Verge and other tech blogs haven't covered it oddly, so here it is. Posted yesterday on my own blog...

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Inquiring Sony Xperia Z3V owners want to know, Verizon Wireless. What’s to come of the Z3V Lollipop upgrade and the incoming Xperia Z4V release? I’ve been riding this one hard if you follow my tweets @stephen_victor and my frequent calls to my nearby VZW Corporate Store in New Tampa has paid off.

On 8/31 I spoke to Sales Rep Sam to ask for info on what the heck is going on. He promised to get back to me on 9/1 (today) after his talk with the store’s Sony Rep. And good ol’ Sam followed through. Around 11AM ET, here is what Sam got from his Sony Rep:

1) The Xperia Z4V launch has been DELAYED. Kiss 9/3 goodbye. Sam says it no longer appears on the release calendar with no new date scheduled as of yet.

2) The Z4V is confirmed to have 5.1.1 pre-installed, not 5.0.2 as previously shown on older demo videos.

3) The Z3V has no official Lollipop release date YET. It’s not ruled out officially Sam said. However, the reason being has everything to do with the release of the incoming Z4V. I told Sam the competing OEMs still support their older flagships, and the decision to "EOL" (end-of-life) the Z3V makes NO sense. Sam acknowledged the oddity of that decision from *VZW* (meaning it wasn’t Sony’s decision).

4) The Z3V will not be going back on sale like how T-Mobile re-added the Z3 after a short absence several months ago.



5) Were you looking to swap your Z3V in the first week of the Z4V’s availability for up to $310? NOPE. SORRY. That offer has been PULLED Sam informed me. Instead, we will be offered a $300 pair of headphones for free instead. He said VZW rather promo-out some headphones instead of straight cash discounts for the Z4V. I mentioned that sounds HORRIBLE to consumers who never asked for new headphones and who would rather get the new device cheaper via the usual trade-in program. Sam agreed it didn’t sound good. I am glad he wasn’t trying to b.s. me and I appreciate the straight talk I told him.

6) A TBD pre-release party to announce Z4V is coming. Sam said it sounds like poor timing considering the pending iPhone 6S release, and I agreed. Plus, I made mention the Z5 launch is nigh, and the window for the Z3+/Z4/Z4V is all but closed at this point. Sam again agreed. He knows the situation and the timing overall isn’t good for interested VZW subscribers.



There you have it, people. As if we didn’t know it already, but VZW hates us. I am getting closer and closer to returning to AT&T at enjoy an unlocked Xperia Z5.