Sony: Dual rear camera phone ‘ at right time’
COMPANY WILL LAUNCH ITS XPERIA XZ2 AND XPERIA XZ2 COMPACT
Sony yesterday launched its Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact smart phones in Dubai. The phones will be available next week and the XZ2 is priced at Dh2,899 and the XZ2 Compact at Dh2,599.
Sony has adopted a new design for its new devices rather than the usual “omnichannel” pattern on its XZ series. They now have a curved back and the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back from its usual place on the side.
The XZ2 has a 5.7- inch high dynamic range ( HDR) Full HD+ display with 18: 9 screen ratio. It is powered by Qualcomm 845 processor, Bravia Xreality engine, wireless charging, super slow motion and 4K HDR recording.
The XZ2 Compact has a 5- inch HDR Full HD+ display, stereo speakers, 3D Creator, super slow motion, hi- res audio, and front- facing stereo speakers, but no wireless charging facility. It is powered by the same processor as XZ2.
Sony is the only branded vendor still not in the race to havedual cameras on the back of the smartphone despite some vendors even moving to triple rear cameras.
Lenovo launched triple rear cameras for AR and VR on Phab 2 Pro in 2016 and Huawei is expected to launch its P20 Pro soon.
“At Mobile World Congress, we showcased the dual- camera technology. We don’t see any requirement of having dual cameras, it is a perception in the consumer’s mind that more cameras will give you a better picture,” Gita Ghaemmaghami, marketing communications manager for the Middle East and Africa at Sony Mobile, told Gulf News.
She said that Sony will come out with dual cameras but at the “right time”.
Slowmotion
At MWC, Sony showed its future dual- camera technology that can record and shoot videos in better quality even in ultra- low light conditions. It can give ISO 12,800 for video and 51,200 for photos.
“We are the first to launch slow motion ( 960 frames per second at 720p) and 4K HDR movie recording, and others are following us and now we have launched 960 frames per second at 1080p ( Full HD). We will always be at the forefront of mobile technology,” she said.
Most of the dual cameras in the market are used to produce the bokeh effect, basically blurring the background of an image, but she said that Sony’s devices are able to do that with the help of software and a single camera.
The Japanese giant has added a new haptic experience on ■ Gita Ghaemmaghami holding the Xperia XZ2 Mobile at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club yesterday. XZ2, similar to PlayStation’s DualShock controllers when playing games or watching movies. It analyses the audio data and lets the users feel the action in their hands, bringing the movies, games and videos to life.
According to research firm IHS Markit, Sony had a global market share of 1 per cent in 2017 by selling 13.7 million devices, which was little changed from 1.1 per cent a year before.
Mobile division
Sony said in its third- quarter results that mobile phone sales decreased 13 per cent year- on- year and it has lowered its forecast for annual smartphone unit sales by 1.5 million units from its October forecast to 14 million units.
However, Ghaemmaghami said that Sony Corp has done extremely well and all its sister divisions have shown profits and the mobile division will close the fiscal year with minimal profits.
The company is going to announce its fourth- quarter results on April 27.
“Volume- wise, we may not do that much for the year due to the stiff competitive environment but we will make a profit from mobile business in a fewyears. Making profit from mobile business is our aim and that is what the restructuring plan from2015 is for.
“We started focusing on the premium segment and launched fewer models in the market and all these shifts are towards profitability,” she said.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are two of the importantmarkets for Sony.
In the UAE, she said that Sony Mobile has seen a very good growth but Saudi Arabia is a “challenging market” right now for every corporate due to the restructuring and reforms.
decrease in mobile phone sales reported by Sony in its thirdquarter results