Sony Xperia Z3+ officially launches in the US priced at $499.99

In many ways, the Sony Xperia Z3+ is one of the oddest smartphone launches of the year. Available as the Sony Xperia Z4 in Japan and as the Sony Xperia Z3+ in other parts of the world, the smartphone is only a minor iteration over the Sony Xperia Z3 from last year. Up until recently, the Xperia Z3+ was only available for purchase in the US through third-party resellers that do not offer US warranty, and if need be mentioned, buying a high-end smartphone without a warranty is a risky decision at best.

Interestingly, with the Sony Xperia Z5 currently available in various parts of the world, Sony decided that it's time to properly release the Xperia Z3+ in the US. Sony's Xperia Z3+ webpage was recently updated to link to B&H Photo Video, a retailer that currently offers the Xperia Z3+ at $499.99 with one year of US warranty. At the moment, the retailer only sells the handset in its two most basic color options, black and white. As an unlocked phone, the handset will work with GSM carriers such as T-Mobile or AT&T, but not CDMA ones such as Verizon or Sprint.

If you need a refresher, the Sony Xperia Z3+ comes with a 5.2-inch IPS display running a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of microSD-expandable storage, a 20.7MP primary camera, and a 5.1MP secondary shooter on the front. For much more details about the handset, make sure to read our full Sony Xperia Z3+ review.

What do you guys make of this? Is $499.99 a good price for the Snapdragon 810-powered Sony Xperia Z3+?