Bye bye z compact series

[anon(464338)]

Looks like with the official announcement of the X line, Sony has also announced that the z line is dead. Not sure if they will come out with another compact line but with all of the X phones the same size, it's a bit confusing. So, I'm out from Sony and will buy the new iPhone se. I'm sick of Sony's downright weird behavior. Samsung is out becuase I'll alway hate the software and it's STILL bigger than I'd like. It's a shame no one is brave enough to step up with a one handed high end Android.

 

[B. Diddy]

Sony's been struggling for a while in the mobile space--I'm kind of surprised they haven't decided to give up yet. They often come out with great hardware, but either have no idea how to market it, or don't try to market it. Then they don't really support it after a year or so.

The market for a small flagship phone is unfortunately pretty small itself. I'm hoping that one of the next big innovations will be the use of flexible screen technology to allow the screen to fold or minimize when not in use, thus making the idle phone much more compact.

 

[raqball]

Meh, who cares if they axed the "Z" name.. My Z5 Compact still works GREAT and I am sure it will for years to come..

The iPhone SE is to small for me. Not interested in a 4" phone. The Z5C is about as small a screen size as I'd be willing to go..

If Sony makes an X Compact I'll buy it!

 

[anon(464338)]

I just wouldn't trust the Z line getting support for very long. I'd buy a smaller x phone possibly but for now the iPhone se will be perfect. I've been using my son's old iphone 5 and the thing is so easy to use one handed. I don't find the 4" screen an issue at all.

 

[raqball]

More Sony bashing eh? Good grief, I knew there was a reason I stopped coming here..

Oh well... My Z5C works just fine and FWIW, the Z3 and Z3C are still getting updated so you argument does not hold any water..

Have a nice day..

 

[Laura Knotek]

[TIP]Lets keep the discussion civil please. If there is a problem with a post then please report it so the Mod team can take a look, attempting to resolve it yourself is not advisable.
Thanks.[/TIP]

 

[B. Diddy]

I don't think anyone's bashing anyone else here. There have been some opinions expressed, and observations noted. I'm glad the Z3 is getting updates, and as I mentioned, they make some great hardware. But it's hard to dispute that Sony's mobile marketshare continues to be very low, and their marketing is close to nonexistent.

 

[raqball]

Read through the previous postings on this phone by that user.. Never anything good to say about it.

It's a bummer when the only active forum for the phone is overtaken with negativity.. Anyways, I guess there is nothing that can be done about it so I'll check back in a few months and see if anything had changed.

If not, I'll take the tip that Laura gave and go with it although I don't think trolling is against the rules is it?

 

[B. Diddy]

Trolling can be a somewhat subjective judgment. If a person is clearly being verbally abusive to another member, then that's definitely trolling. But if someone is expressing a negative opinion about something, and gives reasons why, then it's not the same thing. We want to encourage free expression of thoughts and opinions here, as long as it doesn't descend into a rude anarchic free-for-all (that's what the Phone Wars forum is for ).

 

[B. Diddy]

Ok, let's keep things nice and chill here. Any further escalation of the discussion will lead to the thread being closed. Thanks folks!

 

[raqball]

Sony's been struggling for a while in the mobile space--I'm kind of surprised they haven't decided to give up yet. They often come out with great hardware, but either have no idea how to market it, or don't try to market it. Then they don't really support it after a year or so.

The market for a small flagship phone is unfortunately pretty small itself. I'm hoping that one of the next big innovations will be the use of flexible screen technology to allow the screen to fold or minimize when not in use, thus making the idle phone much more compact.

Sorry I got sidetracked but back on the topic..

I agree with what you said about Sony.. They should fire the marketing team! They do make some of the best phones on the market but no one knows about them.

Now I am speaking from a US standpoint here. The Z5 and Z5C are in exactly ZERO US carrier stores. There are no commercials and then to top things off, they removed the print sensor from the US version.. That phone had no chance even before it was released to the US market..

Now the other odd thing Sony does is this 6-month release cycle. It's strange for sure. There was a rumor a few years ago they were going to stop doing that but we can see that is not the case...

I think most people interested in Sony phones are well aware of Sony's release cycle as it's been the way they do it since day 1... Me? I don't really care if a new version is out in 6-months as I get the phone I want at that time and rock it. Loved my Z3C then got the Z5C..

Speaking of the compact line.. Sony oddly enough does not release a new compact every 6 months. The compact line does last a bit longer than the regular version does. There is no X Compact so maybe in 6 months from now when Sony releases the X1 (or whatever it's called) we will see a compact version of it..

I seriously hope Sony does not go belly up but like you said and I agree, I am shocked they are even still in the game..

 

[dpham00]

Ok, let's keep things nice and chill here. Any further escalation of the discussion will lead to the thread being closed. Thanks folks!

In addition,let's try to keep things on topic. I removed some off topic posts. If two people wish to discuss something back and forth, not related to the topic and of a personal nature, then please use pm system

Finally, if someone always annoys you then I would suggest that you add them to your ignore list so that you don't see their posts anymore.

 

[B. Diddy]

I seriously hope Sony does not go belly up but like you said and I agree, I am shocked they are even still in the game.

You make some good points. I'm not a smartphone market expert, but I would imagine that profit margins are shrinking for these devices, and at some point, perhaps only the behemoths like Samsung and Apple will be the last ones standing (although I certainly hope not). I'm starting to worry about HTC as well ...

 

[LeoRex]

Margins might be shrinking, but companies are doing well still. Huawei and Xiaomi are raking in pretty hefty profits. And not just by seeking a ton of cheap-o junk, they are rolling out high end gear.

Sony's problem is internal. They've already admitted that they don't really consider the US mobile market something they plan to focus on. Why that is, is anyone's guess... It's not like they don't have name recognition. They have the capability to be a dominant force in mobile, but they seem reluctant to take the reigns and go for it.

Maybe you are right, Sony doesn't like competing in a space with razor tight margins. But that's exactly the kind of fight they are in with the PlayStation... Sony is selling them at near cost.

 

[anon(464338)]

Finally, if someone always annoys you then I would suggest that you add them to your ignore list so that you don't see their posts anymore.

Thanks so much!

 

[anon(464338)]

It just seems the effort is not there on Sonys part. I agree that the have the capability to compete but they seem reluctant and I'm not sure why they don't value the US market. The X series is nice though and I'm hoping to see it launch in the US in addition to other regions. A compact model would be a direct competition to Apples iphone se soon to be released. This could be Sonys opportunity in the US to do something no other Android manufacturer is even thinking about.

 

[raqball]

Finally, if someone always annoys you then I would suggest that you add them to your ignore list so that you don't see their posts anymore.

Yes I tried that a few months ago when someone was posting in every thread how bad the print sensor was.. For some reason the block was undone. At any rate, thanks and yes, they have been added back so hopefully this time it sticks.

Margins might be shrinking, but companies are doing well still. Huawei and Xiaomi are raking in pretty hefty profits. And not just by seeking a ton of cheap-o junk, they are rolling out high end gear.

Sony's problem is internal. They've already admitted that they don't really consider the US mobile market something they plan to focus on. Why that is, is anyone's guess... It's not like they don't have name recognition. They have the capability to be a dominant force in mobile, but they seem reluctant to take the reigns and go for it.

Maybe you are right, Sony doesn't like competing in a space with razor tight margins. But that's exactly the kind of fight they are in with the PlayStation... Sony is selling them at near cost.

Yes it's odd. The margins on TV's have to be even lower than on a phone I'd think yet they still make and have a strong presence in the TV market. As you mentioned the PS is another area.

I was worried a few years back they were going to go belly up in the phone biz and actually purchased another Z3C to keep new in box in case they did. It never happened so I sold it. I think I read something a while back that Sony was even loosing money on the entertainment and movie side as well.

Is it poor management and / or just an inability to understand their markets? I'd like to see a serious shakeup in the phone division but I don't think that's going to happen. Sony will keep on with what they are doing now until the end comes. Sadly, I think the end is going to come sooner rather than later. When it does, I will do the same as I did before. Buy new compact and let it sit i the box for use down the road.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I am going to echo what Leo said. It is absolutely bizarre for Sony to ignore the North American market. I'm not saying they should cater to us, but virtually no presence in any carrier store, the website is so limited, it just doesn't make sense. They have brand recognition; TVs and home/car audio equipment can easily be found.

 

[B. Diddy]

Perhaps it has to do with the perceived obstacle of how much they'd have to pour into marketing for mobile, compared to the very well-established marketing they have for the PS4 and TVs. Sony has been a household name in console gaming and TVs for a long time, so there's less need for a marketing blitz. But in order to gain more public awareness and excitement for their phones, they'd have to spend a ton more on ads and publicity. Since there's already been some speculation on them leaving the mobile market, it's not surprising that no one there is eager to pour that kind of capital into what they may regard as a losing game.

 

[anon(464338)]

Well if rumors are true, Samsung, which I mentioned I wasn't too fond of their software, is coming out with a s7 mini to compete with the iPhone SE. Reports of 4.6" screen, 820 processor, 3gb ram 720p and 12mp camera .
Gotta say I'm a little curious to see how this thing will run with the much lower resolution screen. I would think battery would be really good. If this phone is legit, it could start a trend. The sad thing is that Sony very well could have missed the boat when it came to the US market and even beyond. If the SE and S7 mini are competing, others might follow and start a trend. If Sony would have pumped these phones out to everyone, they would have been alone the past couple years! I mean there is still an obvious demand for a one handed phone. They could have gotten many iPhone 5-5s users who thought the 6 was still too big. Now with several manufacturers coming out with high end small phones ..if Sony comes out with another compact, it's not going to be unique. Man that's gonna bite them imo.