Sony gets out of drones as quickly as they got into them

Well, it looks like Sony isn’t quite as dedicated as we’d all hoped when it comes to drones. Having announced their plans to enter the drone market in 2020, creatives (and regular people) got very excited. Sony has been making consumer electronics for years. They’ll pummel DJI, right?

Wrong. Instead, they targeted a small niche of drone users, releasing the $9,000 Airpeak S1 drone in 2021. They posted impressive wind tests and other demos. This small niche was whittled down even further to users who own Sony E mount cameras. Now, with failed sales, Sony’s getting out of drones.

Sony leaves the drone market

In an announcement, the company says that all Airpeak S1 sales along with every single accessory for them will end in March 2025. No new product has been announced to replace it there haven’t even been any hints at other products or further developments from Sony since initial pre-orders opened up at the end of 2021.

Sony – Notice of discontinuation of Airpeak S1 sales

Thank you for your continued patronage of Sony products.

Due to recent changes in the business environment, sales of the Airpeak S1 and related products, except for some accessories, will end at the end of March 2025. Please see below for a list of products to be discontinued and details of the end of support, including repair services after the end of sales.

Discontinued Products/Services

• Aircraft (ARS-S1)
• accessories
  • Gimbal (GBL-T3, GBL-PX1)
  • Battery charger (LBG-H1)
  • Transmitter (RCR-VH1)
  • Battery Station (LBN-H1)
  • RTK Kit (RTK-1)
  • Battery pack (LBP-HS1, HS1/10SET, LBP-HM1)
  • Propeller (PPL1785)
• Related Applications and Services
  • Airpeak Base
  • Airpeak Flight
  • Airpeak Protect Plan
  • Airpeak Plus

product	Sales to end
Aircraft (ARS-S1) Gimbal (GBL-T3, GBL-PX1) Battery Charger (LBG-H1) Transmitter (RCR-VH1) Battery Station (LBN-H1) RTK Kit (RTK-1)	March 31, 2025
Battery pack (LBP-HS1, HS1/10SET, LBP-HM1) Propeller (PPL1785)	March 31, 2026

*These products are sold at Airpeak dealers. Please contact your local dealer for details.

Scheduled End of Life for Related Applications and Services

Application Service Name	End of service
Airpeak Base Airpeak Flight Airpeak Plus *1	March 31, 2030
Airpeak Protect Plan ※2	March 31, 2026

*1 Sales will end on March 31, 2029. *2 Sales will end on March 31, 2025.
*1*2 The planned end date of the paid services will depend on when the customer completes the service start-up procedure after purchase, but the above is the maximum period during which the services will be offered.

Although sales are ending in March 2025, batteries and props will continue to be sold until March 2026. So, you’ve got a little while to stock up on those consumables if you choose to stick with your Airpeak S1. But if I were you, I’d probably sell now, before its value plummets to nothing.

Why did Sony fail so badly?

I have to admit that Sony’s brief entry into the drone market was filled with surprises. It was for me, anyway. Once Sony hinted at drones, I immediately thought DJI had a solid competitor. A competitor based in Japan, not China. A competitor who might not only be able to create products that work just as well or even better than DJI but who won’t suffer from similar issues to those that DJI is currently facing.

I thought that entry-level consumers would be their first port of call because up until the recent release of the DJI Neo, there was a lot of room for Sony to really make some waves with a low-cost drone with decent capabilities. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Sony said, “Hey, nah, let’s just design an aerial support platform for our own cameras”.

Somebody obviously thought that was a good idea.

It appears that things didn’t go so well. Sales of the $9,000 drone don’t seem to have been particularly high. I’ve yet to meet anyone in person who owns one (or has even seen one) and isn’t a Sony brand ambassador. There’s no buzz about them on YouTube or elsewhere online.

There’s just nothing. Given this, the fact that Sony is choosing to leave the drone market is actually less of a surprise than how they tackled it while they were in it.

If Sony had done what it historically knew how to do best, it would’ve targeted those high street consumers with lower-end, user-friendly models. They wouldn’t even have to ditch the Airpeak S1 to do it. Just develop it alongside the consumer models.

I really think this would’ve made the difference for Sony. They’re one of the few companies out there that has both the funds and capabilities to take on a company like DJI and potentially beat them at their own game.

I wonder if Sony will give it another go one day? Or are they done done, like GoPro?