Sony has to be losing patience with its Xperia line of smartphones. Year in and year out, Sony brings to the table its new Xperia phones and they just don’t sell as well as rival handsets. You can blame this on poor marketing by the company that made the Walkman a global phenomenon. You can also blame the high prices that Sony charges for its handsets.
Several times we thought it was the end of the line for Sony’s smartphone initiative, but new models would appear the next year. With its great reputation as a supplier of image sensors to the smartphone industry, Sony could stop making phones, sit back, and collect the big bucks this business brings into the company’s coffers.
Instead, Sony has tried to take on Apple, Samsung, Google, and other brands but to no avail. Slowly, it has cut back on the number of Xperia models it releases in a year from seven in 2021 (Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III, Xperia 10 III, Xperia 10 III Lite, Xperia PRO, Xperia PRO-I, and Xperia Ace II) to just a pair last year (Xperia 1 VI and Xperia 10 VI). While Sony does have its fans, some were getting concerned that 2025 would be the year that Sony hung up the Xperia name.
For the first half of 2024, Sony reportedly had a global market share of 3.5% selling 3.5 million units worldwide generating revenue of $2.5 billion. The good news if you’re an Xperia fan is that the brand will not disappear in 2025 according to “X” leaker Ricciolo who posted a tweet saying that there will be an Xperia 1 VII. However, if we consider what the tweet said and what it didn’t say, it’s possible that Sony plans to reduce the line some more by offering the flagship Xperia 1 VII and putting an end to the Xperia 10 mid-range line.Recently we told you that based on a report from China, Sony will be making some big changes to its rear camera array this year by equipping all three rear-facing cameras with its Exmor T sensor. This sensor uses a dual-layer transistor pixel technology to improve image quality and reduce noise in pictures shot under low-lighting conditions.
With transistor pixel technology, the light-capturing photodiode and transistors are placed in separate layers giving the photodiode more room to capture light. It also allows the transistors and photodiodes to be larger and more effective.
Another rumor from last summer called on Sony to use a new layout for its rear cameras. By moving the telephoto camera away from the main camera and the ultra-wide camera, Sony could add room to increase the size of the telephoto and ultra-wide sensors on the Xperia 1 VII.
So we are left with this question. Will the Xperia 1 VII generate enough revenue to keep the line going or will this be the last straw for Sony’s fading smartphone ambitions?
