Sony Ericsson drops Xperia X2 for UK
Vodafone pulls out and apparently nobody else wants it
Sony Ericsson's hopes of making 2010 a better year have been dealt a blow already, with the news its 'flagship' Xperia X2 won't be making an appearance in the UK.
Set to be launched on Vodafone last year, the phone was subject to a launch party in London, but delays to the release seem to have prompted Vodafone to drop the Xperia X2 from its catalogue.
"Sony Ericsson can confirm that the X2 will not be released by Vodafone in the UK. The delivery date of the product has slipped due to extended testing and the product, which was exclusive to Vodafone in the UK, no longer fits within their planned portfolio.
"The handset is available in other Sony Ericsson markets however. Sony Ericsson is disappointed not to make this phone available to consumers in the UK but in 2010 the company will be offering a number of innovative, stand-out products in the market," a Sony Ericsson statement read.
Faux pas
However, the company did promise an 'exciting 2010' with some 'great launches' coming up, although it will take a pretty big handset to beat the faux pas of announcing a phone is coming to a pretty important region, delaying it then announcing it isn't turning up at all.
We're hopeful that the Xperia X10 will be a better device (Sony Ericsson's first Android phone) when it launches later this year, but the loss of the company's first Windows Mobile 6.5 device, when Samsung and others have begun shipping theirs in the UK, hints at a big problem for Sony Ericsson.
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It's also another mysterious move for Vodafone – the company previously began selling the HTC HD2, only to stop stocking it after a few weeks, citing 'other handsets coming soon' as the reason.
Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.