Sony has announced that its new Xperia Z3v smartphone will release for Verizon customers on October 23 for a contract price of $199. The original Xperia Z3 launched on October 9th in the U.S. exclusively through T-Mobile.
Sony's Xperia Play started out as the first device to directly link with the PlayStation gaming console by being "PlayStation Certified." This connection turned out to be a massive flop in sales, but the latest Xperia Z3 looks to turn that all around.
The Xperia Z3 and the Z3v were demonstrated during an event on Thursday to play PS4 games remotely through the revolutionary Remote Play feature. This capability is exclusive to Sony's top-of-the-line smartphones, tablets, and is coming soon to the new PlayStation TV, as well.
The smartphone series allows the direct connection of a PlayStation Dualshock4 controller and will come loaded with Android's 4.4.4 Kitkat OS. They both offer a 5.2-inch display, all aluminum frame, 3GB RAM, micro SD support, and the highest waterproof rating available. The Z3v Verizon version includes Qi wireless charging capability, but is otherwise the exact same phone.
When you sign up for a two-year contract with Verizon, you have the opportunity to get the Xperia Z2 tablet at a $200 discount.
If you're looking for a smaller version of these phones, Sony also offers the Z3 Compact. This mini Z3 actually offers several of the same features as the full-size version, such as the 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, the 20.7-megapixel camera, and waterproof rating, but with a 4.6-inch screen, smaller battery, and 1 less GB of RAM. The Z3 Compact is the successor to last year's Xperia Z1 Compact (seemingly skipping over a Z2 Compact model) with improvements in just about every possible way.
Price and release date are still not confirmed for the Z3 Compact in the U.S. yet, but we can most likely expect it soon, considering the Z3's launch.
