Leaked Sony 'Xperia Compact' Images Confirm Android-Based iPhone 12 Mini Rival on the Way

[MacRumors]

Coming in at 5.4-inches, Apple's iPhone 12 mini is one of the smallest premium smartphones on the market, and has received a broadly positive reception amongst its owners, despite reports of lackluster sales compared to Apple's larger iPhone 12 models.

The reason for the smaller margin of iPhone 12 mini sales compared to the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max is likely a sign of a change in the way people use their smartphones, combined with rapidly evolving market forces, particularly in China, where Apple has recently made further inroads and where larger devices have historically been more popular.

The size of the iPhone 12 mini harks back to the early days of smartphones – the original iPhone had a 3.5-inch display, for example, while devices above 4 to 5 inches were considered "phablet" territory just a few years ago. However, times have changed, and with phones now increasingly used for video consumption and gaming, larger devices have become the norm.

The original iPhone, circa 2007​

Yet whether because of its pocket convenience, conduciveness to little (and perhaps younger) hands, or its ability to be used singlehandedly, the continued lure of the smaller form factor device remains, and it's not a desire limited to Apple users, either. Since the launch of the iPhone 12 mini, many people have been left wondering if another smartphone company might step up to the plate and offer an equivalent rival Android offering.

Enter, Sony.

Serial leaker Stever Hemmerstoffer (@Onleaks) on Sunday revealed newly leaked images of the company's upcoming Compact Xperia, a 5.5-inch device that's smaller than its 2017 predecessor, the popular but relatively short-lived 5.7-inch Xperia XZ1.

Measuring 140 x 68.9 x 8.9mm, it's slightly larger than the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini (131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4mm), but whenever it launches, it will be the standout contender for the smallest Android phone on the market, given current similar rivals.

Consider that the Pixel 5, which some see as Google's equivalent to the iPhone 12 mini, comes in at a not-insignificant 6-inches (measuring 144.7 x 70.4 x 8mm), while the Galaxy S20 – the smallest in Samsung's latest lineup – is nearly an inch larger than Apple's device.

Returning to Sony's yet-to-be-released 5.5-inch Xperia Compact successor, the phone has a flat display that's surrounded by thick bezels and a chin, while an 8-megapixel selfie camera lies within its water-drop shaped notch. On the rear is a dual-lens setup in a vertical array featuring a 13-megapixel main camera.

A fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button – similar to Touch ID on the latest iPad Air – and a 3.5mm mini jack sits in the top of the phone for those who prefer wired headphones.

Other than that, not much else is known about the new Xperia Compact, suffice to say that it appears to be a direct response to Apple's decision to resurrect the small form factor phone. In which case, its relative success or failure in the Android market will be interesting to compare to the iPhone 12 mini's apparently mixed fortunes against Apple's other flagship 2021 offerings thus far.

Article Link: Leaked Sony 'Xperia Compact' Images Confirm Android-Based iPhone 12 Mini Rival on the Way

 

[GuilleA]

The guy in the picture has gigantic hands. The mini is not that small.

 

[Blackstick]

The only person I've ever seen with an Xperia is Nathan Drake, and he literally lives inside a Sony Playstation.

 

[Spike1999]

Prior to joining IOS, Sonys were my favourite Android device. I’m hoping now it’ll make Apple release more smaller handsets as many prefer smaller phones.

 

[Spock]

I wonder how well going back to the smaller form factor will work for Android versus the iPhone. I know the mini isn’t selling well for Apple.

 

[JosephAW]

Why would Apple competitors build an iPhone mini competitor that only generates 6% of Apple’s sales?
We’re not getting the whole story from Apple. They blew it when they set the price way above the previous SE 2 price of $399.

 

[B4U]

Sony never really gave up on making flagship devices in smaller package.
Had the Z3 compact and still love it.

 

[contacos]

that's the first okay looking Xperia phone in my opinion. I never liked their boxed like look

 

[nwcs]

The only reason I haven’t bought the 12 mini yet is I want to actually hold it in my hands first. With covid and my local Apple store being closed to browsers it hinders my ability to hold the device and be confident it’s what I’m looking for. I think I’m not entirely alone in that which may be a small (or not) part of why the 12 mini hasn’t sold as well as people expected.

I’m just not someone who wants to spend a lot of time playing games or watching video on small (yes, I consider even the 10.5” iPad smallish) screens.

 

[mazz0]

Why would Apple competitors build an iPhone mini competitor that only generates 6% of Apple’s sales?
We’re not getting the whole story from Apple. They blew it when they set the price way above the previous SE 2 price of $399.

I don’t understand the comparison with an SE model. This isn’t *meant* to be the cheap option, it’s meant to be the small option.

 

[BootsWalking]

Sony has been struggling in the smartphone space for some time. This might finally give them a unique offering that has a chance to sell well. Yes, I know the 12 Mini is reported to have not sold well but that is only relative to the 100+ millions of larger iPhones Apple sells. Sony would kill to have a phone that sells in numbers approaching the 12 Mini.

 

[kc9hzn]

I honestly didn’t realize Sony was still even making phones. Sony’s phone offerings really haven’t had much to differentiate them from their other Android competitors, beyond the occasional gimmick like the Xperia Play.

Considering that Sony was pretty much THE mobile gadget company when I was a kid, it’s surprising to see how poorly they’ve performed for the past 10-20 years. Personally, I think they tried too hard to be everything for everyone (including the record industry) in portable audio. There was a point in the early 2000s that, if it was a market segment in the portable audio industry, Sony had a Walkman model in it. Cassette Walkman players were still a thing (and it was what I could afford at the time), their range of CD Walkman players supported CD-RW and ATRAC and even MP3 audio on disc, they competed in the SD card MP3 player space with a Memory Stick based Walkman, Sony even had a hard drives based Net Walkman to try to compete with the iPod, and they had MiniDisc and Hi-MD to fill any remaining gaps. All the while, Sonic Stage was more restricted than (and all in all just didn’t run as well as) iTunes. I legitimately think that Sony would have been in a better place to compete in the smartphone market if they hadn’t been backing every audio horse under the sun.

 

[Spike1999]

Sony has been struggling in the smartphone space for some time. This might finally give them a unique offering that has a chance to sell well. Yes, I know the 12 Mini is reported to have not sold well but that is only relative to the 100+ millions of larger iPhones Apple sells. Sony would kill to have a phone that sells in numbers approaching the 12 Mini.

Sony do make quality phones, their marketing department needs sacking.

 

[The Game 161]

if the mini didn't sell well this sure as hell won't

 

[d686546s]

Consider that the Pixel 5, which some see as Google's equivalent to the iPhone 12 mini

I really don't know why this comparison is so persistent. I had the Pixel 5 and it is not compact. It isn't massive either, but it's only ever so marginally smaller than the regular iPhone 12, so it's by no means an equivalent to the 12 Mini.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Isn't that just like Sony of today? Trying to compete in a losing market. Apple is realizing they aren't able to sell a small iPhone, and are shifting manufacturing away from it, and Sony comes, charging over the horizon thinking they will Own The World Of Small Phones. A world that practically doesn't exist. But it might do wonders for Apple's anemic sales of the 12 mini. People will get a look at the Sony and think, 'Gee, too bad Apple doesn't make something like this. Oh, they do? Well, I'd rather have an Apple than Sony baloney.' What, it could happen just like that... *shrug*

Okay, okay, this does sound pretty good, but it's a Droid phone. It's also kinda large (haven't compared the size yet with the 12 pro max) and NOT a 'mini killer'. That being said, would a Droid based phone the same size as the iPhone 12 mini be enough to drag people from Apple for a 'better camera'? How much can Sony cram into that small of a device. I don't think the 12 mini is a 'loss leader', but it is a rather odd market. My impression is that most people wanting better cameras and memory, etc, are looking for a larger form factor device. Why else would Apple use a lesser camera in the mini, except possibly they just couldn't fit it in the case.

I honestly have to say I thought Sony's earlier phones were a joke. That they are still int he business means they are doing something right, apparently, but that doesn't mean they can hit the sweet spot in a small full feature phone. Maybe they can, but the market would just seem to be a little too convoluted. Like a mini-SUV. Why? Or an SUV-sized 2 seat car. Again, why. *shrug* maybe there would be a market for such vehicles, but I doubt it would be large enough to make enough money to make it worth it. *shrug* But HDMI out on a cell phone, apparently without a raft of dongles and pricey adapters? Nice...

 

[adamdport]

I love my mini but wish it had the premium (zoom) camera

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Sony never really gave up on making flagship devices in smaller package.
Had the Z3 compact and still love it.

Exactly. "Enter, Sony," as the article says isn't exactly accurate. Though, to be fair, about a year ago, I went on a search for the smallest flagship phone, and even Sony's had grown bigger than I'd like.

 

[SWAON]

I don't remember requesting iPhone 12 mini wannabe!?

 

[I7guy]

Phone looks nice. Good luck Sony.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Sony do make quality phones, their marketing department needs sacking.

100% agree. They've made quality phones for a long, long time, but they have trouble making sure people know about their phones.

 

[Techwatcher]

Why a rival? No one even wants the iPhone 12 Mini.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

On thinking after my comment, I would be impressed if Sony could shrink a phone down to the size of the iPod nano. Something like the 7th gen Nano. THAT would be a game changer...

 

[ian87w]

If analyst thinks the iPhone 12 mini sales are low, they haven’t looked at the sales of Sony phones, let alone a mini version Sony ditched their compact line for a reason. It would be funny the current even smaller Sony mobile revived that model.

 

[blazerunner]

I honestly didn’t realize Sony was still even making phones. Sony’s phone offerings really haven’t had much to differentiate them from their other Android competitors, beyond the occasional gimmick like the Xperia Play.

Considering that Sony was pretty much THE mobile gadget company when I was a kid, it’s surprising to see how poorly they’ve performed for the past 10-20 years. Personally, I think they tried too hard to be everything for everyone (including the record industry) in portable audio. There was a point in the early 2000s that, if it was a market segment in the portable audio industry, Sony had a Walkman model in it. Cassette Walkman players were still a thing (and it was what I could afford at the time), their range of CD Walkman players supported CD-RW and ATRAC and even MP3 audio on disc, they competed in the SD card MP3 player space with a Memory Stick based Walkman, Sony even had a hard drives based Net Walkman to try to compete with the iPod, and they had MiniDisc and Hi-MD to fill any remaining gaps. All the while, Sonic Stage was more restricted than (and all in all just didn’t run as well as) iTunes. I legitimately think that Sony would have been in a better place to compete in the smartphone market if they hadn’t been backing every audio horse under the sun.

That's not why their dominance in portable audio players ended.

It was SonicStage.

They easily had superior MP3 players to anyone on the market back in around 2006. The Sony NW-HD5 was amazing; 20gb internal storage, way smaller size than an iPhone, way better sound quality, a removable battery (thank god) AND... waaaaay longer battery life.

And they crippled it badly with SonicStage; you didn't transfer MP3s to the device; you had to convert them to ATRAC in order to have your music on the player. This was a HUGE downfall. And this wasn't only the case with their hard drive players that competed against the iPod, it was also the case for their little flash based players like the NW-A605 that held 1gb of data AND their MiniDisc recorders/players; and this one was a big one; they had an incredible platform for the MiniDisc where each disc held about 305mb for an 80 minute disc. This was huge in the 90s and they kept the format locked down to ATRAC... and kept doing this even when they released Hi-MD with discs at 1gb each in 2004.

Image wanting to copy your music library of thousands of songs really quickly to a device but needing to convert to ATRAC first for each one... and back then this wasn't as quick of a process like today with fast multi-core CPUs.

Sony screwed up BIG TIME. When they finally accepted the MP3 format to play natively on their devices it was way too late.