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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions & Weight |
|
|
|
Display |
|
|
|
SoC |
|
|
|
RAM & Storage |
|
|
|
Battery & Charging |
|
|
|
Security |
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
|
Rear Camera(s) |
|
|
|
Front Camera(s) |
8MP |
8MP |
|
Port(s) |
|
|
|
Audio |
|
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
|
Software |
Android 11 out-of-the-box |
Android 11 out-of-the-box |
|
Other Features |
|
|
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.
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 Gone is the old telephotos sensor, which has been replaced by a 12MP periscope sensor with a variable 70mm-105mm equivalent focal length, OIS and PDAF.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.
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.