logo
Fears ‘powerhouse' phone brand to VANISH as all models suddenly out of stock in UK after 33 years

Fears ‘powerhouse' phone brand to VANISH as all models suddenly out of stock in UK after 33 years

The Irish Sun15-07-2025
A MAJOR mobile brand has quietly made all its devices out of stock prompting fears the firm could withdraw from the phone business after 35 years.
Many big names that were popular in the early 2000s have been decimated by the popularity of iPhone and Samsung, as well as cheaper rivals.
Advertisement
3
Forgotten mobile brands have lagged behind iPhone and Android
Credit: Getty
3
Fears Sony could follow LG and pull out entirely
Credit: AFP
And Sony Mobile could be the next to bow out.
The company made waves with Sony Ericsson handsets which helped make it a "powerhouse" in the mobile scene.
Sony has continued to make
But its market share is reported to be less than one per cent in multiple regions across the world.
Advertisement
Read more about mobiles
All the company's current smartphones are marketed as "out of stock" on Sony's website, fuelling speculation of a mobile exit.
A
Experts told The Sun that the writing has been on the wall for some time.
"It seems that the company is retrenching from some markets given the ongoing challenges in the handset business and changing market dynamics," said Paolo Pescatore, an analyst from PP Foresight.
Advertisement
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
"Once a powerhouse, it was one of the few companies to boast a strong a presence in consumer electronics glass-to-glass from content creation with professional cameras through to smartphones and TVs.
"Ultimately with lacklustre sales, stepping back makes sense given the competitive nature of the industry.
Android users warned as major brand shuts down phone business
"However, the company under Sony still seems to remain committed to smartphones under its premium brand which resonates in other markets.
"Moving forward it will still be faced with tough decisions on whether pulling the plug should be made as it currently pivots towards a leaner and more agile business model.
Advertisement
"There's also pride at stake for a company that is rich in consumer electronics."
The Sun has approached Sony for comment.
END OF AN ERA?
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
It's not looking good for Sony Mobile.
If all the signs do point toward a withdrawal from the UK and beyond, this will be the end of some 33 years in the mobile business.
The Japanese tech giant's first commercially available mobile phone, nicked named the "Mars Bar", was released way back in 1992.
Most people will think of Sony Ericsson as the firm's mobile heyday, with some featuring branding from its iconic Walkman too.
At its peak, Sony Ericsson is reported to have had a 9 per cent market share globally.
Most people had forgotten that Sony even made mobiles, so it would be no surprise if the company gave up now.
Of course, Sony has other more successful electronic ventures to focus on instead, such as headphones, cameras, TV and of course PlayStation.
MOST POPULAR MOBILE BRANDS
Samsung holds the crown for top mobile manufacturer based on shipments.
Advertisement
The company sold an estimated 60.6million units in the first quarter of 2025, according to data from
That's a 20.1 per cent share, meaning one in five smartphones are made by Samsung.
Apple follows very closely behind in second, with a 19.5 per cent share.
See the full list below:
Advertisement
Samsung - 20.1 per cent
Apple - 19.5 per cent
Xiaomi - 13.9 per cent
OPPO - 7.8 per cent
Vivo - 7.5 per cent
Others - 31.2 per cent
3
Sony has still be winning awards for its mobiles despite falling popularity
Credit: Getty
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Final warning for 40million Brits as major mobile brand to DELETE accounts in days unless users act now
Final warning for 40million Brits as major mobile brand to DELETE accounts in days unless users act now

The Irish Sun

time9 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Final warning for 40million Brits as major mobile brand to DELETE accounts in days unless users act now

A MAJOR mobile brand has warned that it will offload all of its inactive accounts at the end of the month. The 2 Samsung has sent emails to users who the company believes have inactive accounts Credit: Samsung So, if you haven't used your Samsung account in a while - it's best you do so now. The phone maker is having a big clear out of its Galaxy user accounts , which are used to access apps such as the Galaxy Store and Samsung's native apps like Health and Galaxy Wearables. On 31 July, Samsung will delete Galaxy accounts that haven't been accessed in 24 months - or two years. Samsung has sent emails to users who the company believes have inactive accounts. READ MORE ON SAMSUNG The warning message issued to users reads: "Samsung is implementing an inactive Samsung account policy to protect the data of users who have not used their account for an extended period of time. "Once this policy is implemented Samsung accounts that have not been logged in to or used for twenty-four months will be considered inactive and will be subject to deletion." It means some mobile users may lose their account data - anything from their step count to apps they paid for. Once the data has been deleted, it will not be recoverable. Most read in Tech Users need to log into their Samsung Galaxy account just once in the past 24 months - or between now and the 31 July - to save their accounts. If you're unsure whether your account is at risk, check the email the account is tied to. Receiving Samsung's warning message likely indicates that your account has been inactive for nearly 24 months and should be While Samsung Galaxy accounts can sometimes be tied to a Google account, the Google account will not be affected by the shutdown. Google announced a similar change in 2023, warning account holders that if their profiles hadn't been accessed in two years then they would be deleted. Inactive accounts tend to be jackpots for hackers, so it is wise to delete them in order to protect user data. How to save your Samsung account Simply log into your Samsung account before 31 July. This will mark the account as active to Samsung, and spare it from deletion. Galaxy users who haven't logged in for a while should receive an email from Samsung notifying them of the change. Though, as 2 Users need to log into their Samsung Galaxy account just once in the past 24 months - or between now and the 31 July - to save their accounts Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Last chance before millions of passwords are forgotten FOREVER from popular app feature
Last chance before millions of passwords are forgotten FOREVER from popular app feature

The Irish Sun

time14 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Last chance before millions of passwords are forgotten FOREVER from popular app feature

PASSWORDS will no longer be accessible from a popular mobile app in days as a handy feature is discontinued by Microsoft. within the Microsoft Authenticator app is closing down. 1 Warning has appeared in the app for several months now Credit: The Sun / Jamie Harris Users have Then in July the ability to autofill with Microsoft Authenticator was disabled. But August marks the biggest change of all, with passwords no longer accessible at all in the app. Microsoft hasn't given an exact date but said "from August", so it could end as soon as this week. Read more about passwords Passwords won't be lost entirely, instead you'll have to get them via Microsoft Edge. However, the firm says "any generated passwords not saved will be deleted". An alert in the app currently warns: "To keep autofilling your info, please take action now." Despite the move, Microsoft Authenticator isn't closing down. Most read in Tech It will still function as its main purpose for two-factor authentication and passkeys. The decision comes as tech giants shift away from the aged password which are easily hacked, due to common mistakes like re-used passwords or easily guessed terms. By comparison, Huge Global Data Breach: 16 Billion Accounts at Risk SHOULD I SWITCH TO PASSKEYS? Here's what security expert Chris Hauk, Consumer Privacy Advocate at Pixel Privacy, told The Sun... 'Passwords are both hard to remember and in most cases, easy to guess. "I would venture to say that most users (especially older users) will reuse passwords, simply because of all of the websites and apps that require sign-ins. "While password managers do help, they are at best, a stopgap measure and do not offer full-ranging security for your login information. "Passkeys offer the advantage of eliminating the need to enter an email address and password to log in. "This is especially handy when users are logging in on an iPhone or Android device. "Passkeys have multiple advantages over passwords. Passkeys cannot be shared or guessed. "Passkeys are unique to the website or app they are created for, so they cannot be used to login elsewhere like a reused password can. "Plus, passkeys cannot be stolen in a data breach, as the passkeys are not stored on the company's servers. "But are instead are a private key stored only on your device, where biometric authentication (like face ID or Touch ID) is required to use the passkey.' Image credit: Getty

Vine comeback? Elon Musk teases return with a 'desecrating' twist
Vine comeback? Elon Musk teases return with a 'desecrating' twist

Extra.ie​

timea day ago

  • Extra.ie​

Vine comeback? Elon Musk teases return with a 'desecrating' twist

Elon Musk has announced that he is planning to bring back the iconic social media platform Vine – but with a not so iconic twist. Vine, which was essentially the 2010's version of TikTok, was acquired by Twitter in 2012 and had its plug pulled in 2017. Vine launched an iOS app in 2013 and quickly followed it with a Windows and Android version. The concept was that users could make quick, six-second videos that could easily be shared on other social media platforms. Musk's announcement was greeted by responses like 'Why does he ruin everything he touches?' Pic: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images The app itself was not only used to upload content but could also be used to browse uploaded videos and find other creators. It set the tone for the likes of Instagram Reels and TikTok. Its slow shut down began in 2016 when Twitter took down the mobile app and disabled uploads to the platform. Despite it having over 200 million active users at one stage, Twitter did not know how to effectively monetize the popular app and couldn't pay content creators to stick around. Musk has involved AI in a lot of his recent ventures. Pic:Existing content was still viewable for a few more months but on January 17, 2017, it officially no longer existed. However, it now looks like Vine could be brought back from the dead but not in a way that many of the nostalgic lovers of the app will want. Elon Musk tweeted: 'We're bringing back Vine, but in AI form.' We're bringing back Vine, but in AI form — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2025 The owner of X, formerly Twitter, didn't give any further explanation of what that could mean or what it could look like. X users were quick to share how they feel about an AI version of Vine and – as usual – they made their feelings about Elon abundantly clear. One user wrote: 'Why does he ruin everything he touches?' Another added: 'Stop forcing AI to our faces.' A third shared: 'He just has to ruin everything omfg.' Yet another agreed: 'He better not desecrate Vine like this… A whole app for 6 second AI slop?' Considering how much Elon has tried to make his AI assistant 'Grok' work on X since he bought Twitter, it comes as no surprise that he would try to dedicate a whole other app to glamourising AI. Thoughts? Feelings? Opinions?

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store