Xperia 5 VI: Sony shares bad news for those awaiting new Xperia 5 release

Over a year has passed since Sony announced the Xperia 5 V (curr. $754 on Amazon). While the company's smartphone release schedules have jumped around a fair bit in the last few years, Sony has introduced a new Xperia 5 smartphone annually in September since 2019, except for the Xperia 5 III. Thus, one could have reasonably expected Sony to announce a new Xperia 5 by now. 

Case manufacturers like Spigen believed that Sony had been developing a sixth-generation Xperia 5, though. Despite not officially confirming as much, a European retailer showcased a Spigen case for the Xperia 5 VI earlier this summer. However, Japanese media now believes that Sony has no plans to release a new Xperia 5 smartphone this year.

Instead, Sony executives are said to have revealed that the Xperia 5 V will remain on shelves at least until the start of the company's next fiscal year. Allegedly, Sony considers a new Xperia 5 redundant for now because of changes in demand, some of which owes to increased adoption of the larger Xperia 1 VI. Please note that this does not necessarily spell the end for the Xperia 5 line. At this stage, we would not rule out the company harmonising the releases of the Xperia 1, Xperia 5 and Xperia 10 in spring 2025.