Sony Plans to Leave the Smartphone Game; VAIO Enters It

Sony used to produce really drool-worthy mobile phones, but it seems to have been kicked around way too much by big names such as Apple and Samsung, and the loses may already be to great to even consider continuing the game.

Sony Xperia

Image courtesy of Sony Xperia

According to Reuters, CEO Kazuo Hirai has announced that the company “would no longer pursue sales growth in areas such as smartphones”, while a report from Softpedia says that it’s preparing to lay-off 1,000 of its employees from its smartphone division. Although remedies such as partnerships may be in the works, Sony fans shouldn’t expect much from the Xperia line in the coming months, as it’s  planning to shift its focus on its other products, such as the PlayStation.

In the meantime, VAIO, the laptop enterprise that Sony let go of last year, seems intent in filling the vortex that Xperia could possibly leave behind.

VAIO smartphone

Image courtesy of GSM Dome

A post on VAIO’s Japanese site has confirmed the official announcement of its very first smartphone. Rumors say that the phone, with supposed model number JCI VA-10J, will be an Android 5.0 Lollipop affair with 5-inch display powered by a 1.2GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 410 processor. It’ll also feature 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, as well as a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera.

The new VAIO phone will be officially announced on March 12, although it will probably make an appearance during the Mobile World Congress (MWC).

Sources: Reuters, Softpedia, VAIO, GSMDome, Sony Xperia

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