The current status of Sony Xperia smartphones

Sony focused its smartphone strategy on photography by including extensive manual camera controls, a physical shutter button and the ability to use the Xperia 1 V as a display for compatible Alpha cameras. These features were a significant benefit to photographers, but proved difficult to market to average consumers who simply wanted a solid phone when signing up for a new carrier plan.

In Sony's home country, Apple managed to capture over 50 percent of all smartphone purchases in October and November 2014. By the end of 2022 in the United States, iPhones accounted for half of all smartphones being used. While Chinese-based companies such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo expanded their global presence, competing brands like LG exited the smartphone market in 2021, according to industry reports.

Sony sold 39.1 million smartphones during the fiscal year ending in March 2015, but sales plummeted to only 2.9 million by fiscal year 2020. In 2023, the company released the Xperia 1 V unlocked for approximately $1,400 through authorized US retailers rather than the three major carriers. According to Counterpoint Research, Apple and Samsung accounted for 84 percent of US smartphone shipments in Q2 2026, and Sony's share fell so low it was not even listed separately.

Sony was not alone in these struggles, as Microsoft acquired Nokia's phone business in 2014. The Nokia name later returned on HMD-made Android phones, though without its former market dominance. Sony opted for a less high-profile approach by retaining the Xperia brand, even though it now attracts far fewer buyers.