Sony Ericsson drops HTC for Xperia X1 successor

By Nick Mansell on Mon 29 December 2008

We've been hearing rumours of a successor to Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 since before it was even available in stores. Now news reaches us from Taiwan that a successor is on the way - but the big news is it won't be built by the Xperia X1's maker, HTC.

Instead, some lesser known names of the handset world are in the frame to fit the nuts and bolts on the new handset. Mobinnova and Pegatron (not a clothes-hook styled Transformer, it transpires, but a manufactuering arm of Asus) are among the front runners, as well as a third manufacturer, which apparently isn't HTC.

Digitimes reports the deal will be signed some time before March, with a view to getting the new handset onto the shelves by the end of 2009 - or early 2010 if things slip.

Whether it'll take the form of the rumoured Xperia X5 remains to be seen, though that phone's supposed 8mp camera and 8GB capacity are already starting to look a little dated for a flagship handset. We do know it will be Windows Mobile based, which rules this out as the Android handset Sony Ericsson's already confirmed.

Just what's caused the switch from HTC isn't clear either, although the Xperia X1's lacklustre reception won't have impressed Sony Ericsson's bosses. Still, 12 months or more is a long time for the X1 to being sitting at the top of the Sony Ericsson tree while its replacement is conceived. Hopefully that new Android phone will be along before then to knock the X1 from its shaky perch.

[Digitimes]