Sony No Longer Produces Flagship Smartphones
Sony will no longer independently produce smartphones of the Xperia line. The “smartphones” section has disappeared from the official websites of Sony factories in Thailand and China, which indicates that their production at their own facilities has ceased.
Despite this, the Xperia brand will continue to exist. The new flagship Xperia 1 VII, presented this month, is already being manufactured by a third-party manufacturer, and not at Sony’s facilities, which means the company has completely switched to outsourcing. Sony previously outsourced only mid-budget models, but now even top-end devices will be manufactured by external contractors. It is noted that this is a logical step, which theoretically can reduce the cost of smartphones.
Experts note that abandoning its own production will help Sony cut costs and focus on development rather than production of devices. However, in the conditions of tough competition in the smartphone market, this may not be enough to increase sales.
It is not yet known who exactly has become the new production partner. Sony has not officially commented on these changes, but the removal of the smartphone section from the company’s production sites may symbolize the end of an entire era of in-house Xperia production.
