Sony Xperia Z2 Unlocked Phone Confirmed for Canada

News
By Alex Davies
published

Sony has finally announced North American availability of its latest Android smartphone, the waterproof Xperia Z2.

While Sony's latest flagship Z2 smartphone is scheduled to be available later this month in Europe, up until now there has been no information on when or if the Z2 will be available on this side of the pond. Yesterday, Sony Canada finally announced that the Z2 will be available to Canadians, exclusively to one carrier, Bell. While the news that the Z2 is going to be an exclusive is sure to disappoint those on other carriers (especially since its predecessor was available on multiple carriers), we did receive some additional good news from Sony. While the Z2 is a carrier exclusive in Canada, it will still also be sold unlocked in the Sony Store.

The Xperia Z2 was announced at MWC, where our own Marcus Yam got to go hands on with it, calling it "Sony's best mobile yet." While at first glance the Z2 doesn't look all that different from the Z1, it does have a number of significant upgrades that make it a worthy successor. The biggest in our opinion is the new IPS 5.2" display that has much better viewing angles than the much maligned screen of the Z1. Also, the Z2 isn't just water-resistant; now it's waterproof, being IP55 and IP58 certified. The 20.7 MP camera can now shoot 4K video, and the Z2 now has front-facing stereo speakers (the Z1 had an unimpressive mono speaker). It has a faster 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 801 SoC (the MSM8974AB variant), a bigger 3,200 mAh battery, and runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

The Xperia Z2 will be available to Canadians from Bell in May (no news when in May, though) in black, white and purple, and also unlocked in the Sony Store. However, we are sure that there will be a bit of a wait for the unlocked version, since Bell will probably want time when they are the only game in town if you want one. As for American fans of this phone, there is no news yet. Despite that, the Z1 is still currently available unlocked from Sony in the US, so it's unlikely that the Z2 will not be available the same way once it is launched. Also, a few months after the Z1 was available in Canada, the T-Mobile Z1s variant of the Z1 was launched in the U.S., so it is possible that there will also be a Z2s available later this year. No pricing has been announced, but we expect it to be $200 on a two-year term and $650 to $700 for an unlocked model.

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Alex Davies
6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Shahrokh Youssefi
    I wish HTC sold unlocked phones in Canada too!
    Reply
  • rohitbaran
    That is a rather big phone. I wonder what else are phone manufacturers doing apart from jamming the latest hardware and making the screens bigger.
    Reply
  • g-thor
    When I read the part about exclusively at Bell, I was disturbed - but Sony redeemed themselves by committing to selling it through the Sony Store unlocked. I know my opinion doesn't have much value to the carriers in Canada - or any other country - but I really feel that exclusives are one of the big problems with the phone industry here.
    Reply
  • alexnado
    What about Xperia Z2 tablet availability in Canada?
    Reply
  • hannibal
    That is a rather big phone. I wonder what else are phone manufacturers doing apart from jamming the latest hardware and making the screens bigger.
    Try Sony Z1 Compact! It is excellent phone. Even better than normal Z1 and much smaller. Very likely candidate to my next phone. Good specks, water resistance and size compatible with iPhones 4.5"
    Reply
  • alex davies
    What about Xperia Z2 tablet availability in Canada?
    The WiFi model is expected to be available in Canada late April/early May, so around the same time as the phone.
    Reply