Sony Xperia 1 II ships July 24th for a premium price

Sony has announced that its premium flagship Xperia 1 II will begin shipping in the US on July 24th, 5 whole months after it was first announced. The price tag is as high as expected but higher than we hoped at $1200. Sony is, however, throwing us a bone by including the wireless WF-1000XM3 ANC earbuds for free, a nice inclusion considering these fan favorites carry a $230 value.

The Xperia 1 II brings with it a bevy of top-end specs, including a large CinemaWide 4K OLED display, triple-camera setup with Zeiss optics and pro camera applications, Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 865 chipset, and the latest ports and connectivity options (yes, a 3.5mm headphone jack is among them). The device is aimed at creators, who can utilize the Pro Cinema and new Pro Camera apps to fine-tune their shooting experience with extensive manual control. The UI is even heavily inspired by the company's own Alpha camera lineup.

Along with the heavy price-tag, the only other downside to an otherwise great-sounding smartphone seems to be that the US variant won't work on 5G, while the European version will. The Xperia 1 II supports sub-6Hz 5G bands so it's a curious omission, and it's unclear if the company plans to add support later via an update or reflect its absence in the price. Sony does eventually plan to develop an Xperia Pro which will include sub-6Hz and mmWave 5G, as well as a Micro HDMI port and a more robust design to maximize 5G connectivity. As of writing, there's no word on the future availability of the Xperia Pro in any markets.

Buyers can pre-order the Xperia 1 II on June 1st and have until July 28th to snag a free pair of WF-1000XM3 ANC earbuds with their purchase. In the meantime, check out Juan Carlos Bagnell's preliminary camera comparison with the LG V60, another creator smartphone with pro camera features, and a sub-$1000 price tag.