Skip to main content

Sorry USA and China! Sony Mobile is focusing on Europe and Japan

Sony Xperia Z review front home
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re frustrated at the lack of Sony smartphones offered for sale by your mobile network, the situation is unlikely to change any time soon. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has said the company won’t be altering its U.S. strategy in the near future. Instead, it will concentrate on promoting its smartphones in Europe and Japan, leaving the U.S. and China out in the cold.

In a report published by Reuters, Hirai said that Europe and Japan are, “The most important areas for us and we’ll put substantial resources there. But not yet for the U.S and China.” He continued: “It’s not realistic to try and do everything at once. In the U.S. we’ll start gradually.”

One could argue it has already had a very gradual start, as T-Mobile is the only network to offer Sony hardware with a contract, and even then it’s only the Xperia Z, and not one of Sony’s newer phones such as the Xperia Z1. Sony’s phones are available to buy unlocked without a contract, but this method of purchasing new smartphones isn’t as popular as buying through a wireless carrier.

While China and the U.S. are two huge markets, Sony does better business in Europe and Japan, which together make up 60 percent of its sales. The aforementioned Xperia Z was a watershed device for the firm, and in several European markets, it sold out within hours of release, and its success saw the company rise to become the third most popular manufacturer in Germany, Poland, and Austria by the end of 2012. In the UK, 38 percent of new Sony smartphone owners formerly owned a Samsung device. In Japan, Sony sold 640,000 Xperia A smartphones in the first 30 days, and 140,000 Xperia Z phones in just one week on a single carrier.

Sony has lofty ambitions for the smartphone market, publicly stating it wants to be one of the top three handset manufacturers in the world. It makes sense to build on an obviously strong start in Europe and Japan, and then tackle the markets controlled by some very big players – Lenovo and Samsung control 30 percent of the Chinese market, while Apple and Samsung have 65 percent of the U.S. market – later on.

It just means any hopes of the Xperia Z1F coming to a carrier near you have just been crushed.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Don’t buy this new Motorola phone — get this other one instead
Renders of the Moto G 5G (2024) and Moto G Power 5G (2024).

the Moto G 5G (left) and Moto G Power 5G Digital Trends

Budget phones can slip under the radar when shiny, powerful flagships launch. But if you're in the market for a smartphone that gets the job done and won't blow a four-figure hole in your bank balance, then a great budget smartphone is the way to go.

Read more
Get 32% off the cellular model of the iPad Pro 12.9 this weekend
The iPad Pro on a desk next to a stylus and AirPods.

If you've been thinking about getting the iPad Pro with cellular connectivity but you've been hoping to buy the tablet from iPad deals for a discount, this may be what you've been waiting for -- a 32% discount from Amazon's Woot on the 12.9-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular model of the 2021 Apple iPad Pro with 128GB of storage. From $1,199, it's down to just $810, which is a steal price for this device with savings of $389. However, while there are still several days left on this offer, it's highly recommended that you proceed with the purchase immediately because there's a chance that stocks don't last that long.

Why you should buy the 2021 Apple iPad Pro 12.9
It's not the latest version of Apple's top-of-the-line tablet -- the honor goes to the 2022 Apple iPad Pro -- but the 2021 Apple iPad Pro is still a pretty powerful device by today's standards. That's because it's equipped with Apple's M1 chip, which promises fantastic speed and excellent graphics when you're working on your multimedia projects, multitasking between several apps, or playing console-level games. With its 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR touchscreen, you'll enjoy high-brightness and high-contrast content, and its mini-LED display provides deeper black levels and more vibrant colors.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy A55 vs. A54: all the big changes, explained
Renders of the Samsung Galaxy A55 next to the Galaxy A54.

Galaxy A55 (left) and Galaxy A54 Digital Trends

Samsung has been on a roll with new phone releases in 2024. At the end of January, Samsung released the flagship Galaxy S24 lineup. It's fantastic, but not everyone can afford the latest and greatest flagship. Thankfully, Samsung also makes budget-friendly alternatives, and that’s the appeal of the new Galaxy A55.

Read more