It's no secret that Sony phones don't sell very well anymore: The company said it sold just one million phones in the financial quarter ending December 31, 2020, down 22% from a year earlier. While sales figures for the full year are not yet known, it paints a sour picture of phone sales for the Japanese tech company that reportedly sold 100 million phones in 2007. So why the People don't buy Sony phones anymore? The growing abundance of phone brands isn't helping, with a host of Chinese companies gaining more and more market share, but another big issue is price. In our reviews of the Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5, the brand's high-end and mid-range entries for 2019 respectively, we called out the high costs of each phone; For our Xperia 1 II and Xperia 5 II reviews, we went so far as to list high prices on reviewers' 'cons' list, which meant high price was a major issue for smartphones. While Sony phones can be great, with powerful processors and attractive displays, smartphone fans are always looking for value for money, which you don't necessarily get if you spend big bucks on a device. That's something Samsung has achieved, and it's something Sony needs to figure out for its upcoming Xperia 1 III as well.
Samsung Galaxy S21 sales are at
Samsung Galaxy S21 (Image credit: TechRadar) When you compare the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 on paper, you realize that the company's latest flagship for 2021 doesn't offer many upgrades over its 2020 predecessor. The big change for the new device was a lower asking price, and that seems to have made all the difference. Speaking to the Korea Herald, Samsung reports that its Galaxy S21 sales are up 30% year-over-year in South Korea; the company was specifically talking about sales in the first two weeks of the phone, which suggests there was a lot more initial enthusiasm. . for newer and more affordable devices. Furthermore, a statement from Samsung UK confirms that sales of the S21 have also surpassed those of the 10 Samsung Galaxy S2019, at least in the UK. More than half of the pre-orders for the series were for the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it's also cheaper than its predecessor. So does Samsung's new, more affordable smartphone sell better than its predecessors, even if it doesn't make many changes? Therefore, it seems difficult to deny that the lower price is directly responsible for these improved sales.
What can Sony learn
Sony Xperia 1 II (Image credit: TechRadar) Samsung's success in selling cheap smartphones should send a message to all phone makers, but especially Sony, which currently seems to be struggling with phone sales. Hypothetically, if Sony's goal for the Xperia 1 III wasn't to create movie and gaming viewing powerhouse, as it seems the brand is focused on earlier Xperia devices, but to make a phone similar to the Xperia 1 II but at a lower price. cost, could attract customers. There may be reasons the company has avoided such a decision in the past: Sony's products in many categories tend to be expensive, with its Alpha A1 camera, PlayStation 5 game console, and WH headphones. -1000XM4 are all that cost more. However, there is no point in the company resolutely offering premium products if no one wants to buy them, no matter how good the resulting phone is. Many older smartphone brands are giving up the ghost: reports suggest LG will stop making smartphones, HTC pumps out about one phone a year, Blackberry is so long gone it's poised for a nostalgic revival, and even Nokia, though still turns off devices (albeit via HMD Global), it's gotten pretty timid. Sony needs to make some changes to make sure it doesn't go down the same path as its contemporaries, and while releasing more affordable smartphones wouldn't save it entirely, that would be a good first step.