Sony’s issues with the Xperia 1 VII might be worse than anyone could’ve imagined
Sony is limiting the sales of its smartphones on even more markets.

Sony Xperia 1 VII | Image credit — PhoneArena
In a move that might signal the end of Sony smartphones in most of Europe, Sony has stopped selling its phones in Finland. The company has removed the listings for the Xperia 1 VII and other models from its Finnish website and those of local retailers and carriers, according to Suomimobiili(translated source).
In an official statement, Sony has confirmed that it’s changing its focus and won’t sell the Xperia 1 VII in Finland. Instead, the company is selling the phone in its stores and through Amazon in select markets in Europe.
Here’s the machine translation of the complete statement Sony shared with Suomimobiili:
The Xperia 1 VII is not available for purchase directly through Sony in Finland. However, we are constantly assessing market profitability and customer demand. We are currently focusing on online shopping channels to provide our customers with a smoother purchasing process. Currently, the Xperia 1 VII can be purchased directly from Sony's official online store and through Amazon in selected European markets. Sony remains committed to fulfilling all maintenance and upgrade obligations for existing customers as usual
Is this the end of Sony mobile?
A quick check of Sony’s local websites across Europe reveals that the Xperia 1 VII isn’t listed on many of them. The ones with existing listings, like Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, show that the flagship and most other models are out of stock.
That would confirm the claims that Sony is downsizing its smartphone business, but it doesn’t answer the question of why the company would do that. The answer might be darker than anyone would’ve guessed.
At the beginning of July, Sony stopped the sales and shipments of the Xperia 1 VII in Japan. The reason was multiple reports for units that were turning off on their own, rebooting sporadically, or failing to turn on entirely.
Soon afterwards, the company announced the same move in Taiwan (translated source) and Hong Kong (translated source). Days later, the company notified consumers in the UK that it was investigating the cause of the issues and “the extent of the affected stock.”
Those issues add up to Sony’s limited release of the Xperia 1 VII, and the rumors that the company might no longer build Xperia smartphones.

Sony Xperia 1 VII | Image credit — PhoneArena
I think there is a big chance Sony will exit the mobile business altogether. The Xperia phones have been facing significant challenges in recent years, leading to lower sales.
The exit from the US market with the Xperia 1 VI, and the limited release of the Xperia 1 VII were signals that Sony doesn’t want to keep investing in its mobile phones. Add to that all the recent issues the company has been having, and the future of Xperia phones appears dire.
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