Sony Xperia Z Ultra Wi-fi only variant announced in Japan, comes with a hefty price

sony xperia z ultra aa design in hand

A Wi-Fi only Xperia Z Ultra has been hinted at previously and now it’s official, albeit a little pricey. The Xperia Z Ultra’s hulking 6.4-inch IPS Full HD display is close enough to the Nexus 7′s 7-inch display, and Sony has decided to pull out the cellular radios from the Z Ultra and create a tablet version of the device which is to be sold in Japan.

While the cellular radios may have been dropped, the Z Ultra (Wi-Fi only) certainly doesn’t drop its hefty price tag, it’s going to be sold for 52,000 yen ($497 USD). That puts it above even the iPad Mini in pricing, however, there’s a possibility it could be sold internationally — if it ever gets released internationally — for less.

The Nexus 7 (2013) hits a $230 price point, but it certainly isn’t without compromise. With a weaker processor, lack of a micro-SD slot and a less premium design, the Nexus 7 probably isn’t a fair comparison to the Xperia Z Ultra. The Wi-Fi variant of the Xperia Z Ultra will retain the 1080P 6.4-inch display, 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 and 8MP rear camera as well as the IPX58 certification meaning it doesn’t shirk away from water and dust.

But is a premium build, faster processor and micro-SD card slot (among other things) worth the extra money? We’ll let you decide.