While many consumers are waiting for Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. to unveil new mobile devices, Sony Corp. is also trying to share some of the spotlight.

Next month will likely see new gadgets from the industry’s biggest players – and others trying to stay relevant in the market.

For weeks, technology blog sites have been talking about Sony’s new flagship smartphone, codenamed Honami, and some blogs have recently reported that the Japanese company, known for its Bravia televisions and PlayStation game consoles, plans to launch the phone at an event in Berlin Sept. 4, ahead of the annual IFA consumer electronics trade show there. According to the blogs, the new smartphone will likely come with a 20-megapixel camera using Sony’s own image sensor, as the company tries to differentiate its flagship model.

Sony has announced the Sept. 4 event, but hasn’t said what exactly it will unveil there.

Over the past year, Sony has been stepping up its effort to become a major smartphone vendor. Even though the company is still a minor competitor in the U.S. mobile market, it has gained some ground in Japan and Europe.

The new flagship phone would succeed the current flagship model, the Xperia Z, a water-resistant smartphone with a 5-inch screen. Sony first unveiled the Xperia Z in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in the U.S., and sales have been strong in Japan and Europe, according to the company.

Sony’s new smartphone will likely face an uphill battle as Apple and Samsung are also expected to unveil their new devices soon.

Apple has asked assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. to start shipping both a new high-end iPhone and a less expensive iPhone in early September, people familiar with the matter recently told The Wall Street Journal.  According to AllThingsD, Apple is planning a product launch event on Sept. 10.

Samsung, meanwhile, is planning to launch a new Galaxy Note smartphone and a smartwatch called the Galaxy Gear at an event Sept. 4, people familiar with the matter have told The Journal.

In the second quarter through June, Samsung was the world’s largest smartphone vendor with a 30% share by shipment, while Apple held 13%, according to research firm IDC, way ahead of the third-largest vendor LG Electronics Inc., which held 5.1%.

By: DocMemory
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