BackSony strengthens smartphone line-up with Xperia Z2, adds tablet
Move comes weeks after Sony cut its sales forecast for Xperia smartphones to 40 million units
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Barcelona: Sony Corp., seeking to counter a slowdown in its smartphone business, introduced a top-end Xperia phone and a cheaper model to take share in a market that has become increasingly crowded.
The Xperia Z2 combines 4K high-definition video recording, inbuilt noise reduction and a 5.2-inch (13.2 centimeters) display and will start shipping next month, Kunimasa Suzuki, head of Sony Mobile Communications, said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday. Sony also updated its Xperia tablet and showed the Xperia M2 with lower specifications.
The move comes weeks after Sony cut its sales forecast for Xperia smartphones to 40 million units from an earlier projection of 42 million units. The new phones draw on technology across Sony, including its TV and audio businesses, chief executive officer Kazuo Hirai said at the event.
It is crucial for Sony to be successful in mobile, and it needs to continue to prioritize this over its other businesses, Nick Dillon, an analyst at Ovum, said in a note. Xperia Z2 and Tablet Z2 are modest updates to Sony’s flagship smartphone and tablet devices, but their importance in helping to re-establish Sony’s brand and design credentials should not be discounted.
The new tablet will go on sale in March, while the M2 will follow in April. Sony didn’t disclose prices for the devices.
Vaio Sale
Hirai this month forecast a $1.1 billion annual loss for the year ending 31 March and announced the company will overhaul its structure.
The plan includes selling the Vaio computer business to buyout firm Japan Industrial Partners Inc. and splitting its TV manufacturing unit into a separate operating entity. Hirai also hasn’t ruled out a divestiture of the TV division in the future.
Sony, which introduced the SmartWatch wearable computer in 2012, also announced the Smartband wristband on Monday, one of a slew of announcements of wearable product by companies such as HTC Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co.
“We’re confident that over the course of the year Kuni and his team will drive the mobile technology to new heights," Hirai said on Monday. “He will do so with the support of the entire worldwide Sony group." Bloomberg
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