ Premium also has a new 19MP camera with 960 fps slow-motion video.

More: Complete Sony Xperia XZ Premium specs

Big money gets you a whole lot of specs, but still not a fingerprint sensor.

Despite its high-end price, the frustration of not having a fingerprint sensor in the U.S. version of Sony phones continues with the XZ Premium. It's pretty much inexcusable at this point, but as previously discussed this is likely a contractual issue that Sony is stuck with for the time being. Considering that the near-identical phone is on sale in the UK and Europe with a fingerprint sensor, we're likely looking at the same sort of situation as previous Xperia phones where the fingerprint hardware is there and Sony is disabling it in software.

For all of the quirks of Sony's U.S. phone strategy, it has managed to figure out distribution properly. The Xperia XZ Premium will be available from all of the big electronics retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Fry's and more starting on June 12.

See at Sony

Press release:

SONY ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY FOR FLAGSHIP XPERIA™ XZ PREMIUM AND INTERACTIVE XPERIA™ TOUCH FOR THE UNITED STATES

Sony Mobile Communications ("Sony Mobile") is pleased to announce that Xperia XZ Premium will be available for pre-order on Amazon and Best Buy beginning June 12, 2017 and can be purchased unlocked starting June 19, 2017 in the United States through Amazon, Best Buy, Fry's and other participating retailers for a suggested retail price of $799.99.

In addition, Sony Mobile's mid-tier Xperia XA1 Ultra pre-sales will start June 12, 2017 and will be available online on June 21 and in-stores on July 2. The long-awaited Xperia Touch will also be exclusively available at the Sony Square display room at 25 Madison Ave in New York City for a suggested retail price of $1,699.99. Pre-sales for Xperia Touch will begin on June 16.

As Sony's newest flagship smartphone, Xperia XZ Premium builds on decades of Sony's camera innovation and draws on the heritage of the Sony Cyber-shot® range of cameras. Xperia XZ Premium features the new memory-stacked Motion Eye™ image sensor bringing several new technical features to users looking for the ultimate camera experience. Featuring a 19MP main camera and 13MP front-facing camera, Xperia XZ Premium captures the world in stunning quality.

Xperia XZ Premium's camera provides the world's first super slow motion camera in a smartphone recording at 960 frames per second with playback 4X slower than other smartphones, making the ordinary look extraordinary.[i] Furthermore, Motion Eye™ brings better low-light performance and higher optical clarity for sharper images and less noise. The Sony Exmor RS™ lens captures every little detail in stunning clarity by automatically adjusting the light levels internally and giving you a vibrant picture whether you're shooting in a full light setting or at night.

Xperia XZ Premium also features the world's first 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) screen in a smartphone which gives expanded light and colors, gives more depth to photos with the added pixels and shares a wider range of colors and tones than standard dynamic range content.[ii] Paired with 5.5" 4K HDR TRILUMINOUS™ display technology, it gives users a sense of reality like never before. Xperia XZ Premium is packed with the newest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 processor allowing for great connectivity and excellent entertainment whether creating super slow motion videos, watching 4K HDR videos, or playing the latest PlayStation® games on PS4™ Remote Play.

Beyond camera and video capabilities, Xperia XZ Premium features Qnovo Adaptive Charging to support long-lasting battery life, along with a loop surface design leveraging Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 on the front and back for added durability and water-resistant IP rating 65/68. The Xperia XZ Premium will be available in three colors: Luminous Chrome, Deepsea Black, and Bronze Pink, and will support GSM networks.

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XPERIA XZ PREMIUM KEY FEATURES:

• World's first memory-stacked Motion Eye image sensor with 960 FPS Super slow motion video and Predictive Capture capability, Predictive Hybrid Autofocus, anti-distortion shutter, 1/2.3" Exmor RS for mobile memory stacked sensor.
• 19MP main camera with triple image sensing technology, ISO 12800 / 4000 (video), 25mm wide award-winning G Lens F2.0, larger pixel size for lowlight, BIONZ for mobile image-processing engine, SteadyShot 5-axis video stabilization, and 4K recording.
• 13MP front camera with Sony Exmor RS for mobile image sensor, ISO 6400 / 1600 (Video), SteadyShot, and 22mm wide-angle lens F2.0.
• 5.5" 4K HDR display with TRILUMINOS display for mobile, X-Reality for mobile, and Dynamic Contrast Enhancer.
• Qualcomm® Snapdragon 835 processor. Supported by 4x4 MIMO with LTE Cat16. 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage (with up to 256GB expandable memory and dual sim compatibility). 3230mAh battery with Smart Stamina, STAMINA mode, Qnovo Adaptive Charging, Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, USB 3.1. Comes with USB Type C charger, and supports exclusive PlayStation 4 Remote Play.
• Stylish loop design provides a comfortable hand fit with premium and durable materials, including Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back. Water-resistant IP 65/68. Available in three colors: Luminous Chrome, Deepsea Black, and Bronze Pink.
• Xperia XZ Premium is operating on the latest Android N (7.1) software system.

XPERIA XA1 ULTRA KEY FEATURES:

• Borderless 6" edge-to-edge Full HD display (1080p) with curved 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass and Image Enhancement Technology.
• 23MP main camera with 1/2.3" Exmor RS for mobile image sensor, Hybrid Autofocus, Quick Launch and Capture, Low-light photo: ISO 6400, 24mm wide-angle F2.0 lens, 5x Clear Image Zoom, and SteadyShot.
• 16MP front-facing camera with 23mm wide-angle lens F2.0, 1/2.6" Exmor R for mobile image sensor, Low-light photo: up to ISO 6400, OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer), and Smart Selfie Flash.
• MediaTek Helio P20 Octa-core processor. 4GB RAM. 32GB / 64GB eMMC internal memory. microSDXC support (up to 256GB). LTE (4G) Cat4/Cat6 support. SmartAmp audio technology for more immersive sound.
• 2700 mAh battery capacity, STAMINA mode, Qnovo Adaptive Charging, and Quick Charging (MediaTek Pump Express Plus 2.0).

XPERIA TOUCH KEY FEATURES:

• Xperia Touch is operating on Android Nougat (7.0) software system.
• Functioning with various sensors including: e-Compass, GPS, Ambient Light, Barometer, Temperature, Humidity, and Human Detection.
• 13MP Exmor RS for mobile camera, two-way stereo speaker.
• Connect with Xperia Touch via Bluethooth 4.2, USB Type-C, NFC, HDMI Type-D and Wi-Fi (SISO): 11 a/b/g/n/ac.
• 1 hour battery usage time (based on continuous video playback at half brightness); Embedded Lithium.
• Weighs in at 932 grams; 69 x 134 x 143 mm in size.
• Available in one color: gold.

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