Sony has been forced to push the Xperia Z2’s general sale date in the U.K. and Europe due to high demand. Customers who pre-ordered the device will still get theirs in April, but there have been so many the Japanese company simply cannot keep up with them.

The Xperia Z2 was initially set to do on general sale the same day it was delivered to customers who pre-ordered. But one online retailer is now telling visitors that the handset won’t be available until May 1 at the earliest.

“Sony advises they had a component manufacturing issue from a third party who make a part for the phone,” Unlocked Mobiles told CNET. But Sony says that the problem is due to high demand for the device.

“Xperia Z2 will be available in the U.K. during April and we are expecting to deliver to all consumers who have placed a pre-order through our key partners,” a spokesperson said in a statement to CNET. “We are working tirelessly to maximise stock levels in April but currently we do not expect to meet the high demand across all our sales channels.”

Carphone Warehouse is still promising delivery of the Xperia Z2 for “the week commencing” April 14, while Phones 4U states April 11. If you haven’t already gotten your pre-order in, though, you’ll probably need to be quick if you want to ensure your new handset is delivered before May.

• ViaCNET