For many prospective smartphone owners, the 5G network is shaping up to be a significant selling point. While some manufacturers have already embraced the new standard by offering compatible devices, others are taking a different route. Sony is part of the second category, as the company is not rushing to launch a 5G Xperia even though the fans would love one.
Sony has showcased a smartphone with features 5G network support at the Mobile World Congress, but the company has already announced that the device is a prototype that won’t make the transition to a marketable product. Sony wants to wait until 5G becomes an established standard all over the world instead of being available in a limited number of regions.
The prototype presented by Sony employs the bleeding edge Snapdragon 855 SoC which is also featured in the new Sony Xperia 1. Since the chip offers 5G support, many were surprised to learn that the new flagship will not provide the standard.
We might have to wait longer for a 5G Xperia since Sony is not rushing to launch such a device
Sony Mobile president Mitsuya Kishia has explained the context during an interview. He declared that Sony is currently exploring 5G and the opportunities offered by the standard but the release of a 5G Xperia device will be influenced by the target country and popular demand. That might mean that Sony will release a version of the Xperia 1 which offers the new standard, but the company may opt to release a different device, too. The waiting time may not be too big since Sony releases a new flagship smartphone once every six months.
A massive 5G network rollout is planned for 2020, and the Sony Xperia 2 might be the sought-after 5G Xperia. Kishima noted that the company doesn’t wish to be the first to offer 5G smartphones and he is quite happy with the current direction of the company. Currently, Sony’s engineers are evaluating the performance of the 5G network.
It is thought that the design of the new smartphone may have played a significant role in Sony’s decision to skip 5G for now since alterations might have been needed to make space for additional parts.
