by XB on 15th January 2020
in News
Time to mark your diaries, Sony has confirmed that its 2020 MWC press conference will be taking place at 8.30am (CET) on 24 February. A livestream will also be available on the Sony Xperia YouTube channel.
Sony has always used MWC to announce new Xperia smarpthones, and this year will be no different. We have already seen one leak of a very sleek Xperia, dubbed a successor to the ‘Xperia 5 Plus’ by some, with flagship features and more importantly, the return of the headphone jack. Other devices are also likely to be announced. We’ll keep you posted with any developments over the next few weeks. [read more…]
The first leak for a 2020 Xperia device has arrived. The pictures you see below show the first CAD renders of the device, coming from Steve Hemmerstoffer of @OnLeaks fame – a reliable source of new smartphone renders for a number of years now. The pictures show a design that continues on from Sony’s 2019 devices, with the long-and-thin 21:9 displays making a return.
It looks like Sony will continue with this design language in 2020, and from evidence of these renders, it certainly looks very attractive. The design shows a refinement of last year’s devices, with even less bezel and a boxy look that will please Xperia fans. [read more…]
by XB on 6th January 2020
in News
Sony has been slowly folding a lot of its mobile division and properties into the wider Sony business. The same fate is now befalling the Sony Mobile Talk forum, which has been an invaluable support forum for Xperia owners for a number of years. A notice on the forum says that the “forum will be closed down early 2020 and moved to other Sony Electronics Community Forums worldwide.”
The header page includes links to generic Sony support forums for different regions including US, Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe. While the Sony Mobile Talk forums will remain open for comments for the time being, no comments generated from today will be transferred over to the new forums. [read more…]
Sony has a nice surprise for Xperia XZ2 family and XZ3 owners so early in the New Year. Android 10 is now rolling for the Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Compact, XZ2 Premium and XZ3 through build number 52.1.A.0.532 (from 52.0.A.11.32). This update also brings the 1 December 2019 Android security patch (from 1 November 2019 previously).
The update brings a number of native Android 10 features, including system-wide Dark mode and Digital Wellbeing and Parental controls. Hats off to Sony, it’s great to see such a quick update to Android 10 for these handsets. Sony said it would come in “early 2020” which could have meant any time in the first couple of months. [read more…]
For owners of the Xperia XZ1, XZ1 Compact and XZ Premium handsets, it looks like support has officially ended with no future updates planned (including security updates). All three models use the same software track, and the last update that they all received was build number 47.2.A.11.228, adding the 1 September 2019 Android security patch.
There have been no updates since and Sony’s official ‘Software security’ page does not list these devices under those that are receiving periodic security updates. Assuming the company hasn’t just made a mistake, it is looking increasingly likely that support for these models are now over. [read more…]
by XB on 2nd January 2020
in News
CES 2020 is at our doorstep. The tradeshow based in Las Vegas is the traditional time where all of the major electronics manufacturers reveal all of their latest wares. It is here that you will get an advanced look at all of the latest consumer technology such as TVs, laptops, audio equipment and other gadgets.
New smartphones are also sometimes revealed at CES, despite most manufacturers more commonly waiting for the MWC tradeshow, which normally takes place at the end of February. [read more…]
Sony has made some fine smartphones over the last ten years. Arguably, Sony Ericsson/Sony Mobile has been one of the most underrated smartphone manufacturers, with many phones not finding an audience through a lack of awareness/marketing spend. The list below includes what we feel are the most important Xperia phones of the decade.
Curating the list was much tougher than we thought, with a number of phones falling just short of making it, including the Xperia S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia ion, Xperia ray, Xperia T/V, Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z3+. You’ll notice that we haven’t included any phones from the last couple of years, as in our view a departure of the older design philosophy and a constant trimming of features (removal of headphone jack, losing tap-to-wake, lanyard points, retiring apps etc) lead to the company losing its identity with its most fervent fans. [read more…]
As 2019 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on Sony’s smartphone journey over the past year. It’s been an interesting one for Sony, yes we all know that Xperia shipments continue to decline, quite significantly in fact – driven partly by the company pulling out of many regions, and apathy by the consumer.
Sony spends very little on marketing compared to the giants of the smartphone world, so it can’t expect to drive the same share. At the same time, while Sony continues to create solid all-round phones, it does not push the envelope in features that matter little to the consumer (4K display is a prime example here). [read more…]
by XB on 25th December 2019
in News
We just wanted to take this quick opportunity to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you enjoy it with those closest to you, and use it to unwind and get plenty of rest. You may even be lucky enough to find a Sony Xperia under the tree!
While it is clear to see that interest in Sony Xperia products continues to decline, we appreciate those of you that are still sticking around, the hardcore faithful. It will be interesting to see where Sony takes its smartphone venture into the next decade, let’s hope it has concrete plans to reverse the decline. In the meantime, we hope you have a great end to 2019, and onwards and upwards for 2020. [read more…]
Sony Xperia fans have been spared the monstrosity of displays with notches over the last couple of years. Sony thankfully rejected the use of a notch in their displays, favouring taller 21:9 displays with thinner bezels in recent handsets. A number of smartphone manufacturers have used notches over recent years, including the latest iPhone models, so we’re glad Sony didn’t follow the trend.
However, some manufacturers like Samsung took a different approach, using a hole-punch for the front-facing camera. Now there are rumours that Sony might be looking to follow suit. A patent that was published on 19 December 2019 from Sony Corporation, shows some new renders pointing to a very slim top bezel. So small in fact that it could be seen that there is no room for a front facing camera in the bezel itself. [read more…]
The Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 flagships have a nice surprise, with Android 10 rolling out to both models today. The new update arrives through build number 55.1.A.0.748, but strangely only comes with the November 2019 Android security patches, rather than December 2019. It’s perhaps a minor niggle, and one that owners of both devices won’t worry about given the updates have arrived in early December, rather than weeks later.
If you have updated let us know your impressions of Android 10 in the comments below, including any screenshots, such as how Sony has implemented dark mode. [read more…]
