Mobile Tech News: Sony to Release Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact in the U.S. in February

Sony is continuing its efforts to dominate the U.S.' smartphone industry by launching its latest flagship devices in the country next month.

As confirmed by the company, it will launch the Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Compact in the U.S. on Feb. 7.

According to The Verge, the two handsets will be sold through online retailers including Amazon and Best Buy next month for $599.99 and $499.99 respectively. Both devices will be unlocked and will support GSM networks.

The Xperia Z5 and its smaller counterpart, the Compact, were officially unveiled by Sony during the IFA event that happened in September of last year. Both devices were then released a month later to various regions including Taiwan, Japan, India, U.K., and Canada.

The Xperia Z5 comes with a 5.2-inch display while the Compact versions features a 5-inch screen.

Both devices house 23-megapixel rear cameras and 5-megaixel selfie snappers. The two also come with 32GB of storage space which can be expanded up to 200GB through a microSD card. In addition, the two handsets run on the Snapdragon 810 chipset from Qualcomm and come with the latest version of the Android Lollipop operating system.

As for the two's main difference, the Xperia Z5 packs 3GB of RAM while the memory of the Xperia Z5 Compact is only at 2GB.

The Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact will be the first devices launched by Sony in the U.S. ever since the release of the Xperia Z3 in 2014. Back then, the company announced that it will be trimming down its efforts on releasing handsets in the country following its disappointing sales.

Although giants such as Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone race, some analysts are still puzzled as to why Sony is having a hard time gaining the support of customers.

"Sony has always had good designs and top quality cameras and video capabilities in smartphones, but so far hasn't been able to get that into the heads of retailers, carriers and consumers," analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said according to Computer World.

"Recent Sony phones have delivered really good experiences, but their marketing and distribution has been a bit soft for the U.S. market, which is dominated by Apple and Samsung and is carrier-led," he added.

Despite this, Moorhead believes the launch of the Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 for the U.S. signifies Sony's intent on getting back to the smartphone game.