No Xperia love: Sony uses Apple iPhones in European marketing material

Sony has yet again been caught choosing Apple iPhones over its own Xperia phones in surprising circumstances. The Japanese company had previously utilized iPhones in its CES 2025 exhibition booth, despite the fact it has had high-end equipment such as the Xperia PRO-I and Xperia 1 V available for sale in the US at one point or another (CES takes place in Las Vegas). Although it has been argued that using iPhones showed compatibility with Sony equipment (cameras, vehicle processing platform), the same cannot be said for this latest faux pas.

A recent Reddit post (shared by u/xdmt3O) shows the tip of the iceberg. The OP points out that they spotted iPhones being used in Sony marketing material over on the official German website. However, a further look at the depths of this iceberg reveals that Sony has decided to use this same iPhone image on many of its European sites. At the time of writing, the image can be found on the home page of Sony's UK, France, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Spain country sites. It’s a lot of exposure for a product that the Sony Xperia 1 VI has to compete with.

The likely Apple iPhone 16 models (regular and Plus/Max sizes shown for that additional free exposure) are being used to advertise a promotion for the Sony Inzone M10S Gaming Monitor, with a 12-month Fnatic Plus membership offered with applicable purchases. It is fair to state that the Sony Xperia 1 VI, which we rated a good 86%, would surely have been the better selection for this particular marketing material. It’s not like Apple needs assistance from its competition to shift more iPhone units, whereas the Xperia line needs all the help it can get, especially from its owner.