Sony Faces Trust Crisis After Xperia 1 VII Recall

Sony’s CFO Lin Tao began the latest earnings call with a rare move: a direct apology. “We apologize for the huge inconvenience to our users,” she said, and everyone listening understood exactly what she meant.

The Xperia 1 VII, once pitched as Sony’s big comeback device with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and stunning 4K display, has turned into a customer service disaster. Reports flooded in about units randomly shutting down, rebooting unexpectedly, or dying entirely — far beyond just a handful of complaints.

The situation escalated to the point where Sony halted global sales of the phone. Such a move is almost unheard of for a flagship device, drawing comparisons to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 debacle.

The issue, Sony confirmed, wasn’t a fixable software bug. Instead, a faulty circuit board was to blame — a manufacturing error that caused random restarts and complete device failures, rendering software updates useless.

In response, Sony launched a replacement program. Owners can check if their phone is affected by dialing \*#06# to retrieve their IMEI number and comparing it against Sony’s database of faulty units.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Xperia already holds a small share of the smartphone market, with Sony retreating from the U.S. and losing ground even in Japan. The company needed good press — instead, it’s managing a recall crisis.

Tao reassured stakeholders that smartphones remain important to Sony’s strategy. “Communication technology is a very important technology that Sony has cultivated for a long time,” she said, adding that they intend to continue valuing the smartphone business. But for customers whose premium phones suddenly became useless, such reassurances may feel hollow.

Initially, Sony advised users to try reviving their devices by holding the power and volume up buttons for 20 seconds. When that failed, the company began offering full device replacements for affected IMEIs.

The Xperia 1 VII, launched in May 2025, was meant to showcase Sony’s most refined premium design yet, boasting top-tier specs, pro-grade camera controls, and the brand’s imaging expertise. Instead, it has become a lesson in how quickly quality control failures can derail a flagship product.

For decades, Sony has built its reputation on reliable, well-engineered devices. Xperia fans often remained loyal precisely because they expected better build quality than from mass-market rivals. But a premium phone that fails at random erodes that trust almost instantly.

While past Xperia models have seen their share of issues — from the Xperia Z2’s frame gaps to overheating complaints with the Xperia 1 Pro — none have been as widespread or damaging as the Xperia 1 VII’s breakdown.

Tao’s public apology makes it clear that Sony grasps the seriousness of the situation. Yet, apologies alone cannot restore lost market share or rebuild a tarnished reputation.

The Xperia 1 VII was supposed to reaffirm Sony’s place in the smartphone market. Instead, it risks being remembered as the product that crippled Sony’s mobile ambitions. With recent reports suggesting Sony may stop producing smartphones in its own factories, ensuring rigorous quality control will be crucial to winning back consumer trust.

For those outside the Sony fan base, the question remains: when was the last time you seriously considered an Xperia over offerings from Samsung, OnePlus, or Apple? For loyalists, this incident may force a hard look at whether that loyalty still feels deserved.

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