For one reason or another, the fine folks at Sony Mobile have done the math and come to the conclusion that the UK and Germany will not be receiving their top of the line flagship phone, the Xperia X Performance. Now mind you that these are two of the wealthiest countries in the EU so it almost seems like if there is any place to release them, it would be there. I’m hoping that Sony has some kind of internal data that proves a different picture, be it a much reduced mindshare for Sony there or too much competition from others for it to make it worth their while – though the Xperia X and Xperia XA will be released there.

But this much is clear, the Xperia X Performance is not headed to the UK or Germany. Except that it sort of maybe now might be coming to the UK but in the half assed way we’ve come to know and love Sony for.

From Sony UK:

 The Xperia X Performance was published on the Sony Mobile GB website in error and will not be available to buy SIM free from our Sony E-Shop. It may however be available in the UK in limited numbers via select distribution partners. 

First, let’s talk about how much of a non-answer that is. If Sony isn’t ready yet to talk about distribution partners in the UK, even if it’s limited, why even bother mentioning it? Instead, a typical response stating the listing was an error would have done just fine. Second, this entire situation is the result of Sony shutting down their online store worldwide and so if they want to do anything, even if it’s launching a phone in small quantities, they cannot as success is forever tied to partners like Amazon, Carphone Warehouse, etc.

And third and perhaps more importantly, why even bother? If true, Sony is operating under some illusion that there are legions of fans awaiting the arrival of the Xperia X Performance and that if they launch it in a limited quantity, they might move (sell) some meaningful numbers. The truth is that with the company’s diminished mindshare among consumers and stiff competition from rivals, Sony either has to launch in a country and do it properly with retail partners and marketing, or they don’t.

Not even Samsung, Sony’s closest direct competitor, could release a phone online in limited quantities and expect to see any kind of success from it. Perhaps only Apple is capable of doing this but that’s because of years of rapport they’ve built with consumers on top of their strong ecosystem where they can unveil a new MacBook or iPhone SE without typical airwave marketing and see success. However, even in their case, Apple operates nearly 500 stores worldwide (39 in the UK) alongside the many smaller kiosks and mini stores they have within Target and Best Buy.

So call me baffled but Sony has me confused on both ends of the spectrum. I don’t see any reason why they would be skipping out in the UK, but I also don’t see any reason to do such a limited availability that would result in them moving perhaps thousands of devices which is meaningless for a billion dollar company. Though unofficial, if the Xperia X Performance did launch in the UK, it’s expected to carry a £549 price tag.

Discuss:

Do you think it makes sense for Sony to bring the Xperia X Performance to the UK in a limited way?

[Via Recombu]