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Sony explains why Android updates take so long
If you're like many smartphone owners using non-stock versions of Android, you're probably twiddling your thumbs waiting for your device maker to release an upgrade to Android 9 Pie. But have you wondered why you're waiting so long when your Pixel- and Essential-toting friends already have their upgrades? Sony can explain. In a blog post promising Pie updates for recent Xperia phones (the XZ Premium, XZ1 family and XZ2 series) in November, the company also provided an infographic outlining the steps between Google's OS release and seeing the new software on your handset. It's a simplified take on what's happening, but it does provide a good summary of what's involved.
Sony can't stop making money from PlayStation
Sony's new CEO Kenichiro Yoshida has been at the company's helm for just a few short months now, but fortunately, former chief Kaz Hirai left him an already successful company to run. Yoshida has his own designs for Sony, with a three-year plan to focus primarily on the entertainment and imaging businesses. It's important not to take the favorable position the company is in for granted, though, so we imagine Yoshida is pleased with Sony's latest financial results released today. There's nothing too extraordinary about the numbers, but Sony did record $17.9 billion in revenue for the three months ending in June, from which it extracted nearly $1.8 billion in profit. And yes, no points for guessing PlayStation is responsible for the bulk of that.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium review: Too quirky for the mainstream
Sony's latest flagship is all about 4K HDR. The Xperia XZ2 Premium not only has a 4K HDR display, but it's also one of the first phones that can record video at that resolution and dynamic range. It's also the first Xperia to sport dual rear cameras and, like its predecessors, comes with two front-facing speakers and shoots super-slow-mo clips. The Premium also offers stronger-than-usual haptic feedback that's meant to enhance music playback and gaming, something its brothers from this year's XZ2 family also offer. On paper, the XZ2 Premium is a promising device, but only for a very specific audience.
Sony's $999 Xperia XZ2 Premium pre-order includes $279 earbuds
Phone makers are increasingly sweetening the pot for pre-order buyers (just ask the Canadians who got a free 4K TV with their LG G7s), and Sony doesn't want to be left out of that trend. It just launched Xperia XZ2 Premium pre-orders in the US, and early customers are getting a promised pair of Xperia Ear Duo earbuds. That's $279 worth of wireless audio. You'll still have to stomach the idea of spending $999 on a smartphone, of course, but this makes the price easier to swallow if you were already looking for an earbud upgrade.
Sony's 4K-capable XZ2 Premium reaches the US on July 30th
While Sony's XZ2's didn't amaze us, the Premium model announced weeks later promised a superior photo experience with dual rear cameras and sensors capable of impressive low-light footage. And now we know when it will reach US shores: On July 30th, the smartphone will be available online at Amazon and Best Buy for $1,000.
Sony is crafting a new version of its Android launcher
If there's been a constant in Sony's ever-evolving Xperia phone lineup, it's the software -- that not-quite-stock Android interface has stuck around for years. Even that fixture is going to change, though. After Sony decided to wind down work on its existing Xperia Home launcher, the company's Erika Prymus revealed that the there's a "new Home Application" in the works. There aren't any details surrounding the new release, but it's possible that Sony may be adapting to Android P's new gesture-driven navigation.
Sony's business stabilizes with strong PS4 game sales
Sony's latest earnings reveal a simple truth: former CEO Kaz Hirai left the company in a relatively good position. In the full year leading up to March 31st, 2018, the company raked in revenue of 8,544 billion yen (roughly $78.1 billion) and operating income, or profit, of 734.9 billion yen (roughly $6.7 billion). The latter figure is a huge improvement over the $2.6 billion it managed to pull in last time. The bump, however, was expected; in the last financial year, Sony's camera imaging business was rocked by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. Now, that crucial division is back at full strength.
Sony's dual camera Xperia XZ2 Premium takes ultra-low-light photos
Sony's regular Xperia XZ2 is, to put it mildly, underwhelming -- as capable as it is, there's little to recommend it over its rivals. You can't say that about the just-announced Xperia XZ2 Premium, though. The new handset preserves the 4K HDR visuals of its predecessor (this time on a 5.8-inch screen that's 30 percent brighter), but the real centerpiece is the photography. Sony is hopping on the dual rear camera bandwagon with a focus on low light performance: it melds the input from a monochrome sensor (for contrast; 12MP, 1/2.3-inch, 1.55um) and a regular color sensor (19MP, 1/2.3-inch, 1.22um) to capture video at ISO 12,800 sensitivity, and photos at a whopping ISO 51,200. (Huawei's P20 Pro is also claiming similarly crazy high-level ISO options in a forthcoming software update -- we yet haven't tested that either.) We'd be skeptical of Sony's claim that the performance rivals pro cameras, but this might help you shoot with confidence in truly dark environments.
Watch Sony's Xperia XZ2 launch in under 10 minutes!
Sony phones have had a consistent look for years now -- and we've never been sure if that's a good thing. It seems like Sony might agree, too, as the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are some of it's most distinct phones to date. That date is today, for the record, as Sony took to the stage (or, rather, it's booth here at MWC) to reveal them to the world. Catch up on the best bits of the event right here. Catch up on the latest news from MWC 2018 right here.
The Xperia XZ2 is Sony's fastest, strangest flagship phone yet
Sony has longed to find lasting success in the smartphone market, but none of the devices it released in the past few years have done the job. It's clearly time for a change, and Sony knows that — that's why the new Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are notable steps away from the company's smartphone norm. They're fast, fascinating and pretty (to me, anyway), and it seems obvious that Sony wanted to strike a balance in these devices between immersive media consumption and powerful content creation. After a little bit of hands-on time with the XZ2 and its little sibling, I don't think Sony hasn't gotten everything right, but at least these things are pleasantly strange.
Sony’s new flagships ditch an aging design for full screens
Sony's phones have looked largely the same for years now, but that's apparently about to change. The electronics company has redesigned its flagship phone to be full screen. Venture Beat has pictures and descriptions of the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, which will be revealed at MWC 2018.
Sony's plan for Xperia phones in 2018 considers dual cameras
It took Sony until 2018 to finally add fingerprint sensors to its Xperia phones, which is beyond fashionably late to the party. Now that that overdue feature is (thankfully) out of the way, the company needs to focus on how else it can catch up to its competitors. We chatted with Don Mesa, Sony Mobile's vice president of marketing for North America, to see what's coming next and why it took the company so long to get here. Oh, and we got a closer look at the latest version of the quirky Xperia Ear Open Style concept wireless earbuds too. Check out the video to see it all. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.
Watch Sony's CES 2018 event right here at 8PM ET
Sony is about to hold customary CES presentation, and it's giving everyone an opportunity to tune in. The company is livestreaming the event on its website and on Ustream (below) starting at 8PM Eastern. It isn't revealing too much about what you'll see, although it's virtually certain that you'll hear about new Bravia TVs and audio gear. We also wouldn't rule out talk about more adventurous projects like the Aibo revival, for that matter. Sony isn't always daring at CES, but there's usually something to catch your attention.
Sony's mid-range Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra are still all about the cameras
CES hasn't been much of a smartphone show in recent years, but don't tell Sony that. Rather than save the goods for Mobile World Congress, the company decided to reveal a trio of new Xperias meant to spice up its existing line of mid-range devices before the show officially kicks off.
Sony Xperia XZ1 hands-on: Pricey camera tricks
I blew my mind earlier this year when I watched my extremely slowed-down footage of a bird in mid-flight. I was testing the Sony Xperia XZ Premium's camera, which can record video at up to 960 fps -- four times as slow as the iPhone's 240 fps. I was mesmerized by the videos, but they still didn't justify the whopping $800 that Sony is charging for that handset. So when I heard that the company was bringing the same camera features to the more affordable Xperia XZ1, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, when Sony revealed the XZ1's price to be $700, most of that enthusiasm evaporated.
Sony's Xperia Ear Open Style is its most promising concept yet
After teasing its Xperia Ear Open Style Concept earlier this year at MWC 2017, Sony is now sharing more details about the wireless audio set. For starters, as we found out in Barcelona, the Xperia Ear has traditionally consisted of a single device, but now it's a pair built for both of your ears. Another big change is that they're now meant to be clipped around the bottom of your earlobes rather than sit without any support near your ear canal. That also means the earbuds are designed to let noise from the outside world in as you're wearing them, a feature that may be both good and bad.
Sony owes Xperia owners a refund over faulty water resistance
When you buy a phone billed as water-resistant, you generally expect it to survive accidental dunks. Some Sony phone owners have a very different story, though -- their supposedly resistant phones took water damage that required an expensive fix. If you're one of them, we have good news. A preliminary settlement in a class action lawsuit will offer a 50 percent refund of the retail price to US customers who bought a water-resistant Sony Xperia device and had to file water damage claims. The list of affected hardware covers a whopping 24 phones and tablets sold in the US, ranging from the Xperia Z1 through to relatively recent devices like the Xperia Z5.
Sony’s latest Xperia is a terrific slow-mo shooter, with caveats
At long last, Sony has made a seriously compelling flagship. Not only is the Xperia XZ Premium the best-looking handset the company has made in years, but it also boasts a high-end camera capable of extreme slow-mo video recording. It's also one of the first phones to use the Snapdragon 835 chipset, which supports Gigabit LTE speeds where available. Plus, it has a sumptuous 5.5-inch 4K display that is HDR-ready. That's a whole lot of reasons to check out the phone, but is it worth splurging $800 on? Well, that depends on your needs.
Sony's Xperia XZ Premium puts 4K HDR in your hands on June 19th
In just a few weeks, you can finally hold Sony's new high-end, high-performance flagship phone in your hands. You can pre-order Sony's Xperia XZ Premium in the US through Amazon and Best Buy starting on June 12th, but you can always just purchase it outright when retailers begin selling it on June 19th. When it officially comes out, it'll become the second commercially available phone to support gigabit LTE after Samsung's Galaxy S8.
Sony's slow-mo friendly Xperia XZs goes on sale this week
As smartphones have evolved to basically all look the same, manufacturers have been keen to capitalize on gimmicks to entice customers. Sony didn't buck that trend with the forthcoming, monolithic Xperia XZs and its rear camera that's capable of shooting at 960 frames per-second. The electronics company says that frame-rate allows for video that's four times slower than any other smartphone on the market. More than that, the shooter pulls a trick from the Pixel's playbook and starts taking photos before you actually press the shutter button. Pre-orders are open, and Sony says that come April 5th you can grab an unlocked version from Amazon, Best Buy and elsewhere for $700.