Is Sony preparing to unveil a Windows Phone?

By David Nield January 12, 2014

sony preparing unveil windows phone win — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re a fan of Sony, or Windows Phone, or indeed both, then you’ll be interested in the news that the consumer electronics giant is considering launching a device with Microsoft’s mobile OS on board. Pierre Perron, head of Sony Mobile Europe, has said that discussions are ongoing with Microsoft in regards to getting a Sony-branded handset out into the wild.

“We are continuing our discussions with other partners, including Microsoft, as part of our partnership with this company on the broader Sony spectrum,” Perron told TechRadar. “One thing is using the platform [Windows Phone] itself, and another is ‘what can we deliver on top of it’?”

Sony and Windows Phone do have history — the 2008 Xperia X1 handset ran Windows Mobile, but since then Sony has focused exclusively on Android for its mobile phones. A major Windows Phone 8.1 update is expected to be announced in April, and while a Sony device could arrive as part of the launch, no specific timeframe has been given.

“We don’t want to be a single OS manufacturer, I don’t think it’s a viable position in the long term,” said Perron. “We enjoy very much a good collaboration with Google, we’ve been working with them for a long time and have a level of maturity with that discussion, that’s good. But at the same time, Google has a relationship with direct competitors.”

It’s not the first time the rumor mill has linked Sony with Windows Phone, and it’s not quite a full confirmation that a device is on the way. Nevertheless it makes sense for Microsoft to try and expand beyond the Nokia-based beachhead that it’s established, as it takes on the might of Android and iOS.

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Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

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