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Sony Mobile has until now been an independent division within the Sony organisation, but this is about to change. The company has announced it will combine Mobile with its TV, audio and camera divisions and call the new unit Electronics Products and Solutions.
Officially, this is a move to increase synergies between product lines. Some of this has already been going on, with some Sony Alpha camera and Bravia TV technologies being implemented on high-end smartphone models, but apparently there is room for improvement.
Sony Mobile has been a weak spot in the Sony empire in recent years. With only 13.5 million units sold in 2017 and a decrease to an estimated 7 million in 2018 the division generated substantial losses of more than $ 913 million during the last four quarters. The camera division is doing much better, with an $ 804 million profit during the same period. TVs generated an operating profit of $ 714 million. So some investors fear the reorganization could be a move designed to hide the poor performance of Mobile behind the success of other units.
That said, the company has set a target to reduce costs in order minimize losses and hopes to be back to profitability with Mobile by 2021. The new triple-camera Xperia 1 could be a first step into that direction.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)