Sony Teases New Flagship Xperia Smartphone That Probably Won’t Come to the US

May 07, 2025

Jeremy Gray

Sony will announce its next Xperia smartphone next week.

Sony teased the announcement with a new 28-second YouTube video on the company’s dedicated Xperia channel. The short, flashy video does not offer much detail, but the tagline, “Next ONE is Coming,” points toward what is likely to be the successor to the Sony Xperia 1 VI smartphone announced last May.

Four friends sit in the front seats of a vehicle, smiling and crowded together as they take a selfie with a smartphone. Sunlight streams through the windows, creating a cheerful and adventurous atmosphere.

As shown in the teaser video, which delivers a brief glimpse at the new phone, the next Xperia phone will, like its predecessors, utilize Sony Alpha imaging technology. The video shows Sony’s new a1 II camera, which is still extremely hard to find thanks to its immense popularity, and Sony’s FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master portrait prime lens. Now, obviously, a smartphone cannot match the image quality of either the full-frame a1 II or the brilliant optical performance of the 50mm f/1.2 GM. Still, Sony has worked hard to combine relatively large smartphone image sensors and high-end optics in its Xperia devices to deliver class-leading smartphone photo and video performance.

A person with short hair sits in a vehicle, holding a smartphone sideways to take a photo. A travel mug and papers are on the dashboard, and a road with greenery is visible through the window.

Generally speaking, Sony has succeeded on that front. The Xperia 1 VI, for example, combines three Zeiss T*-equipped lenses to deliver 16mm, 24mm, 48mm, and 85-170mm equivalent focal length ranges. Of course, Sony’s Xperia smartphones also feature Sony’s Exmor image sensors, which are utilized by many third-party smartphone makers as well.

A glowing outline of a smartphone with colorful neon lines behind it, a camera in the foreground, and text announcing the Xperia New Product Announcement on 13 May, 2025, with event details and hashtag #NextXperia. — Given the lack of North American time zones in Sony’s Xperia teaser, it is a safe bet that the smartphone, like the Xperia 1 VI, won’t make it stateside.

Despite compelling photographic hardware and purpose-built software, Sony’s Xperia smartphones have struggled to gain market share in a crowded market. The company’s most recent flagship device, the Xperia 1 VI, never made it to the United States at all, as Sony decided it was not worth it. Given that Sony’s new Xperia teaser does not feature a time zone conversion for anywhere in North America — it only shows Japan and Central European announcement times — it is a safe bet that the U.S. will be skipped yet again.

PetaPixel will have all the details on Sony’s new Xperia smartphone next week when it is announced on May 13 at 11 AM JST, which is 7 PM PDT on May 12.

 Image credits: Sony