Xperia smartphones are not going away anytime soon after Sony extends its deal with Qualcomm
Sony is not yet ready to give up producing its Xperia smartphone line even though the devices have trouble competing in the industry. Sony's phones have top-notch specs. For example, the recently unveiled Xperia 1V has a 4K 6.5-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. Pricing might be one issue as the phone, due to ship in the U.S., is priced at $1,399.99.
Former Sony CEO Kaz Hirai said back in 2018 that Sony remains in the smartphone industry so that it could continue to monitor the communications sector. In other words, the company doesn't put pressure on its smartphone division to outsell Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, and Oppo. There might be some truth to this even though the former executive no longer has the keys to Sony's executive restroom.
Sony and Qualcomm announced yesterday that they have extended their partnership. Under the terms of the deal, Qualcomm and Sony will "work together on the next generations of premium, high, and mid-tier smartphones."
Without giving away much detail the press release says that "both companies aim to push the boundaries of what's possible in mobile technology, delivering unparalleled user experiences and driving progress in the smartphone industry." And of course, the two firms will work to integrate future Snapdragon mobile platforms into upcoming Xperia smartphones. Qualcomm says that its Snapdragon chips will provide Xperia owners with "enhanced functionality, higher performance, and more immersive user experiences."
Coming to the U.S. next month, the $1,400 Xperia 1 V
O.H. Kwon, senior vice president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies and president of Qualcomm Asia-Pacific (APAC) said, "We’re thrilled to continue working with our longstanding partner Sony to deliver the next generation of premium mobile technologies to consumers. This collaboration is an exciting opportunity for us to deliver innovative user experiences to help meet the demands of consumers globally."
Tsutomu Hamaguchi, head of the mobile communications business unit at Sony Corporation, also had a comment. The beginning of his statement might be music to Xperia fans' ears. Hamaguchi said, "Xperia 1 V, which is Sony’s latest flagship smartphone powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, has been very well received by customers."
The Sony executive adds, "We look forward to continuing our work with Qualcomm Technologies to deliver premium and compelling experiences on future smartphones powered by Snapdragon processors. We are always listening to our customers in order to develop cutting-edge technology that meets and exceeds their expectations, and we trust that Qualcomm Technologies will help us continue to drive the industry forward."
With this deal signed, sealed, and delivered, we can expect Sony to continue to release Snapdragon-powered smartphones every year for the next few years even if they don't pose a challenge to Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Oppo.
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