Sony business model is horrible. They left the USA market several years ago. And a few weeks ago they sold off their TV and Audio market to TCL. Their management is ugly.
Unfortunately there isn't a North American variant, that would be "62", so Sony won't enable US carrier bands. On the upside, it's easy to flash and root, so maybe someone can enable the extra bands similar to Xperia 1 V (htcmage's guide)
Sony does not seem to want to have a successful phone business (even for premium-level phones). Why is the release so late in the year? Why are prices so exorbitant despite not even using the best camera sensors or large batteries? I would like to get an Xperia 1, but the prices are really salty...
New leaks have highlighted that the Sony Xperia 1 VIII and Xperia 10 VIII remain in development. Not only that, but both smartphones are set to receive global releases too.