Sony's mobile business is definitely going through a rough patch recently and sadly things aren't really looking up, especially after the less than successful Xperia Z3+ flagship. Still, we shouldn’t be too worried about the Japanese tech giant, as its diverse business is hardly going under. On the contrary, the company's Q2 financial report cites a whopping $780 million in operating profits, which is a 39% annual increase.


This all comes from a quarterly revenue of $14.5 billion, which is 0.1% down on a year to year basis.
Among the best performers are the music division, which now generated profit of $256 million, up 173% year-on-year. The camera sensor business has also been sprawling - up 164% to a total of $244 million. And finally, the real A-student has definitely been Sony's console business. It is up the whopping 350% and reeled in a total of $157 million during the quarter.

Sony claims that the PlayStation 4 has been outselling the Xbox one on an international scale. Console sales are up for another major boom, with China's 14 year console ban coming to a close, so we expect even better sales in the months to come.

This all has proven enough to offset the poor performance of a couple of other Sony divisions, like Sony pictures, which has $94 million in losses. The mobile division has really been struggling with a loss of $184 million, 16% worse than the same period of last year.

Hopefully Sony will manage to turn things around as the new, proper, Xperia Z5 flagship arrives in the Fall.

As it turns out, Motorola’s teaser invites did have a hidden message, and the company went out and announced three phones today. We already told you about the Moto G (3rd gen) and as it appears, the constant leaks surrounding it were mostly a distraction from even more intriguing announcements.


Motorola unveiled today the Moto X Style and Moto X Play – a flagship and an upper-midranger with plenty of “best-in-class” features, as the presenters were keen to point out on numerous occasions.

Motorola Moto X Style

The Moto X Style is the top model of the bunch, with the specs to prove it. It comes with a 5.7-inch QHD display with an exemplary 76% screen-to-body ratio. Motorola has managed to retain the front-facing stereo speakers as well, which makes the comparison to the Apple iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S6 even more impressive.


The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 808, a notch below Qualcomm’s flagship S810, but also LG’s choice for their current top model, the G4. There’s a 1.8GHz hexa-core CPU inside the chip, complemented by 3GB of RAM. Three storage options will be available, and the built-in 16/32/64GB will be expandable by up to 128GB via microSD.

The Moto X Style sports a 21MP primary camera, with an f/2.0 lens and phase detection autofocus, joined by what's dubbed a Dual Color Correlated Temperature (CCT) flash. Of course, the camera is capable of recording 4K video, in HDR too.

Motorola stresses that DxO rated the Moto X Style’s camera as one of the top three cameras in the world. No such claims are being made about the front snapper, but it does feature a 5MP sensor, 87-degree wide-angle lens, and a front-facing flash.

The smartphone comes with a 3,000mAh battery, which isn't record breaking but Motorola pointed out that the Moto X Style offers fast charging with a bundled TurboCharger 25, which will get you 34% of charge in as little as 15 minutes.


Now, there’s a reason why it’s called the Style, and part of that lies in the smoothly curved back with finely textured silicone rubber. A multitude of colors will be available, but also real wood panels as well as high-quality Horween leather backs. Not only that, but you’ll be able to choose among three different frame color options.


Exclusive to the US, there will be a Moto X Pure Edition, basically a Moto X Style, targeted at the free-spirited customer. It will be a carrier-unlocked version, sold directly from Motorola and it will support the LTE networks of all four major carriers in the country.

A recurrent theme throughout Motorola’s keynote was pricing, though obvious regional considerations prevented precise numbers. Still, the Motorola Moto X Style will cost $399 in the States, unlocked. Perhaps the only fly in the ointment is that you won’t be able to get one until September.

Motorola Moto X Play

The Moto X Play is the lower-specced of the two Xs but it does offer a balanced package geared towards better longevity.

This model comes with a slightly smaller 5.5-inch FullHD display, Snapdragon 615 chipset and 2GB of RAM. Only two storage options are present - 16GB and 32GB, but the microSD slot can provide an additional 128GB.


The 21MP f/2.0 camera has been carried over from the Style, though video capture is limited to 1080p (the S615 doesn’t support 2160p on a hardware level). The front shooter is a 5MP unit again, though it’s lost the flash in this model.

It is battery life Motorola is after with this one, and it comes with a 3,630mAh battery, which the company claims is good for 48 hours of mixed use. There’s fast charging supported, though the TurboCharger 15 is optional.


The Moto X Play will cost $299 and will be available sooner, with 60 countries globally getting it in August.