Sony’s Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III have 120Hz displays, periscope cameras, and 3.5mm audio jacks
In an online event today, Sony unveiled two new Android smartphones with the launch of the Xperia 1 III (Xperia 1 Mark 3) and Xperia 5 III (Xperia 5 Mark 3). Both phones pack mostly identical hardware but differ in size. The Xperia 1 III leads the charge as a full-fledged flagship while the Xperia 5 III tries to offer the same flagship experience in a compact package. Sony also launched the Xperia 10 III at the same event.
Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III: Specifications
| Specification | Xperia 1 III | Xperia 5 III |
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| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC |
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| RAM & Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
| Rear Camera(s) |
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| Front Camera(s) | 8MP | 8MP |
| Port(s) |
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| Audio |
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| Connectivity |
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| Software | Android 11 out-of-the-box | Android 11 out-of-the-box |
| Other Features |
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Starting with the Xperia 1 III, the latest Sony flagship is sticking with the same boxy design as its predecessor — for better or for worse. Sony continues to promote the tall 21:9 aspect ratio, a notch-less display, 3.5mm audio jack, and true dual stereo speakers.
Xperia 1 III
The Xperia 1 III sports a 6.5-inch 4K OLED panel with a 120Hz screen refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. The Xperia 5 III on the other hand sports a smaller 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both phones are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, paired with 8GB / 12GB RAM and 128GB / 256GB storage.
Moving to the camera side of things, the Xperia 1 III has a 12MP f/1.7 primary sensor with 24mm equivalent focal length and large 1.8-micron pixels. This conventional camera design offers much faster read-out speeds than the current Quad-Bayer sensors, allowing Sony to enable features like 20fps burst shooting, 60fps continuous autofocus and auto-exposure calculations, and Dual-Pixel PDAF. The 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor with a 16mm equivalent focal length is also unchanged. Gone is the old telephotos sensor, which has been replaced by a 12MP periscope sensor with a variable 70mm-105mm equivalent focal length, OIS and PDAF. It’s a shame the phone is still using the same 8MP low-res front shooter. The Xperia 5 III has the exact same camera setup but drops the 3D ToF sensor that’s available on its bigger sibling.
Xperia 5 III
Both phones have upgraded 4,500mAh batteries (up from 4,000mAh) and support 30W fast charging along with wireless charging.
Sony continues to put a big emphasis on the audio experience and as such both the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III come with a 3.5mm audio jack, full-range front-facing stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, and Hi-Res Audio support, 360 Reality Audio through speakers, and 360 Spatial Sound.
Other notable highlights of the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III include IP68 dust and water protection, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, NFC, Bluetooth 5.x, 5G support, and dual SIM.
Pricing & Availability
The Sony Xperia 1 III comes in Frosted Black, Frosted Purple. Meanwhile, the Xperia 5 III comes in Black, Pink, and Green colors. Both phones will be available in “early summer”, with the exact availability and pricing info yet to be revealed by the company.
