Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission.Learn more.
Sony closing a major manufacturing plant (Update: Merging mobile division, too)
August 14, 2025
Update, June 08, 2025 (10:52 AM ET):Although the news below is about a Sony manufacturing plant shutting down, we learned some other, related news regarding the Japanese electronics giant. According toWCCF Tech, Sony is merging its mobile division with Sony TV, audio, and camera product lines. The new division will be known as “Electronics Products and Solutions.”
This is a wholly unexpected move, as we would have more expected Sony to either close or sell off its mobile division, which historically has been its lowest-performing branch. In the last year, Sony has reportedly lost over $1 billion on its smartphones.
However, now Sony can hide the Xperia smartphone line’s poor results within the TV/audio/camera division’s numbers, thus lessening the burden of that division.
One thing is for certain, though: Sony’s smartphone division is not doing well at all, and Sony will need to do more than hide away its failures if it expects it to ever be successful.
Original article, July 11, 2025 (06:06 AM ET):Assmartphone shipments in Chinacontinue to decline, Sony has announced that it plans to shut down its manufacturing plant in Beijing.Reutersreports that the company plans to shift manufacturing to Thailand in a bid to halve costs.
It is no secret that Sony’s smartphone business is on shaky ground. While there are no definitive numbers for the company’s shipments in China, analysts routinely bundle it in the ‘other brands’ category that accounts for 11 percent of the market. Last December,Samsungtoo announced the closure of a manufacturing facility in Tianjin amidst tough competition from brands like HUAWEI, OnePlus and Xiaomi.
Globally, Sony’s mobile division is heading towards losses to the tune of $863 million for 2018, saidReuters. The company’s shipments for the financial year 2018 stood at a woeful 6.5 million.
As the company claws towards a comeback with a reneweddesign language, focus on updates, it is aiming to turn a profit starting April 2020. Sony has repeatedly confirmed that it has no intention to sell off the smartphone business and expects them to be an integral part of its 5G roadmap.
What do you think? Does Sony continue to stand a chance against high-end competitors? Or should it get into the value flagship segment where they can differentiate themselves through design? Let us know in the comments section.
NEXT:Sony Xperia 1 up for pre-order in the U.S. for an eye-watering $1,000
Thank you for being part of our community. Read ourComment Policybefore posting.
