Sony's Xperia smartphone business is once again rumored to be preparing to withdraw from the Chinese market. Multiple official sources indicate that Sony appears to be quietly ending its mobile phone operations in China.
Official channels are being shut down one after another, including the cancellation of the official WeChat service account and the removal of categories from the official website.
According to reports from Chinese users, Sony's official WeChat service account, "Sony Xperia," has recently changed its status."Self-cancellation and cessation of use"On the other hand, Sony's official Chinese website (sony.com.cnThe original "Mobile Phones" category has been removed from the product list in the navigation bar.
In August of this year, when the Xperia independent domain name in China was discontinued due to "business adjustments," the official website had specifically reserved it for displaying historical products.www.sony.com.cn/XperiaThe page is currently inaccessible, and links to it will only result in a "404" error.
The rumors were denied in 2024, but this time it may become a done deal.
In March 2024, rumors circulated that Xperia's mobile phone business would withdraw from the Chinese market. However, Sony quickly clarified the situation and emphasized that its various businesses, including mobile phones, were still "operating steadily."
However, the numerous changes reported through official channels suggest that the rumor of Xperia's withdrawal from the Chinese mobile phone market may no longer be just a "rumor," and that the Xperia 5 V, launched in 2023, may become the last Xperia-branded phone sold in China.
Sony has not yet responded to this unusual action.
Intense competition among Chinese mobile phone brands has led to setbacks for brands like Xperia.
Due to fierce competition from Chinese mobile phone brands such as OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi, even Samsung, which has a significant global market share, has struggled to gain a substantial market share. Similarly, Sony, which has adopted a relatively conservative mobile phone design strategy in recent years, has found it difficult to leverage its brand influence to drive Xperia phone sales in the Chinese market.
As for a formal withdrawal from the Chinese market, Sony will continue to launch Xperia-branded phones, but its market strategy will focus more on Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. However, considering the overall trend, it's hard to say whether Sony will continue to maintain the Xperia brand in the mobile phone market. It might be sold like the VAIO brand, or even licensed to other manufacturers like Nokia.
