Sony Debuts Flagship 5G Handset

To bolster its lumbering smartphone business, Sony has debuted its inaugural 5G smartphone. On Monday (Feb. 24), Sony introduced its Xperia 1 II flagship handset, which is the Japanese technology firm’s maiden phone capable of 5G, as CNBC reported.

The technology company reportedly hopes that the newest phone will aid in advancing its mobile division, particularly as 5G next-generation mobile networks continue to launch worldwide. According to the industry organization GSMA, super-fast 5G is on pace to comprise 15 percent of worldwide mobile connections by 2025.

Sony experienced a mobile sales drop of almost 16 percent year over year in the December quarter. However, the division did move from a loss to a profit over the same period in 2018.

According to the report, Sony has “leaned in” to its legacy in display and camera technology with the Xperia 1 II flagship handset. The phone has a triple-lens design and enables users to change some of the settings that are in professional cameras. It also comes with a 6.5-inch 4K high dynamic range (HDR) display. HDR works to heighten the difference between black and white to allow the picture on the screen to appear more real, while 4K refers to the resolution.

In separate news, Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone company, is looking to put more than ¥50 billion ($7.18 billion) into artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G technologies over a five-year period. The announcement was made by Xiaomi Chief Executive Lei Jun, who posted an open letter. In the letter, he noted, “We need to turn our continuous advantage we have in AIoT [artificial intelligence of things] and intelligent life into absolute victory in intelligent full scene, and completely cement our king status in the smart era.” He added that the firm is now a “global technology leader,” and referred to last year as an important time for Xiaomi’s global growth.