We've already seen the Sony Xperia Z Ultra 6.4-inch monster in the flesh, and Three has made claims to stocking it, but we haven't previously been given an official release date bar "early September". Now two UK online retailers have listed the date that they will start to ship the new Android device. It's just a shame that they differ.

Expansys says it will be shipping the Xperia Z Ultra on 6 September, for a SIM-free price of £639.99. Clove, on the other hand, lists the phablet at £599.99 and says it will have stock from 13 September, a week later.

Read: Sony Xperia Z Ultra pictures and hands-on

None of the major networks in the UK has announced anything more on when they might be offering the phone. As mentioned, Three has declared but hasn't expanded on Sony's initial Q3 expectation.

Whatever the date, it seems that Sony might steal a march on some of its competitors in the same space. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is not expected even to be announced until the beginning of September, at an Unveiled event immediately before the IFA trade show in Berlin. And the HTC One Max is still the subject of rumours rather being a confirmed device.

Another phone coming out around the same time in the UK will be the Nokia Lumia 1020, the 41-megapixel Windows Phone 8 handset announced recently in New York. If large photos rather than large phones float your boat, that's a decent alternative.