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Sony is geared up and ready to deliver a creative vision of the future at CES 2020, based the teaser currently occupying the home page of its website. The company isn’t giving away too many details but obviously plans to make a splash at this year’s tech event. Its message is straightforward if vague, pointing to two primary themes.
Specifically, the company says it is set to unveil “a unique vision of the future” at the event. That’s seconded by a promise to bring “creativity and technology together.”
What could this mean for Sony fans?
Sony hasn’t been the most leaked company in the leadup to this year’s CES in Las Vegas, running from January 7 through January 10. But the company has undergone some significant changes in the past several months. Those might indicate or at least hint at the direction it might be headed.
There has been some speculation that the company might reveal more details about its upcoming PlayStation 5. That’s chiefly driven by rumors that started as early as last year about the gaming console. Cutbacks within the company’s mobile division for various regions have added fuel to that. Sony is arguably more well-known for its gaming than its smartphones.
But with the annual E3 expo still months away, taking place in the second week of June, that seems unlikely.
Perhaps the most significant change for Sony has been in its leadership. While its individual units have performed relatively strongly, it’s performance in the mobile market has been relatively lackluster. That has in large part been blamed on its leadership’s decision to keep each of its units separated. In effect, that kept its camera, display, and other divisions from working together to create a smartphone.
Under Sony’s new guidance, that’s no longer the case. That means that Sony’s great photography, screen, gaming, and other units can work together. That’s likely the direction Sony hopes to take at CES 2020, albeit with a focus on creative users and utilizing the joint effort to release something unique.
A flagship and a mid-ranger could pave the way
Alongside Sony’s renewed interest in maintaining and growing its mobile market share, the company has also been rumored to launch two new smartphones this year.
The bigger of Sony’s two expected launches may be held back to MWC 2020 in Barcelona in February. That’s the company’s flagship device, which has traditionally launched at the event.
Based on renders discovered with the World Intellectual Property Organization and prior rumors, the next Sony flagship will pack a hole-punch screen. It will also likely include a Snapdrgon 865 SoC and an OLED panel at the tall but now Sony-standard 21:9 ratio.
Android 10 will most likely fuel that package when it launches. And as many as six cameras might be included in the build. So that device could easily match the description of what Sony plans for CES 2020.
The second smartphone doesn’t necessarily seem likely either since it will likely be a more budget-friendly rendition of the next Sony flagship. But the company may choose to break with tradition and launch that phone first at CES 2020 instead.
Listed as model number K8220 on Geekbench, Sony’s suspected upcoming mid-ranger will likely pack in either a Snapdragon 765 or 765G chipset. The latter chipset would make it possible for Sony to make the handset a 5G-compatible smartphone. 8GB of RAM and Android 10 don’t paint the device as extremely budget-friendly. But that may be just what Sony needs alongside its new leadership tactics to regain market share.