Sony stops selling this ‘popular’ flagship smartphone, here’s why

Sony

Sony has suspended sales and shipments of its newly launched flagship, the Xperia 1 VII, in Japan following widespread reports of serious technical issues. The phone, unveiled in May and available for just over a month in select markets including Japan and parts of Europe, is reportedly experiencing problems such as random shutdowns, frequent reboots, and in some cases, devices failing to power on altogether.

While the suspension currently applies only to the Japanese market, Sony hasn’t ruled out similar issues elsewhere. The phone has not been launched in the US, and given that its predecessor never made it there either, a US release seems unlikely.

In a statement, Sony has acknowledged the complaints and offered a temporary workaround for affected users. The company recommends holding down the power and volume up buttons for 20 seconds, performing a system recovery, and installing the latest software update. Instructions for the update have been posted on Sony’s Japanese support site. If the problem persists, users are advised to contact Sony’s customer service.

Though Sony hints that a software patch might resolve the issue, the exact cause remains unknown. The company has confirmed it is still investigating the root of the problem and urges users to back up their data as a precaution.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Sony’s mobile division, which has struggled to gain traction against better-priced and more capable rivals. With the Xperia 1 VII already facing criticism for its high price and limited appeal, a potential hardware fault could be a serious blow to Sony’s already fragile smartphone ambitions. If the issue turns out to be more than just a software glitch, it might spell deeper trouble for the Xperia brand.