When pricing for the Xperia 1 II was announced last month, a lot was made of its high $1,200 price tag in the US, with some hoping it was a mistake. Sony confirmed that this was no error, but in line with Sony's pricing in recent years, its latest flagship makes more sense as a purchase in other regions. In Europe, where it retails for €1,200/£1,100, pre-order offers have included a free pair of the excellent WH-1000XM3 ANC over-ear headphones, but they've all run out now so the deal has been downgraded to include a cheaper set.

In the UK, O2 said that its allocation of WH-1000XM3 headphones (worth £329) was just 1,750 and that they had soon sold out. Instead, pre-orders now come with the less impressive and cheaper WH-H910N headphones (worth £249). Sony's European eStore also sold out of its initial freebies and is now offering a £54 style cover as a replacement, which is unlikely to prove as popular. It's unclear whether the fast sales are due to the phone itself — which has received largely positive reviews — or the tempting headphone deal, although I suspect the latter has a lot to do with it.

Meanwhile, the Xperia 10 II has gone on sale in Europe for €369/£319. The much more affordable sibling shares little in common with the 1 II other than the cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio and overall design aesthetic. Even so, it's not a bad price for a phone with a Snapdragon 665, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and triple cameras. Only black and white color options seem to be available so far, which is a shame because the mint green one (below) looks rather dashing.

Source: Xperia Blog