Sony Mobile likely to outsource 30-40% of smartphones for 2013 to ODMs

Sony Mobile Communications aims to ship 50 million smartphones in 2013, with 30-40% out of the total shipments likely to be outsourced to Taiwan-based handset ODMs, including Foxconn International Holdings (FIH), Arima Communications and Compal Communications, according to industry sources.

Sony Mobile is expected to ship 35 million smartphones in 2012, increasing 50% from a year earlier. However, the vendor is still unlikely to swing back to profitability in the year, the sources estimated.

FIH began to ship low-cost Xperia models to Sony Mobile in the third quarter of 2012, while Arima is expected to start shipping the first smartphone it builds for the Japan-based vendor at the end of 2012 or early in 2013 and Compal will follow in the second quarter, the sources indicated.

FIH is currently the largest ODM for Sony Mobile, followed by Arima and Compal, said the sources, adding that the three ODMs may receive up to 20 million smartphone orders from Sony Mobile in 2013.

Additionally, FIH, Arima, Compal as well as Wistron NeWeb and Qisda may also receive more smartphone orders from China-based vendors, including Lenovo, Huawei Device and ZTE in 2013, the sources added.

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