Is Sony going to axe its Compact range of Xperia smartphones?

• A Sony executive reportedly said people want smartphones with bigger screens now.
• The comment suggests that Sony could abandon or de-emphasize the Compact family.
• The news comes roughly a month after Xperia XZ4 Compact renders apparently leaked.

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Sony is one of the few brands offering smaller flagship-level smartphones, having launched its Xperia Compact line back in 2014. Now, it seems like the Japanese firm is having a hard look at the device family.

"We stuck with Compact for a very long time, because of the ease of use," Don Mesa, Sony Mobile's vice-president for marketing, told Digital Trends (h/t: XDA). "There's always room for different sizes, but people want a lot more surface area for their content now."

This statement isn't quite confirmation that the company has abandoned the Compact series. But at the very least, it shows that Sony acknowledges the move towards big screens. The statement could also suggest that the last few smaller phones didn't meet the company's sales expectations compared to the bigger variants.

It would be a shame if the company decides to ditch the Compact line, as Sony essentially had the small screen flagship market to itself. Then again, what's the point if that particular market is dwindling in favor of larger devices?

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The news also comes barely a month after Xperia XZ4 Compact renders supposedly leaked via OnLeaks. So the renders could mean the phone is still on-track for release despite the comments. There's also the possibility that Sony cancelled the device at the last minute, or that the leaks weren't accurate in the first place and the firm didn't have Compact plans at all for 2019.

It'd truly be the end of an era if the company decides to ditch the series. Aside from battery size and screen resolution, Sony's smaller phones generally had the same cameras, IP rating, and horsepower as its larger stablemates.

The Compact phones were also cheaper than the bigger devices, which makes me wonder whether Sony should try pitting the line-up against Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Huawei before giving up altogether.

Would you miss Sony's Compact series if the company decided to get rid of it? Let us know in the comments!

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