The much anticipated Sony Xperia Z2 has got its UK release date at last: 1 May.

While the handset will be available online and in stores from May Day, Carphone Warehouse claims it will exclusively stock it early. The phone retailer says it will have the Xperia Z2, in limited numbers, two weeks before anyone else – that's from next week.

Carphone says it "will have limited stock available for pre-order and online customers". The website has a pre-order page available now and says delivery is expected on the week commencing 14 April.

Phones 4u, which has the Z2 available for pre-order now, will also start deliveries from 14 April. It says: "When you pre-order the new Xperia Z2 from Sony at Phones 4u, we’ll treat you to a free Sony SRS-BTX300 wireless speaker worth £119, exclusive to Phones 4u in white, as well as exclusive Sony content including games, music and six movies."

The Sony Xperia Z2 carries on the heritage of the Z1 with its water and dust resistant body. It comes sporting a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display that pumps out a 1080 x 1920 resolution for 424ppi. Under the hood is the latest Snapdragon 801 processor running at 2.3GHz and backed by a hefty 3G of RAM.

The Xperia Z2 is capable of shooting 4K video and taking photos using its 20.7-megapixel camera. It's powered by a 3200mAh battery, which is non-removable, and should give up 740 hours in stand-by.

The Sony Xperia Z2 appears to be available from Carphone Warehouse from the week commencing 14 April, with a general release date of 1 May. Carphone Warehouse prices start from £42 per month with the handset free.

Note: Carphone Warehouse appears to have made a mistake listing the handset as Snapdragon 800 as it comes with the latest 801.

READ: Hands-on: Sony Xperia Z2 review