Boosted by a surge in smartphone sales and the weakness of the yen the company recorded net profit of 3.5 billion yen, reversing a loss of 24.6 billion yen during the same period last year.
The company said its sales rose 13 percent in the three months to the end of June, from a year earlier, primarily "due to the favourable impact" of the currency movement. It also raised its sales forecast for the current financial year to 7.9 trillion yen from its projection of 7.5 trillion yen in May.
Looking closer at the results for the quarter it becomes clear just how significant the success of its smartphones has been for Sony. Sales in its mobile products and communications division, which manufactures smartphones, rose 36 percent from a year earlier. The division also benefited from an increase in the average selling price of the handsets.
Sony has launched new models in an attempt to boost its share of the fast-growing smartphone market and take on competitors such as Samsung and Apple. Last month, it announced a waterproof Android smartphone with a 6.4 inch screen (16.3cm), the Xperia Z Ultra, which it pitched as the slimmest large-screened handset on the market.
