On June 23rd, Gizcoupon reported that Qualcomm and Sony had entered into a long-term strategic partnership agreement. In the future, Sony’s next-generation flagship, high-end, and mid-range smartphones will all adopt Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform.
Qualcomm stated that through this collaboration, both parties will work together to integrate the Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform into Sony’s future smartphone product line. Additionally, they will collaborate in developing the next generation of smartphones. Hiroshi Hamaguchi, the head of Sony Mobile, expressed that the new Xperia 1 V, equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, has exceeded consumers’ expectations and received high praise.
Industry experts believe that this means that Qualcomm has strengthened and consolidated customer relationships. In the coming years, regardless of the price range, Sony smartphones will all be powered by Qualcomm processors, reducing opportunities to collaborate with other processor suppliers. Previously, a Sony device with the model number XQ-DS99 was leaked on the GeekBench database. However, it was equipped with a MediaTek 8000 processor.
The specific details of their collaboration have not been disclosed. However, Sumahodigest, a Japanese media outlet, pointed out that Qualcomm has discussed customized processor services with Sony. Additionally, the collaboration is expected to expand to handheld gaming devices. Furthermore, there are rumors that Qualcomm may produce a portion of processors and peripheral chips at Sony 2nm wafer fab Rapidus and the Kumamoto factory, a joint venture between Sony and TSMC.
Gizcoupon notes that their collaboration has deepened in recent years. In 2021, they jointly established a camera and vision laboratory in San Diego, California. Additionally, Qualcomm 5G NR mmWave laboratory in Farnborough, UK, was the first to be used by Sony.