Two reason given by Sony why they stay in Smartphone
Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki
5G, is one of the reason, they don't want to depend on foreign company to provide it
"I would like to say a few things about the importance of 5G wireless technology in the context of our strategy for the smartphone business going forward. By enabling high-speed communication, low-latency and simultaneous connectivity, 5G, which is expected to be commercialized in the near future, is a technology which we view as having immense potential, since it can connect all portable devices to the cloud.
"In order to fully utilize this leading-edge technology, we need to retain in-house our fundamental research capability and capability to create related applications. By continuing to work on 5G in our smartphone business, we are aiming to develop 5G technology as a competency that can be used across the Sony Group."
CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said, "
we see smartphones as hardware for entertainment and a component necessary to make our hardware brand sustainable. And younger generations no longer watch TV. Their first touch point is smartphone."