Sony likely to discontinue drone business completely
Sony is saying goodbye to its only drone, the Airpeak S1. This should seal the closure of the drone division.
(Image: Sony (Screenshot))
Sony intends to discontinue its drone business completely. This is according to a statement from the consumer electronics company (Japanese). Accordingly, the only drone, the Airpeak S1, will no longer be sold from March 2025. Sony justifies this step with poor sales figures.
Sony had announced its intention to enter the drone market in 2020. Drone enthusiasts had assumed that Sony would start with drones for the hobby sector. But that was not the case. Instead, the company launched the Airpeak S1 in 2021.
The quadcopter was aimed more at professional users who wanted to take high-quality pictures or carry out inspections. A price tag of 9,000 US dollars underlined the niche market area that Sony was targeting with the drone. In addition, Sony only allowed cameras with Sony's E-mount system to be screwed onto the drone, which further reduced the user range. Obviously, it was not enough to get enough users interested in the Airpeak S1. The sales figures were too poor.
Last day of sale March 31, 2025
The Airpeak S1, including almost all accessories, will therefore be withdrawn from sale from April 1, 2025. This includes the drone itself, but also accessories such as a camera gimbal, battery charger and transmitter. Sony still intends to sell propellers and batteries until the end of March 2025. The Airpeak Base, Airpeak Flight and Airpeak Plus services are due to expire at the end of March 2030. The Airpeak Protection Plan will be discontinued at the end of March 2026.
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There is no announcement of a new drone from Sony. Sony has also given no indication that it intends to develop a new drone, which effectively means the discontinuation of this division.
Sony had entered the drone market quite surprisingly, but was unable to assert itself against competitors such as Chinese drone manufacturer DJI. Probably also because Sony failed to serve the market with consumer drones for hobbyists. Other manufacturers have also failed to enter the drone market, albeit for different reasons. These include the action cam manufacturer GoPro.
(olb)
