Sony Has Reportedly Started Outsourcing Xperia Phone Production

TL;DR

Sony may have outsourced the manufacturing of its flagship phones.
The company has removed the term “smartphones” from the list of products on its manufacturing-focused websites in Thailand and China.
The Xperia 1 VII is reportedly the first of its premium phones to be made by a third party.

Over the years, Sony has increasingly distanced itself from the smartphone market. The company currently relies on third-party manufacturers to make its mid-range offerings. Although it outsources the manufacturing of its mid-range phones, Sony has at least continued to work on the high-end Xperia line. But it looks like Sony may have decided it’s no longer interested in making its premium phones either.

According to the report from Smartphone Digest, Sony has stopped manufacturing its own Xperia phones. The company has now removed the term “smartphones” from its list of devices on its manufacturing-focused websites in Thailand and China.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Xperia is dead, just that Sony won’t be the company producing them anymore. Just like with its mid-range phones, Sony appears to have handed the keys over to a third-party manufacturer. Reportedly, we got our first taste of this with the recently released Xperia 1 VII. It’s said that the Xperia 1 VII is the first of Sony’s premium phones to be manufactured by a different company.

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