Regarding the new flagship phone Xperia 2019 unveiled at IFA 5, the author once again asked Sony Mobile Senior Product Planning Manager Hirosuke Sometani questions about the new phone's product positioning and naming, as well as DxOMark's recent low rating for the Xperia 1's camera performance.
Why is it named Xperia 5?
According to Hirosuke Sometani, Sony Mobile has adopted a new naming system for its mobile phone products starting this year. The Xperia 1, which focuses on top-tier users, uses the number "1" to represent its product positioning, while the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus, which use the number "10", are designed to meet the needs of the general public.
Therefore, the size is more suitable for holding in one hand, and the Xperia 5 is targeted at users between the general public and the top of the pyramid. It is natural to use the number "5" in its name.
Someya Hirosuke acknowledges the view that the Xperia 5's product positioning mirrors that of Sony Mobile's previous Compact series models. However, from Sony Mobile's internal positioning and promotional perspective, the term "Compact" will not be used specifically. Instead, the Xperia 5 will be considered an independent flagship phone, rather than a "smaller version of a specific flagship model." For example, in the past, the launch of Compact series models would inevitably follow the flagship model of that year.
Of course, such an explanation is probably unacceptable. After all, the Xperia 5 does have many designs similar to the Xperia 1 launched in the first half of the year. It will be difficult for people to get rid of their past impressions of the Compact series in a short period of time, especially when the number "5" is used in the naming. It makes people even more curious about the product positioning of new phones if they are named with numbers such as Xperia 2 and Xperia 3 in the future.
Someya Hirosuke said that it is true that the current naming method is still confusing, but this is indeed part of the changes Sony Mobile is taking. At the same time, it also hopes to simplify product names and avoid the previous naming method of stacking English and numbers to make it easier for users to choose the right product.
However, does this mean that future product naming will follow the same fixed model number as headphone products, with suffixes such as Mark I and Mark II added to differentiate product design versions? Sometani Hirosuke said that relevant discussions have indeed been conducted internally, but no name has been finalized yet.
Based on the current naming principles of the Xperia series of mobile phones, it seems that there is indeed a possibility of using numbers to define different user experiences. For example, Motorola uses Vision and Zoom to distinguish different main functions in the Moto One series, rather than using numbers to distinguish updated versions, making it easier for users to understand the characteristics and positioning of the mobile phone.
As previously mentioned, Sony Mobile positions the Xperia 5 as a flagship phone to be released independently in the second half of the year. Therefore, features such as support for landscape mode in the split-screen multitasking feature, new adjustment functions in the Cinema Pro app, and the new Game Enhancement mode and support for connecting a DUALSHOCK 4 controller to play games like Fortnite will all be available first on the Xperia 5 before being made available on the Xperia 1 via software update.
Response to the relatively low DxOMark rating
Regarding DxOMark's recent review of the Xperia 1's camera experience, which scored a total of 91 points and a selfie camera score of 78 points, Sometani Hiroyuki stated that many opinions currently attach importance to DxOMark's evaluation results, and Sony Mobile does indeed attach importance to DxOMark's evaluation results. After all, from a marketing perspective, DxOMark's evaluation results are indeed beneficial to promoting product information.
However, from a product design perspective, Sony Mobile will not allow a single evaluation result to influence its product design direction. Therefore, Sony Mobile will continue to adhere to its product design requirements for camera functions in the future.
Regarding DxOMark's comment that although the Xperia 1 has a good hardware design, the color rendering of the captured images is somewhat deviated due to software tuning, the internal team has indeed held discussions to clarify whether special modifications are needed.
Sony Mobile is currently confident in the outstanding performance of its mobile phone cameras. For example, it recently collaborated with Shep Films to shoot the short film "TASTE" using the Xperia 1 and the Cinema Pro app, hoping to showcase Sony Mobile's mobile phone photography capabilities.
