Sony Corp yesterday expressed optimism that with the emergence of 5G technology, shipments of its flagship smartphone models would make up 23 percent of the nations’ Android smartphone market this year.
Sony Mobile Taiwan president Jonathan Lin (林志遠) told reporters that the Japanese brand is preparing for the upcoming replacement demand that would accompany the roll out of 5G technology.
Sony’s flagship 5G smartphones, starting at NT$20,000 (US$668), are to be released in Taiwan in first half of this year, Lin said.
Smartphones costing NT$20,000 or more account for 60 percent of the company’s sales in Taiwan and that ratio is expected to increase to 70 percent with the release of its high-end 5G models this year, he said.
“Sony’s goal is to boost the market share of its flagship smartphone models in Taiwan and we are confident of an increase from 15 percent in 2019 to 23 percent this year,” he said.
Sony, with a 15 percent market share, is second only to South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co in the nation’s high-end Android smartphone market.
Sony is expected to unveil its 5G smartphone models next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, and they are to be released in Taiwan in the second quarter of the year, according to local media reports.
Sony is also planning to release mid-range 5G models in Taiwan later this year, and to introduce competitive hardware that would allow new video and audio experiences, attracting more customers, Lin said.
However, while Sony is upbeat about Taiwan’s 5G market, it recognizes that telecoms face the challenge of consumers being deterred by the higher subscription fees for 5G services, he said.
The government’s 5G spectrum auction, which started last month, is still in progress, with fierce competition between the nation’s major telecoms.
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