Sony’s ongoing woes in mobile intensified, with the segment recording a sharp dip in quarterly revenue, attributed to Covid-19 (coronavirus) supply and production issues, and a related drop in demand.

In its fiscal Q4 earnings statement (covering the quarter to end-March) Sony said revenue from Mobile Communications fell to JPY70.4 billion ($658.3 million) from JPY107.1 billion in the comparable period of 2019, as demand for smartphones wavered, foreign exchange rates and the pandemic took their toll.

The company’s Electronics Products and Solutions division, which houses the mobile unit, also felt the heat, with revenue dropping to JPY357 billion from JPY478 billion.

As with previous quarters, the bright spot came from its wider mobile-related business, through imaging and sensing solutions. The unit, which supplies parts for cameras in a number of the world’s popular smartphones, posted a revenue rise to JPY210.7 billion from JPY169.6 billion.

At group level, Sony posted revenue of JPY1.7 trillion, an 18 per cent decline, while net income fell 86 per cent to JPY13 billion.

The company said, in a favourable situation, it expects its business to return to normal in the October quarter, but it will feel the peak of Covid-19 in the current period.