Sony Sold 39m Smartphones in 2013, Aims for 50m in 2014

The detailed results for 2013 show that the Japanese corporation sold 39m Xperia smartphones in the past year. That is a 6m jump on 2012. The popularity of devices such as the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact stirred consumer appetite and helped the brand achieve a broader reach globally, particularly in North America where Sony has renewed its interest. Bigger is better for Sony as they have now set their sights on 50m units in 2014. What delicious smartphones will they release next to make that happen?

What else can we tell from Sony’s results from 2013?

The past year has proved difficult for some smartphone manufacturers as they continue to struggle to adapt to changing consumer interests. Sony however was not among them, pushing ahead another 6m units on the previous year, expanding its market share.

2013 was a year that the corporation aimed at selling higher-value smartphones and recognises that the higher average selling price was key to its success, posting a profit ¥12.6bn / $124m / €90m.

Smartphones (and tablets) are now one of the top three priority areas that Sony has targeted and is pulling out all the stops to drive growth. We can expect from that combined with healthy sales seen above that there is plenty more surprises to come from them yet.

You might be surprised to know that in 2012 the mobile segment didn’t earn a profit for Sony, despite the incredible popularity of devices like the Xperia Z. But that changed in 2013 and mobile too turns a profit. Sony expects that profit to more than double this year too.

If you would like to know more about how Sony performed in any other areas, check out our full coverage here.