The Sony Xperia Z Ultra Android phablet seems finally ready to hit the U.S., as the unlocked version of the handset is now up for pre-order.

Sony's new phablet has recently made its debut in the UK, but the U.S. market is still waiting for the device. The wait now seems to be almost over.

Retailer Newegg has started taking pre-orders for the Sony Xperia Z Ultra. The HSPA+ model of the smartphone is listed with a $699.99 price tag, while the LTE version will cost $729.99. Both prices are for the unlocked Xperia Z Ultra and those who pre-order will receive their device on Oct. 14. In the UK, meanwhile, the handset is already available from a number of retailers and various mobile carriers will also start offering it soon.

The phablet market is expanding at a rapid pace and several companies have decided to unleash big-screen devices with top-end specifications. The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a high-end device with a massive 6.4-inch display, sporting a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Moreover, the phablet is designed to be both dust- and waterproof, just like the Sony Xperia Z smartphone.

Under the hood, the device packs the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage capacity. Users will also be able to add extra storage via micro SD cards. Other specs of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra include a powerful 3,000 mAh battery, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with Sony Exmor RS sensor. The phablet runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but may soon get an update to the latest Android 4.3.

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra stirred quite some waves when it was announced, but it remains to be seen whether it will make it big in the increasingly-crowded phablet market. Samsung has recently launched its much-awaited Galaxy Note 3 phablet, Nokia is reportedly due to unleash its Lumia 1520 phablet running on Windows Phone 8 soon, and the trend seems only to keep going. If there was once any doubt that consumers would like such big smartphones, it is now clear that phablets are generally successful.