Japan-based telecom company SoftBank will soon be selling the next Xperia smartphone released by Sony, according to a Reuters report.
Sony, which will be hosting a press event at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) trade show happening in Berlin next week, is widely expected to unveil a new flagship smartphone in the coming days. That smartphone is believed to be the Xperia Z3. And soon, it will be made available through SoftBank late this year.
SoftBank currently owns a majority stake in the American mobile carrier Sprint, and is one of the most prominent carriers in the world today. But interestingly, SoftBank has never offered any smartphone or tablet device from Sony's Xperia line of products. The reasons have never been made clear, but based on what Reuters is reporting, this will definitely change soon.
Because of SoftBank's relationship with Sprint, it is almost certain that the American mobile carrier will also be offering the new Xperia device. In previous years, Sony had attracted only T-Mobile in pushing its product line to the US market.
As for its IFA event, Sony has managed to generate some interest. Earlier this week, the Japanese company posted a teaser video that showed what appeared to be silhouettes of three devices. Naturally, the video has experts predicting that Sony will no doubt unveil more than one new product during the event. Perhaps intentionally, Sony has kept mum, preferring instead to heighten the anticipation by waiting until its September 3 event to shed light on the mystery products.
Sony has displayed solid efforts recently in trying to rebuild its operations. The introduction of new smartphone and tablet products definitely reinforce that notion. The company is also diversifying through gaming and imaging.
Still, Sony has its work cut out, especially in terms of establishing a position in the smartphone race. While it had one of the most profitable mobile segments in 2013, it is somewhat struggling lately as more competitors offering less expensive mobile products are biting some of its market share. But with the Xperia about to be carried by Sprint for American users, Sony may have bought itself a decent chance at recovery.
