Sony Korea launches Premium smartphone
Sony Korea has introduced its flagship smartphone named the Xperia XZ Premium, seeking to raise its share in the high-end handset market here.
The local subsidiary of the Japanese tech giant said Tuesday the new device will hit shelves on June 8. The company unveiled the smartphone at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in late February.
Sony hyped up a string of the device’s high-end functions — such as the world’s first 5.5-inch 4K high dynamic range (HDR) display and motion eye camera system.
The latest Xperia smartphone is equipped with a top-end application processor and 19 megapixel camera.
“The Xperia XZ Premium comes with Sony’s state-of-the-art technologies in camera, audio and display,” said Okura Kikuo, president of Sony Korea’s consumer product division.
“We are confident that the device will enrich users’ experiences in their daily lives. Sony’s mobile unit will continue to spare no efforts not just to achieve technological innovations, but to offer rich user experiences.”
The company particularly showed off its expertise in audio and camera technologies applied to the new handset. The motion eye camera system is a patented technology, allowing users to play “super slow motion videos.” The gadget enables users to play videos about four times slower than existing smartphones do.
Sony is a latecomer in the global smartphone industry and thus far has yet to narrow the gap with the leaders, Samsung and Apple.
Observers point out that the company, however, has continued to target the high-end market without compromising its focus on quality.
Sony opted for a strategy of differentiating its smartphones with its core technologies, trying to regain its luster as the longtime premium electronics giant.
The company retains its title as the second-largest smartphone vendor in Japan by shipping 1.1 million handsets in the first quarter of this year, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics.
This equals 13.5 percent of market share there, following perennial leader Apple. But Sony is still struggling in the major overseas markets of Korea and the United States, due to fierce rivalry.