Sony Xperia XZ hits Australia October 20 for $999

Following its announcement at IFA in Berlin last month, Sony Australia have today announced the availability of the Xperia XZ locally.  Pre-orders start today, with the phone on-sale from October 20th for $999 outright or through Telstra on contract.

Topping up the Xperia X family of phones, the XZ brings back the 4K screen and adds USB-C connectivity with a premium look and feel to the device overall.

John Featherstone, Managing Director of Sony Mobile Communications, Oceania said “We’re excited to be partnering with Telstra and JB Hi-Fi to launch the new Xperia XZ in the Australian market,”

“Perfectly suited to the Australian way of life and love of photography and the outdoors, Xperia XZ delivers exceptional camera technology that lets you capture every moment as you see it, with blur-free images day or night, and triple image sensing technology that goes from standby to capture in 0.6 seconds.”

The camera is something to behold, using laser sensing technology to enhance the focus speed and accuracy, during a short test of this yesterday I was blown away not just by focus but exposure levels too.  Pointing the phone camera at the dark ground, I quickly looked up and hit the shutter, the sky was not blown out as I would expect, but instead a solid great photo was the result.  We’ll test this further in the weeks ahead.

On Sale on October 20 from JB-HiFi, Sony direct and Telstra, pre-orders are available today through Telstra who are offering all those who pre-order a chance to go into a draw for a brand new Playstation –  100 will be given away.

Perhaps a key feature that deserves more praise than it gets is the battery care feature called Qnovo.  This technology keeps your battery healthy and increase the overall lifespan of the battery.

By not charging to 100% through the night, instead peaking to 100% just when you need it (by learning your patterns), the device prolongs the life of your battery.

As is now expected, it’s also IP68 water and dust resistant.

Xperia XZ price and availability

Carriers / Retailers	Price	Colour	Availability
Telstra	Available on a $75 Go Mobile Plus or My Business Mobile plan[i] with $10/mth device repayments when you stay connected for 24 months. Min cost $1,800). Also available on a $95 Go Mobile Plus or My Business Mobile plan with no additional device repayments when you stay connected for 24 months. Min cost $2280.	Mineral Black	Pre-order 11th October online In-store 20th October
JB HI-FI	AUD$999	Mineral Black	In-store and online 20th October
Sony Kiosks, Sony Centres and at store.sony.com.au/xperiaxz	AUD$999	Mineral Black and Forest Blue	Pre-order 11th October online In-store 20th October