Sony Japan has formally unveiled the Xperia Ace II (SO-41B) which will be released through carrier NTT docomo on 28 May 2021. Sony fans have longed for a new product in its Compact line-up, however this is a more budget-oriented device and will be a Japan exclusive, much like its predecessor.
The Xperia Ace 2 has a 5.5-inch HD+ (720 x 1496) 18:9 display and is powered by a Helio P35 chipset with 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage and microSD memory card support. Yes, the phone has a teardrop notch, but it doesn’t seem too intrusive. This is a 4G only phone and should have great battery life with a 4500mAh capacity. Sony says the battery should not deteriorate over three years. [read more…]
Sony has opened pre-orders in Europe for the Xperia 10 III (Mark 3). The Sony eStore in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain have all gone live with pre-orders, with the phone costing £399 in the UK and €429 across mainland Europe. As is a tradition, Sony has a pre-order promotion where it is bundling a free pair of Sony WH-CH710N noise cancelling headphones worth around £100.
We have put links below of all regions where pre-orders are live on the official Sony Store, but Sony has confirmed that other regions will also open pre-orders soon including all countries in Scandinavia. In Sweden it will cost SEK 4,490, in Finland it will cost €449, in Denmark it will cost DKK 3,500 and in Norway it will cost 4290 kroner. [read more…]
Sony launched the Xperia PRO – a HDMI equipped souped-up version of last year’s Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) – in the United States and Japan earlier in the year. The phone is aimed at creative professionals such as videographers and photographers, hence the price point of $2,499 in the US.
There was no indication that we would see the Xperia PRO launch in other territories, however Sony has now announced the smartphone will be launched in selected European countries. The Xperia PRO will exclusively be heading to the UK, Germany and the Nordic regions. [read more…]
by XB on 28th April 2021
in News
Sony’s mobile business has turned a corner, reporting its first profit in years. Sony’s FY2020 results were published earlier today, highlighting its financial performance for the 12 months to 31 March 2021. Sony’s Xperia smartphone division delivered operating income of 27.7 billion yen ($254 million) in that period.
The news took Sony by surprise too, saying that the performance “exceeded our initial expectations” on the results call earlier today. Sony has delivered this performance through cost cutting and by increasing the average selling price (ASP) of their phones, rather than by selling more phones. [read more…]
Sony’s new 2021 mid-range champion was announced earlier today in the form of the Xperia 10 III (Mark 3). The Mark 2 was a good all-rounder and Sony has built on that by adding a faster chipset, 5G connectivity, a bigger battery (+25% over last year’s model) and camera improvements.
The Xperia 10 III will be armed with the QualComm Snapdragon 690 5G chipset, 6GB RAM and 128GB of UFS internal storage. This compares to the Xperia 10 II (Mark 2) that had a Snapdragon 665 chipset, 4GB RAM and eMMS storage. The Mark 3 will once again support external microSD memory cards. [read more…]
Sony changed the cadence of the launch for its Xperia 5 series. Normally the ‘compact’ flagship phone was announced in H2 with a late September/early October launch. However, Sony has today announced the Xperia 5 III (Mark 3) bringing its launch in line with its larger flagship sibling – the Xperia 1 III – as well as the mid-range Xperia 10 III.
Given the shorter-time frame between models it is perhaps unsurprising to see that there aren’t huge differences between the Xperia 5 II (Mark 2) and Xperia 5 III (Mark 3). The design is very similar with marginal differences to dimensions (157 x 68 x 8.2 mm vs. 158 x 68 x 8.0 mm for the Xperia 5 II) and weight (169 grams vs. 163 grams for the Xperia 5 II) – this change has allowed for a bigger battery versus the older model. [read more…]
Sony has today unveiled its latest flagship, the Xperia 1 III (Mark 3). Sony has kept the design largely intact from the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) but brings a number of improvements across the camera, display, audio and battery life.
One of the big new camera features in the Xperia 1 III is the introduction of a variable telephoto lens in its triple camera setup. The optical telephoto module (with Dual PDAF sensors) has two focal lengths (70mm and 105mm) using a folded periscope lens design which allows users to capture moving objects with fast AF (autofocus) at a distance. Sony also uses what it calls a new AI super resolution zoom, adding detail and definition to images without comprising the precision of photos. [read more…]
Sony will announce a new range of Xperia devices on 14 April 2021 i.e. next week. To keep us tided over until then, Sony has just released a ‘prelude trailer’ to build the hype for the event. The video doesn’t give too much away but highlights the breadth of technology within Sony from its Alpha cameras to the PlayStation 5. Check out the video below. [read more…]
by XB on 1st April 2021
in News
Sony has finally unveiled when we will hear about its new range of Xperia smartphones for 2021. Mark your diaries, as the reveal will take place on 14 April at 8.30am BST/9.30am CEST/1.30pm EST/4.30pm JST. There will be a livestream on the Sony Xperia YouTube channel at that time.
In a normal year, Sony would use MWC in late February/early March to announce its new phones. However, MWC is not taking place until late June this year due to the pandemic, so Sony is holding its own event like so many other manufacturers at the moment. [read more…]
LG is reportedly considering abandoning the mobile market, following steep losses over a number of years and the lack of mindshare in the smartphone space. Sony hasn’t fared much better when it comes to selling smartphones – it has exited a number of regions, and does very little marketing to promote its wares – but, it has done a good job of cutting costs in order to target profitability.
LG has carried a similar ethos to Sony in that it has tried to offer good all-round smartphones, with decent cameras, battery life and performance. LG phones, particularly their V series, were some of the best phones for audiophiles with class-leading DACs. LG was also one of the few manufacturers to keep the 3.5mm headphone jacks in place, even in flagship devices. Remember, LG was also one of the first to make wide-angle cameras popular. [read more…]
by XB on 3rd February 2021
in News
Sony released its results for its Q3 FY2020 fiscal period, which represents the three months to the end of December 2020. After a small respite in Q2 FY20, which saw Xperia smartphone shipments stabilse, the company once again experienced a reduction in units sold in the latest quarter. Sony shipped 1.0 million Xperia smartphones during the quarter, representing a fall of 23% over the same period in the prior year.
While it is concerning that the company’s unit sales continues on a downward trend, it is encouraging that despite this, the company’s financials are actually doing okay. While volumes were down nearly a quarter, revenues were almost level with last year at 111.1 billion yen (Q3 FY19: 113.5 billion yen), down by only 2 percent. [read more…]
