Sony is getting back to longer smartphone release cycles - report

According to a report earlier today, Sony is working on extending their smartphones’ life cycles, specifically in the Taiwan market. Jonathan Lin, General Manager of Sony’s Taiwan branch, told reporters that on top of extending the lifetime of devices, the company is planning on shifting focus to mid-range and high-end devices.

Lin explained to the reporters:

Our current strategy is on how to extend product life cycle, for which we plan to offer more mobile content and new color phones.

Lin also mentioned that most Android phones fall to the wayside 3 to 6 months after their release, and the company is working to change that. Lin explains that Taiwan’s purple version of the Xperia Z2, which launched in May 2014, accounted for nearly 40% of the device’s sales in the country. So, the company is planning on limiting smartphone releases every year and gradually launching new color options to increase profits, at least in Taiwan.

We know that Lin told Taiwan reporters this information exclusively, but we could imagine this to be true for all areas of Sony’s mobile branch. We’ve already heard reports of Sony shrinking its smartphone line, cutting 1,000 jobs and reporting a loss of $1.7 billion last year, so we already know drastic changes are ahead.

In addition to the reports from Taiwan, the Xperia Blog has received new information regarding Sony’s plans not to release the upcoming Xperia Z4 at this year’s MWC 2015. The blog also entertains the idea of a Summer release for the handset, which, if true, would leave Sony’s presence very scarce for the trade show.

Only time will tell whether or not these reports are true, so in the mean time, take a look at our Sony Xperia Z4 rumor roundup! Do you think we’ll see the Z4 at MWC this year? And if Sony extends their device’s life cycles, how much do you think it will help the company?