Sony’s phones have looked mostly the same for the last four years, but it sounds like they could finally be in for a change. In an interview with Indian Express, Sony’s managing director for India, Kenichiro Hibi, said that the company is “planning to launch [a] new generation of products, and you can expect a complete new design from the devices.”
There’s no timeline on when those redesigned devices might arrive, but the earliest would likely be next year. Sony typically unveils major phones at Mobile World Congress, in February, and then again at IFA, in August. So we’re probably going to be waiting until at least this coming February to see anything. Indian Express reports that Hibi said the new design would arrive “soon.”
Gearing up for bezel-less phones
To some extent, a new design may be a necessity at this point. Companies are continuing to narrow down the bezels around their flagship phones’ screens, and Sony’s long-used design includes some very prominent portions above and below the display. It sounds like part of the impetus for this change is because Sony plans to release a phone with a taller screen, potentially adopting an 18:9 aspect ratio, and tinier bezels like its competition.
Sony’s current design language goes back to at least the first Xperia Z, in 2013. While the blocky, glossy design was a really cool look for a couple years, Sony’s refinements have taken away some of the charm. And in a market where Sony is going up against phones with nearly full-screen front faces, its Xperia design has started to look pretty tired.
Now, let’s hope it can finally ship a fingerprint sensor in the US, too.