No FM radio?

[aad14]

Can someone confirm that the XZ does NOT have FM radio? If not, that's a deal-breaker for me. Can someone also please tell me why they removed it and if it will be future policy? The SD820 seems capable as both the S7 and G5 have it.
Removing features is not the way to go, Sony.

[aad14]

Thanks Christofer. Very sad news. I really don't understand why they're restricting (the XZ does have a FM chip..) a feature used by many people that differentiated them from flagships from other companies such as Apple and Samsung. This will turn a lot of people away, including myself. No more Xperia's for me I guess...

[Bullit2003]

It is because Sony provided an FM Radio with the Xperia Z is why I bought my first Sony phone. I have never looked back for 5 years. I now have a Xperia Z5 now and absolutely love it. And listen to my FM radio when I want to listen to new local music on triple J. I also listen to my radio when I am at Live sporting events as streaming services are delayed. And under emergency situations (ie power outages, bush fires, floods) fm radio can provide me with information through the emergency broadcast network when cell towers are congested, non-functional or out of range.

As Sony has taken to BAN FM radio like all the other main phone manufacturers, I am now resticted to LG, Huawei and other chinese phones. I was excited about the Xperia XZ but no FM radio is a deal breaker. Bye bye Sony, it was a fun ride while it lasted.

Regards,

Ex-Sony fan boy. 

[aad14]

Some comments from GSMArena as I can't give a link:

matisperor

lovely smart phone, but' I have nothing to do with phone without radio........... Or make the radio and fm transmitter available on app thanks.

Canadian Guy
what?? no radio!!!!!!!!

Kevster
Will Sony bring back small apps, fm radio, or maybe even add split screen for true multi-tasking like the S7?

Anonimy 
No radio - ty no. I know there are a lot of phones with radio, but i like sony cause it hasradio.

Naim
until now, I cannot understand why no fm radio in mobile phone (sony, samsung, HTC, Iphone.... )
espscially in the high-end mobile only,
Xperia X performance ( No radio)
Xperia XZ (No radio)
Xperia X Compact (with radio)
can anyone explain to me why...?!!!

Mario
Why no radio fm? sony going back !

matisperor
no radio and fm transmitter why?


And the list goes on and on. They're loosing way more money because people don't buy it than they get from streaming services (?) to exclude FM radio in order to promote streaming. A big mistake, because people use both anyways. I hope they're reading this and will change it.

[AnnoyedUKCustom]

---

@Bullit2003 wrote:

As Sony has taken to BAN FM radio like all the other main phone manufacturers, I am now resticted to LG, Huawei and other chinese phones. I was excited about the Xperia XZ but no FM radio is a deal breaker. Bye bye Sony, it was a fun ride while it lasted.

Regards,

Ex-Sony fan boy. 

---

Samsung is also keeping the FM radio on some of its model. I used a Galaxy A3 (2016) for a few weeks and there was an FM Radio.... on a phone that costs 1/3 of the Xperia XZ.

[aad14]

Even though I marked it as 'solved', can someone confirm whether Sony disabled it with software (e.g. just no pre-installed FM app) or at hardware level, and why?

[Christofer]

@aad14 I'm sorry but I have no further information about this.

[Bhonder]

Is there a way to start a petition for bringing back the radio on high end Sony's phone?

My Z5c is behaving but, if it would break and I'd have to buy a new device, with no fm radio my choice would be Apple or Sansung.

[aad14]

Yes, I was thinking the same Bhonder. It is such a stupid move, as it is a dealbreaker for a lot of people, judging from all the comments I've read. Just search for 'radio' on GSMArena for the XZ (or other phones that lack radio) and you'll find that it is a dealbreaker for a lot of people. I was also looking for other phones from other brands, as the Xperia's would no longer have the advantage in general without FM in my opinion. But there's hope:

I contacted Sony NL and they confirmed that they didn't destroy (ground the antenna pin) the FM chip, so it will still work. They said to me that it would still work (using the FM-chip, which is not internet streming) but they just didn't pre-install the FM app (but luckily they chose to pre-install the FB-app which I don't use and other uselless apps like Amazon etc. /s). They advised me to use third pary FM apps, which is a shame as Sony's app was definately the best one. Still a very weird move as the phone is capable to not pre-install the app and mark it as FM capable as they will really lose a significant amount of sales because of this. They're really underestimating the number of people who use it, and I think the moderators should make work out of it and forward this to whoever is in charge. Just pre-install the app or make it available on the play store and you will definatley get more sales because of that. Is that so hard, Sony Mobile?

[Bhonder]

I wrote to Sony's Italian support and they replied me that they will excalate the question to designers, along with MHL (useful to stream high quality videos without wireless lag) and lanyard.

My wife and me usually buy top class devices and, along with the new Sony's price tag, competitors actually offer similar, if not better, choices.

Sadly, Apple came out with iPhone 7. They brag about a lot of things like noise canceling and buttonless unlock which Xperia already has since a long time. It sounds like the last days of Nokia phones: a lot of innovation and distinctive functions threw into the trash bin.

p.s.: my old Nokia 701 even had a FM transmitter, not only a receiver.

[aad14]

Thanks Bhonder, keep us updated. I guess we're on our own as we won't get any help from this forum.