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It was a little less than 15 years ago that the first Xperia smartphones hit the market, first under the aegis of Sony Ericsson, then from Sony Mobile. If the first terminals were powered by Windows Mobile, it was the sacrosanct Android which was quickly acclaimed by Sony, with particularly impressive Xperia smartphones, in terms of screen, photo , performance… Some people remember the brand's excellent Xperia Compact in particular. However, over the years, Sony has lost its splendor, the fault of ever fiercer competition (and somewhat prohibitive prices too).
Google Pixels set to kill the Sony Xperia range in Japan
At the end of last year, we tested the Xperia 1V on Lemon Squeezer, a high-end smartphone, sailing against the tide, but we have to admit that for several years now, the from Sony doesn't interest many people anymore.
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If the mobile market is largely cannibalized by the giants Apple and Samsung, certain manufacturers have managed to carve out a place for themselves, through an offer that is both qualitative and (above all) affordable. For several years now, Google has also become a major player in the market, with its excellent Pixel smartphones.
An international success for Google, whose Pixels also appeal to the Japanese public… even if it means making Sony falter. Indeed, according to Bloomberg, Sony is experiencing serious difficulties in its native lands, in competition with the American giant. Over the past few years, Google Pixels have grown considerably in popularity in Japan, becoming, last July, one of Google's largest markets, with growth of more than 500%.< /p>
© Bloomberg
At the same time, still in 2023, Sony saw sales of its Xperias fall by around 40%… and this decline should continue in 2024. While the Japanese group managed to maintain a (slight) constant increase since 2020 on land, with a little more than 2 million smartphones sold each year, Sony had to be content with 1.5 million sales in 2023.
This should not, however, spell the end of the Xperia (yet). Sony has indeed concluded a new “multi-year” with Qualcomm, but the Japanese group is also preparing to lift the veil on a brand new smartphone on May 15.
It now remains to be seen whether Sony will manage to turn things around, or whether the ship will continue to sink over the coming months…
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