Sony Mobile Communications International AB’s latest flagship smartphone model, the Xperia XZ1, is to go on sale in Taiwan on Friday.
In addition to the Xperia XZ1, Sony Mobile is planning to launch another flagship model — the Xperia XZ Compact — later this month, the company said.
Sony Mobile in May took a 24 percent share of high-end Android smartphone sales after the launch of the Xperia XZ Premium that month, it said, adding that its sales share rose to 29 percent in June and 33 percent in July.
In terms of sales value, the company had a 24 percent share in May, 29 percent in June and 31 percent in July, it added.
The high-end Android smartphone market refers to models costing at least NT$15,000.
Sony Mobile Taiwan president Jonathan Lin (林志遠) said that the two flagship models are expected to help the company reinforce its foothold in Taiwan, keeping its title of top seller in terms of sales volume and sales value for the rest of the year.
The company has faith in its products, although competition is escalating, Lin said.
Sony Mobile, which turned a profit last year, is to invest more in the development of high-end smartphones, which account for more than 50 percent of the company’s total sales, he added.
Regarding the two new devices, the 5.2-inch Xperia XZ1, priced at NT$29,000, will be available in four colors: black, silver, blue and pink, the company said.
The 4.6-inch Xperia XZ1 Compact will be available in the same colors, it added.
Sony Mobile said the main rear camera in the two new models is equipped with a Exmor RS sensor which possesses 3D capabilities, and both are packed with additional features such as an autofocus burst mode and a smart smile function, which automatically starts to buffer images when it detects action or even a smile before a shutter button is pressed.
Samsung Electronics Co launched its new flagship model Galaxy Note 8 domestically earlier this month, while Apple Inc is expected to unveil the next generation iPhones tomorrow.
The new iPhone will be available for pre-order in Taiwan on Friday.
Real estate agent and property developer JSL Construction & Development Co (愛山林) led the average compensation rankings among companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) last year, while contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) finished 14th. JSL Construction paid its employees total average compensation of NT$4.78 million (US$159,701), down 13.5 percent from a year earlier, but still ahead of the most profitable listed tech giants, including TSMC, TWSE data showed. Last year, the average compensation (which includes salary, overtime, bonuses and allowances) paid by TSMC rose 21.6 percent to reach about NT$3.33 million, lifting its ranking by 10 notches
Popular vape brands such as Geek Bar might get more expensive in the US — if you can find them at all. Shipments of vapes from China to the US ground to a near halt last month from a year ago, official data showed, hit by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a crackdown on unauthorized e-cigarettes in the world’s biggest market for smoking alternatives. That includes Geek Bar, a brand of flavored vapes that is not authorized to sell in the US, but which had been widely available due to porous import controls. One retailer, who asked not to be named, because
SEASONAL WEAKNESS: The combined revenue of the top 10 foundries fell 5.4%, but rush orders and China’s subsidies partially offset slowing demand Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) further solidified its dominance in the global wafer foundry business in the first quarter of this year, remaining far ahead of its closest rival, Samsung Electronics Co, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. TSMC posted US$25.52 billion in sales in the January-to-March period, down 5 percent from the previous quarter, but its market share rose from 67.1 percent the previous quarter to 67.6 percent, TrendForce said in a report. While smartphone-related wafer shipments declined in the first quarter due to seasonal factors, solid demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) devices and urgent TV-related orders
MINERAL DIPLOMACY: The Chinese commerce ministry said it approved applications for the export of rare earths in a move that could help ease US-China trade tensions Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) is today to meet a US delegation for talks in the UK, Beijing announced on Saturday amid a fragile truce in the trade dispute between the two powers. He is to visit the UK from yesterday to Friday at the invitation of the British government, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. He and US representatives are to cochair the first meeting of the US-China economic and trade consultation mechanism, it said. US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that a new round of trade talks with China would start in London beginning today,
RSS