News As Sony's mobile sales fall fast, I still don't know why Xperia exists — and that's the problem

[AC News]

A research firm revealed that Sony's mobile sales fell hard and fast last year, losing out to Apple and Google even in its home market of Japan.

As Sony's mobile sales fall fast, I still don't know why Xperia exists — and that's the problem : Read more

 

[Koblongta]

Need a phone that can REALLY make people ditch their SONY cameras, SONY's marketing strategy still want to retain their standalone camera sales and I think that's wrong.

 

[Daniel Gomes]

As someone who owns an Xperia 10iii I feel I might be able to comment on this. I bought this phone because I only had a small budget but wanted really good cameras. I also wanted the headphone jack and SD card slot.

Overall I've been happy with the phones design, size, display, speed, battery, headphone jack and SD card slot.

However the cameras have been a disappointment. In bright daylight it will take great photos overall, they look nice but in some cases also lack detail but in this segment they are good.

However it's when the light is tricky, light sunset or inside or night time that you quickly hit the limit and realise these are not flagship cameras. For €500 I would have expected cameras approaching a OnePlus11 or similar. After all this is Sony. But they are as good as any cheap Chinese phone at €300 and below.

So in terms of the budget segment (which is the market segment with the most volume of sales worldwide) they don't have a strong offering at all. Even the 10v doesn't have a 120hz screen. So they've blown a great opportunity in the budget segment to stand out from the Chinese brands and offer more value for money along with the prestigious Sony brand.

This is their greatest mistake because this is the market where they could have seen volume of sales. Samsung's biggest selling phone is in the segment *below this* and has less specs than the Sony. Yet it outsells it both because it's cheaper but also because Sony don't target this segment.

The 10 series needed to be priced at €300 and needed to have 120hz screen and better performing cameras than any other phone. And they need to make it available in India too. They would have definitely seen better sales because of the status of the name when combined with superior performance.

In this segment really good auto mode is a MUST. No one needs manual mode in this segment. They need great auto and low light modes.

As for the 5 series and 1 series: the 5 should have been priced near the iPhone but slightly less and it should have had an auto mode that competes well with iPhone and Galaxy. With the right marketing and support they could have leveraged their brand to win customers.

They could have sweetened the deal by offering all Xperia owners better prices on other Sony products like TV's, hi-fi, playstation and others. For example if you own an Xperia you get a €100 voucher off a Sony TV, Hifi, Playstation etc.

And the 1 Series could have stayed as is and just been marketed to the Pro photographers and Videographers via those industries channels. A "shot on Xperia" competition for Pros might have also helped drum up interest. Plus throw in the discounts mentioned above and you'll definitely get interested buyers.

Sadly I think they will go the way of LG and close the mobile phone business and just be a supplier of components.

I'm looking to replace my 10iii with an iPhone because I just want excellent cameras that I don't have to think about because they just get great shots every time and also have a vibrant accessory market.

Trying to get any accessories for an Xperia is a nightmare - they don't exist.

 

[jaygatsby9909]

They could be fine if they updated cameras and actually made them REALLY good, lowered the price significantly for flagships, and provided quick and timely OS updates. Those are the 3 most important features for almost all phone buyers.

 

[XCman]

Honestly, their hardware is fine. It's their lack of working with carriers to provide their phones in a format carriers can control to upcharge their customers for their services. While I respect Sony by sticking to the Unlocked phone market. The lack of marketing they are not getting by not providing cell carrier locked phones is killing their exposure to several markets. And they are dying a slow death due to people just not aware Sony as a cell phone brand exists. People with the tech know how to deal with unlocked phones and getting them to with with their carriers are free and far between. Most people just want to sit down and pick a phone that their carrier offers. They need to break down these hurdles to the market and customers to even get a foothold. But I think what this article is trying to say even if they do they have a long battle to win back what they lost in exposure.

 

[Awhispersecho]

It's articles like this and people like you that are the main reason they don't sell. You say the every day experience would be worse for you and that makes zero sense. The Xperia 1 has the most up to date flagship processor, flagship levels of RAM, 256GB of storage, 5G, and every other single spec that your flagship has. It then adds an uninterrupted 4k screen (no absurd hole or notch), a headphone jack, a micro SD card, front facing stereo speakers, and the ability to dive deep into photography if you want to. It has everything every other flagship phone has and adds all of these things which only add to the user experience and usability of the device.

You reviewers get all caught up in the camera apps and manual mode and act like the rest of this phone doesn't still have all the features the other flagships do. It's either dishonest writing, or your getting paid to dis any brand that isn't Samsung or Apple, or just plain incompetence. Don't worry, you're not special, all reviewers and tech influencers seem to do it whether in print or on YouTube. And it's things like this that hurt the market, stifles the ability to have competition, and robs consumers of the chance to experience something new.

 

[JerryDragon015]

You all are right.

But Sony is not losing battle. Sony LOST marketing battle.

But you are forgeting one thing... MOBILE (smart) phone is MUCH more than camera..

In the era of Insta, and AI, you can use camera app to shoot the Moon with tiny small sensor! Yeah, right....
You can photoshop any image, or you can use filters and actions, so EVERY pic on samsung looks AMAZING on amoled with fake green. Apple does it too... What about HDR? What is it?

Microsoft NOKIA Lumia had cam app which focuses EVERY point from macro to infinity, and makes one file. Later you can choose what to focus and save many images from that file....

As long as milions of people buy iphone every time they need a phone, Sony will not be market lead.

It is easier for people to point and shoot, than to use a brain...

I will explain... i had Ericsson since 1998. yes, i am a dinosaur, not a milenial.. i use Fiio DAP to listen music (ipod was 1st choise, now we have better quality), I do not use spotify, tidal.... .. I have a LIVE radio station for it... It has different experience, live radio host... but let's keep short. I have SONY Alpha 6400 to make pics of my kids and family. I do not use iphone or android... If you are wondering why, thats right, i do not need to explain to you.. I am not a photographer, AUTO mode is so much better...

I used to sell phones for 10 years... Had almost all NOKIAs SonyEricssons, iphones, HTCs, Galaxies, Pixels...

Market is not equitable..

Nokia had this 1020 Lumia, 43Mpix 1/15 sensor... Perfect... They said that year, ok this is THE BEST... Next year, they all put iphones nad galaxies in compare, nobody mentions Lumia... That doesn't count. This Lumia had the best cam for 5 or more years... but nobody mentions that...

And Sony camera? What about it? Well, iphone had sony sensors, samsung too, but camera app is better on those phones...

Ok remember any third party camera app? No? I knew it... why should you?
So why bothering downloading better app, you can download thousands of games, but camera app... no way... ok...

I will just say something about sony:
-Every time SONY had a flagship like Samsung, often cheaper, and with no extra apps...
-SONY is still leader for PHONE: Cameras, Batteries, DIsplay, Quality... not by selling numbers, but for specs..
-Sony made MINI and FULL size the same specs (Z1, Z1 compact... Z series), a way before apple and their mini max ultra c s.... and samsung mini was low class phone...
-HDMI? everyone was making MHL standard, SONY had it 2011 Arc S, and before.... so i used it with my BT Logitech M555b and BT keys... BRAVO Samsung for pointing that, 6 or 7 years after, that you can make galaxy S like a PC... LUMIA had it too 2013... MHL...

Sony first made InfoLithinum, - if phone says 5hours and 13mins for talk, it means that exactly. The rest was NiMH... and we all know battery problems..
They first used 4k displays etc... even apple claims "RETINA", but for rest, 4k does not have sense, but if we call it retina, it is ok...
Sony has bezel, who cares, it is taste and personal.. Sony makes "boring" rectangle, guess what.. S24 Ultra, well nice curves, almost like SONY...
Remember premium Z phones? They are ugly? Not for me.

Sony made 21:9 screen, so what? nothing, but be prepaired, Samsung will say 5 years later that 21:9 is better...

Apple now has iPad pro 5.1mm without camera... Well 9 years ago, Z4 Tab 6.1 mm.... and i still use this tablet today for Netflix, TV, Chess, i can run Asphalt 9 on it... 2560x1600 display res. 10"

Sony made first phone shooting movie 4k, which when overheated, stops shooting but saves video. App does not crash..
Z1 had 24Mpix cam... but the rest of the world said too much, and now 108 is not enough...
And NFC? Sony had it from the begining.. my friends with samsung did not know what was purpose... everyone use it today...

Dedicated camera button? don't like it? I like it. Sony has it..
Headphone jack? don't need one? I need one...
RADIO? it is stupid. But i need it too and use it EVERY single day...
Sony gives wordwide power adapter, headphones
Dual SIM with dual radio module+micro SD slot... so 3 cards at the same time! one of the first made it (do not want to mention chineese brands, they had it before, but often did not work)

I used to swim in jacuzzi hot tub and turkish bath with my xperia Z1 Compact... people were shocked.. it still works today!

Today is also popular PHONE lens as addon for camera.... SONY QX100? anyone?
Xperia Pro has additional Photo display... pros use it...

I had samsung s5 active, s7 active... they just went dead one day... battery drained... mb died.. every sony i used, is live today... i sometimes bring them instead of last one...

Well i can do it all day, just ask....
And you can say, well ok, it is all fact, but from HISTORY channel, today is 2024... etc... HTC is history.., Blackberry too.. Nokia, Motorola..., oh wait..

But, you know what, i am advanced Android user. i have Xperia 1 mark II now.. (same as s20 ultra)... and 150+ apps... there is NO WAY it will slow down, or have battery problem, or have any other issue... i use it today to test apps on it, every work day min 5 hours of testing... it is like new...

I use custom roms, i use some third party software.. other launchers... cam apps, maps...

At the end... Sony lost smartphone battle. So why are they doing this with phones. Reason is clear... They DO NOT make it a big deal...

TV leader, Photography leader, leader in movie production hardware and software, PlayStation, HiFi, headphones etc....

Smartphones are just, must have for them, they make it for colaboration, not for world wide use... PlayStation sector funds them, and they are ok with it. So they do not put money in marketing for phones anymore... they are less than 2% of market for smartphones, and they cannot compete with apple samsung and huawei...

Sony Xperia 1 Pro was for a few people and for photographers... they have Pro apps for cameras, and simple to use app for every day...

If you don't like them, don't buy... there is a plenty of pixels, S ultras, and apples... I just do not like to change phone every 6 months to 3 or 4 years.... and my sony lasts more, working as a first day...

But if you want to say: Sony sale falls fast , you are so wrong! They do NOT want to compete for the last decade.

And i believe, they will be around 1% for the next 10 years..

Why do they exist? Because everything else, they show they can make something better, and they can make camera sensor, everyone is using... watch for the next flagship.. it is first phone with modern cam sensor paired with REAL OPTICAL zoom and stabilisation. No fake software included. 6x zoom..

So there is your answer. I do not want to say anything bad... You have your article, but please, do some real research before writing articles like this...

Once i red, apple X has better CPU than latest Intel i7.... (and small text says: in one synthetic test), but for the rest 200 tests, it is slower 10 times... So dear friend... Money, marketshare, and popularity is not everything.... we can talk about cameras, than Hasselblad shows, and we must shut up...

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Because Sony doesn't care after they launch. When's the last time AC even posted something really cool about an already released Sony phone?

 

[Sirius_A]

Sony can still capture the market. They don't need to be different. All they need is a good auto-mode camera that can compete with Google and Samsung, realistic price (same to others or lower), no big gaps between announcing and selling (at most 2 weeks), at least 5 years of software update to compete with others, and a non-confusing naming scheme.

These can help them get good reviews and be viable alternative to Samsung. Trying too hard to be different is the source of their problems. No gimmicks like 4k screens (unless it doesn't affect battery life or pricing) or weird aspect ratios.

Sony have no idea how many people would want to buy their phones but can't because that would not be a rational decision considering what they offer compared to competitors. It's like they live in a utopia or stuck in 2015 when people were fascinated by manual cameras on smartphones

 

[Sirius_A]

It's articles like this and people like you that are the main reason they don't sell. You say the every day experience would be worse for you and that makes zero sense. The Xperia 1 has the most up to date flagship processor, flagship levels of RAM, 256GB of storage, 5G, and every other single spec that your flagship has. It then adds an uninterrupted 4k screen (no absurd hole or notch), a headphone jack, a micro SD card, front facing stereo speakers, and the ability to dive deep into photography if you want to. It has everything every other flagship phone has and adds all of these things which only add to the user experience and usability of the device.

You reviewers get all caught up in the camera apps and manual mode and act like the rest of this phone doesn't still have all the features the other flagships do. It's either dishonest writing, or your getting paid to dis any brand that isn't Samsung or Apple, or just plain incompetence. Don't worry, you're not special, all reviewers and tech influencers seem to do it whether in print or on YouTube. And it's things like this that hurt the market, stifles the ability to have competition, and robs consumers of the chance to experience something new.

That's not really true. It's mostly Sony's fault. It's like Sony doesn't care. Their flagships are significantly more expensive than alternatives. They're trying too hard to capture a niche market with that pricing because no normal buyer would spend that much on them when Samsung and iPhones that just work exist.

 

[rabruslik]

no normal buyer would spend that much on them when Samsung and iPhones that just work exist.

So you mean Sony phones "just don't work" or what? If you try to give a reason for people to buy Apple/Samsung over others plz don't use bullshit like "they just work", "retina xdr pro", "ultra" and etc. The true reason is simply laziness. Most people don't read specs and don't watch reviews (most ppl who watch them can't afford to buy). They see their friends' or family members' iPhones/Galaxy and want to have the same. That's it. The more iPhones and Galaxies around them - the more will buy them and won't even think about anything else. They feel like if they would buy something else they can be worse then rest of their relatives and friends. While buying same **** like they have they at least are sure they can't be worse then them. That's how it works. It's not even only Sony problem. Even giant like Google struggle against this inertia no matter how hard they try and how much marketing power they hold

 

[Sirius_A]

Most people don't read specs and don't watch reviews (most ppl who watch them can't afford to buy). They see their friends' or family members' iPhones/Galaxy and want to have the same. That's it.

That's too much generalization. Smartphone reviews have a significant impact on sales. Those who watch reviews don't have to buy, they just need to know. The effect is that, word of mouth spreads fast.

Not everyone is buying an iPhone, especially outside the US. If anyone in regions that are not dominated by iPhone plans to buy a high-end device, they will often ask opinions of those around them who they think know about tech.

I know this because I have advised several people to buy the S24 Ultra (successfully) after they asked "which phone other than the iPhone is best?" My experience is not representative of everyone, but I am pretty sure I am not the only one.

Yes, people don't want to watch reviews or read the specs. But we, who can do that, know which is the best value out there. I would not recommend a Sony to anyone and I don't think Sony's target market need anyone to recommend them what to buy. They will be looking that themselves....and that's a problem.

 

[veesonic]

Sony is the only company giving us SD card support, headphone jack, full screen (no notch/hole punch), and easy to root. Sadly they are expensive as hell, but I still want them to keep making phones.

 

[taynjack]

Back in 2018, when I finally gave up my Lumia, I really wanted to go with Sony. But every Sony device had a cheap out flaw or compromise (i.e. tiny battery, single camera in a sea of dual cameras, microUSB, etc.) yet Sony's cost more than the competition in every category. It's like they didn't do any market research of their competition. I eventually went OnePlus and never looked back.