Sony Unveils New Smartphone: Xperia Z1

By: Zain Nabi  |   September 6th, 2013   |   News

Sony Corporation has unveiled its new smartphone, becoming the third in the line of smartphone makers after Samsung and Apple. Sony’s Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai in Berlin conducted a news conference in which he introduced the new Sony Xperia Z1. The new Sony Xperia Z1 will be available in September in the emerging markets of the US.

 

“The Xperia Z1 embodies everything Sony has to offer,” said Hirai, who is under pressure from U.S. hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to split up the company to revive its electronics business. The Sony Xperia Z1 is a waterproof mobile with 20.7 MP and 5-inch large display. The price of the phone is still not decided nor does the company say which mobile phone carrier will offer the phone.

 

Hirai in 2012 identified three major priorities that according to him acted as a core of a rebound in consumer electronics. These three priorities were mobile products, gaming and digital imaging. This he identified over a decade of decline for the pioneer of personal music players and compact discs. The company suffered a record loss of $5.74 billion in the fiscal year 2011/12.

 

According to the latest research by the research firm Gartner, Sony is not in the list of first five smartphone makers in the second quarter of 2013. Sony is at the ninth position in the mobile handset maker with a 2.2 % market share, which was 1.7% in the last year.

 

The problems of both Sony and Nokia are same, but Nokia is still the second largest mobile phone company worldwide, as it struggles to sell the smartphones with high-margin. Samsung on last Wednesday unveiled its new smart watch and also the latest version of its Galaxy Note phone-cum-tab, while Apple is in line and has already sent an official invitation of September 10 event in which it is expected that they will unveil the new model of iPhone.

 

Sony has forecast that the sale of its smartphone will rise more than 42 million until next March. Sony also will introduce two smartphone lenses of 18.2 MP and 20.2 MP which the owners of other smartphones can use via an adapter.