My open letter to Sony

[G+_Duncan Jaffrey]

My open letter to Sony.

 

Dear Sony Xperia,  your Flagship Mobile devices balance on the edge of greatness (hope you got my pun). Had the Z3 included Qi charging I most likely would have purchased one, had it also come in a Google Play Edition I would have defiantly bought one.

 

Processors

We unfortunately stand on the 32 to 64 bit cusp for android. I am unsure if I would buy any mobile from now on that isn't 64 bit, not that it is needed now but future proofing is important (Not sure why as I get a new phone every 12 - 18 months but I like to keep them). Unfortunately the availability of the snapdragon 810 (clearly this will be the chip of choice at this stage) is slated for commercial release as "first half of 2015" that's a big window. Waiting for this chip may be worth it (that said I know your product road map is well and truly cemented)

 

Your camera sensors are simply excellent and your android CAMERA software is in the top 2 or 3 in the android ecosystem depending on situation.

 

This brings me to your OEM skin. I'm sorry, apart from you fantastic imaging processing algorithms I do not feel you improve the android UI or UX any way. I do not want, Walkman, Sony movie or any other additional software, if I want it I'll download it. Offer it in the play store, make it compelling and then I'll consider it, bundle some content if you want to entice people to try your apps.

 

Your challenge is to allow your simply fantastic hardware to get into the hands of more android users, to achieve this I recommended you:

1

continue to build and iterate phones the way you have the z series (not a fan of the glass back due to cracks, but I don't like plastic or metal either so you choose, it’s not a real deal breaker). Perhaps offer great quality bumpers and slim cases to complement your designs.

Your build quality, dual front facing stereo speakers, water resistance, dedicated camera button and other great features truly define the premium android experience, build on this.

2

maintain the sd card and higher storage options that many users want

3

add in the remaining "power user" hardware options that prevent some users from purchasing, eg fast charging, Qi charging, USB C? Not having these will simply turn away some customers, whilst including them will alienate no one. For me Qi is table stakes for example.

4

make sure you use top quality components, the GPS, modems and radios have to be top notch, they must work well at all times,

5

don't chase useless specs, eg in the mobile world battery life is king, I would suggest that the vast majority of humans cannot adequately tell the difference between a 5.2" 1080p and QHD display. I'm sure they are nice but save the battery performance until the screens and processors to support the higher resolutions are truly ready.

6

Camera, this my Sony friends is where you can really make your stand. I think we can all agree that the camera experience across android is inconsistent at best. I have dreaded loading up my camera app to take even a simple photo on every one of my android phones, the same cannot be said for iPhones of which I have used many.

I do not fully understand the partition system in Android but if you can place your app in a protected partition so your valuable imaging Intellectual Property cannot be stolen and if you can load your image algorithms into a fast, intuitive camera app that is responsive, has fast auto focus, can take "action shots" (a moving toddler eg) and provides consistently good photos across a spectrum of lighting conditions you will have won the android camera market. This will drive your phone sales like nothing. I can assure you there a many people who are wanting an improved camera phone experience, and you are already 90% of the way there.

7

Release internationally in a smooth way. People in Germany, England, Australia and the USA (and everywhere else) should all know on announcement day when they can get your phone. The truly successful mobile OEMS do it this way, even if its phased.

8.

Sony you are Sony and to many people that brand is still associated with excellent quality hardware, your decades of success has been in great hardware, focus on that and partner with Google or anther android Software UI developer to create your UI, I’m sorry yours is horrible. Even with custom launchers and apps the changes you have made to the base system is not good and a turn off.

 

Sony I want you to succeed. I want a top of the line Sony Z4/5/6 with a minimal software experience without any bloat ware. I want a fantastic camera experience that you are uniquely positioned to provide. Deliver a truly premium product with a clean UI and you will define the top tier android experience, but hurry, other manufactures are improving their hardware fast, and if they beat you to the UI and camera game all will be lost.

 

Signed a lifelong Sony customer.

[G+_Jeroen]

Agreed with almost everything you said. I love the Sony hardware, and even though I own an Xperia Tablet I will not consider a Sony phone or tablet as long as it will not run (near) vanilla Android. On my tablet I have to disable over 20 apps I don't want or need. Also the UI overlay does nothing but add bloat and waste storage space.

Sony, please take the Motorola road. Add software support for hardware innovations and add truly useful functions but don't overhaul the IMO beautiful look Android has these days.

And if you're going to add Sony apps please just let me uninstall the ones I don't need.

[G+_Daniel Gomes]

Personally I think Sony has a good balance with their software. Near stock but some nice useful additions that add value and make it distinctive.

 

The only problem is that most people don't know how brilliant their phones are. They need better marketing and promotion really. Even tech reviewers always forget Sony when making comparisons or recommendations.

 

If the marketing were better I think sales would be better too