Sony Says Xperia Smartphones Still a “Crucial” Part of Its Business

Sony’s Xperia smartphones make up only a tiny slice of the global mobile market, and the company hasn’t exactly projected overwhelming confidence in the brand’s long-term future. Still, Sony insists that Xperia remains a “very important” division — and it’s not pulling the plug anytime soon.

During a recent financial presentation this week, Sony’s Chief Financial Officer, Hiroki Totoki, addressed the current state of the Xperia lineup. Xperia is "a crucial aspect of our company," Totoki stressed, according to CNET Japan (via translation).

"Sony has long been involved in the development of communication technologies," Totoki stated. “We want to continue valuing our smartphone business,” he added — although he acknowledged that Sony’s communication technologies extend far beyond just smartphones.

These remarks come in the wake of rumors suggesting Sony is scaling back Xperia sales efforts in Europe. The company has already lost significant market share in its home country of Japan, has mostly exited the U.S. smartphone space, and earlier this year, even halted in-house device production.

Despite all that, Sony continues to maintain that it has no plans to abandon Xperia. And based on these latest comments, it appears the company is holding firm — at least for now.