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Sony plans to keep making smartphones for at least a few more years
Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms will continue to power Sony smartphones as part of a multi-year agreement.
Sony’s new Xperia 1 III smartphone is a love letter to photography nerds
Last year’s Xperia 1 II might have been a mobile photographer’s dream come true, but it was far from perfect — it didn’t have 5G in the US, its design could feel awkward, and it focused on the camera experience over just about everything else. But in designing the new Xperia 1 III, Sony seems to have addressed, well, just about everything we didn’t like about the last one.
Sony will unveil a new Xperia device on April 14th
Sony is launching a new Xperia product on April 14th at 4:30PM Japan time or 3:30AM Eastern time in the US.
Sony built a $2,500 smartphone for creators and broadcasters
If that price tag didn't make it immediately obvious, the Xperia Pro isn't for you or me. Sony's concept is a tantalizing one, especially now that broadcasters are experimenting with more mobile camera setups.
Sony may resurrect the Xperia Compact line for small phone fans
Sony is reportedly bringing back the Xperia Compact to take on small phones like the iPhone 12 mini.
Sony's Xperia 5 II features a 120Hz display and real-time eye-autofocus
The Xperia 5 II takes plenty of what we loved in the Xperia 1 II and shrinks it down.
Sony Xperia 1 ii review: Sony’s best phone in years
It's reliable, though it’s the camera I use the least. The Xperia 1 ii (pronounced "One mark two," in a nod to its A-series cameras) is Sony's best phone in years because of its very specific obsessions. First, all of Sony’s clever camera work only applies to the Xperia 1 ii’s three rear sensors.
How well did the Xperia 1’s super tall screen work for users?
When our reviewer Chris Velazco took a look at Sony's oddly proportioned flagship last summer, his reaction was mixed, to say the least. It looked weird, but was comfortable to hold. The 4K screen was beautiful, but unnecessary on a smartphone, especially one with such a small battery. Ultimately, Chris declared the phone impractical for everyday use.
Watch Sony's Xperia event in 7 minutes
MWC might be canceled this year, but that's not stopping the big brands from dropping new products. Sony unveiled three new phones this morning, with its next flagship device -- the Sony Xperia 1 II -- stealing the show. Building on last year's phone, the new launch adds 5G and a 21:9 aspect ratio display, and it sees the welcome return of the 3.5mm headphone jack. It also comes with a number of camera firsts, and according to Sony, is the first smartphone to come with built-in 360 Reality Audio decoding.
Sony withdraws from MWC and will launch phones on YouTube instead
Sony has become the latest tech company to withdraw from Mobile World Conference (MWC) 2020 in Barcelona over fears of the novel coronavirus contagion, the company said in a press release. The news is a big blow to the event, because Sony is usually one of the larger participants and could unveil an important new phone, possibly the Xperia 5 plus.
Leaks of Sony's Xperia 5 Plus show bigger screen, better camera
Sony's Xperia 5 was a welcome refresh, but its 6.1-inch size made it a tough sell if you wanted a large phone. Relief may be on the horizon, though, and you'll apparently get considerably more than just a bigger screen. OnLeaks and SlashLeaks have posted renders and specs for an Xperia 5 Plus that would improve the specs all around. You could expect a 6.6-inch OLED screen (thankfully flat), and the triple rear cameras would be joined by a time-of-flight sensor for portrait mode photos.
Tell us how Sony’s novel Xperia 1 phone works for you
Senior editor Chris Velazco's first experience with the Sony Xperia 1 was a mixed bag -- while the handset featured a gorgeous 4K HDR OLED screen and a speedy Snapdragon 855 chipset, its 3,300mAh battery was underwhelming and the speakers didn't do justice to the viewing experience. While the 6.5-inch panel and 21:9 aspect ratio made for easy split-screen multitasking, the inclusion of a vibration motor was distracting and the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack was (as usual) disappointing. In the end, Chris gave the adventurous device a decent, but not outstanding, score of 76.
Sony's Xperia 5 isn't the triumphant return of the compact flagship
Sony's Xperia phones have increasingly slid into the shadows, as Samsung, Apple and Chinese challengers carve up the smartphone market. Last year, the Xperia 1 got weird. With a 21:9 ratio OLED screen, Sony was going hard on the cinematic appeal and it resulted in a phone that was best described as long, worst described as really unwieldy. The Xperia 5 resurrects the notion of a smaller Sony flagship phone and I think it makes its latest phone design work a little better.
Sony's Xperia 5 is another long OLED smartphone
And we thought Sony was staying quiet. It did have a phone to launch at IFA, but it wasn't the Xperia 2. The company skipped a few and landed on the Xperia 5. It'll come with a long 6.1-inch 21:9 ratio, HDR-compatible OLED display, with Dolby Atmos sound built-in. It'll come in four colors: black, white, blue and red. While it's still rather long, Sony says its "slim, 68mm wide design" keeps it easy-to-use and that it's 14 grams lighter than Xperia 1. We plan to test those easy-to-use claims for ourselves very soon.
Sony Xperia 1 review: Powerful, but not sensible
I don't love admitting this, but it can be hard to take Sony's phones seriously sometimes. That's not because of a lack of effort on its part — it's more that the phones they do release often seem gleefully out of step with the mobile mainstream. Need further proof? Just look at the Xperia 1. This is the first high-powered flagship Sony has released in some time, and it's nothing if not unusual. Super-tall, super-high-res screen? Check. A vibration motor that plays along with your music? Uh-huh. A surprisingly small battery? Sadly, yes. There's little question that the Xperia 1 is the kind of device only Sony would make, and that no other smartphone maker out there is working with the same set of priorities. Occasionally, that means the Xperia 1 feels refreshing. The rest of the time, though, it's enough to make you wish Sony had just made a few decisions differently.
PlayStation 4 sales finally slow down (updated)
Sony is warning that it expects to make even less profit in the next year, as PlayStation 4 sales slow down and it invests in its replacement. In the last year, 17.8 million consoles were sold, less than the 19 million sold in 2017. The PS4 is approaching a major milestone — there are currently 96.8 million consoles out there, buoyed by 36.4 million PlayStation Plus subscribers, adding crucial monthly revenues to Sony's accounts.
Sony Xperia 10 and 10 Plus hands-on: Tall screens, modest specs
Sony's smartphones have grown increasingly niche over the past two years -- but that's not a bad thing. The company honed its efforts on cameras and displays, pushing out intriguing handsets that are aimed squarely at the multimedia enthusiast. In 2019, the company's new group CEO Kenichiro Yoshida will have replaced Kaz Hirai for about a year, and big changes are coming. For one, the Xperia phones are getting new names -- say goodbye to the XZ, XA and XYZ (that last one's a joke). Instead, the Xperia 1 is your new Sony flagship and the Xperia 10 and 10 Plus are its latest midrange handsets. We got to see the Xperia 1 very briefly and went hands-on with the 10 and 10 Plus.
PlayStation keeps making money, Sony phones keep losing it
The most interesting part of cracking open a fresh financial report from Sony is seeing whether the momentum behind the PlayStation 4 shows any signs of slowing down. Sony kinda spoilt that for us just after the new year, though, announcing that the PS4 was closing in on the 100 million milestone with 91.6 million consoles sold as of December 31st. The holiday season was appropriately busy for the PlayStation division. From October through December, aka the third quarter of Sony's fiscal year, 8.1 million PS4s found loving homes, compared with 9 million the previous year. Not bad considering the slowdown in sales that's a natural part of a console's lifecycle has been prophesied for some time now.
PlayStation 4 sales are actually speeding up
Sony's nothing if not consistent. The company's latest financial results released today show everything's as it should be six months after new CEO Kenichiro Yoshida took the helm. Sony recorded nearly $19.6 billion in revenue for the three months ending September 30th, of which almost $2.2 billion was cold, hard profit. Those numbers are slightly better than last year's and last quarter's, meaning Sony's books aren't just stable, they're healthy. Predictably, the PlayStation division was responsible for the most revenue, pulling in more than double any other department barring financial services. Just as unsurprising is that mobile remains the only loss-making part of Sony's business.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 vs. the XZ2: What's changed?
If it feels like it hasn't been that long since Sony's last flagship phone, you're not wrong. It was only a hair over six months ago that we met the Xperia XZ2 at this year's Mobile World Congress. We liked it well enough, though the XZ2 still fell a bit shy of the competition in our review two months later. Today we're looking at the new Xperia XZ3 and if you're thinking that there hasn't been enough time for major changes, you'd be somewhat right: This new handset still boasts a Snapdragon 845 processor and a 19-megapixel rear camera. But the screen did get bigger, and there are a few more notable upgrades if you dig in, including a better resolution and a larger battery. Check out the chart below for the full rundown versus the XZ2, and stay tuned for our review later this fall.
