It’s no secret that Sony has lagged behind in the mobile market in recent years – something to do with prioritizing the PS5? Its next flagship device could change that, though.
Recent leaks from Weibo leaker ZACKBUKS suggest the Sony Xperia 1 III will rival even the most premium smartphones available right now by boasting an impressive set of specs and features.
While we’ve already heard several rumors surrounding what to expect from the newest entry in Sony’s Xperia 1 series, we’re particularly excited that this leaked specs list details a periscope zoom camera – meaning it could rival the Samsung Galaxy S21 for snapping power.
- Everything we know about the Sony Xperia 1 III
- Check out our review of the Sony Xperia 1 II
- Read our review of the Samsung Galaxy S21
The Xperia 1 II had a 3x optical zoom telephoto camera, and the addition of a periscope lens – which extends magnification lengthwise through the phone and uses mirrors to angle capture out the rear – could mean its successor boasts impressive 5x, or even 10x, optical zoom capabilities.
This would mark the first Sony device to feature periscope tech. According to ZACKBUKS, the Xperia 1 III’s periscope lens will be made in-house by Sony’s Cyber-shot division (that conclusion is based on some potentially-erroneous translation, mind). The leaks also detail a main, 64MP wide-angle camera, accompanied by a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor.
Not just pretty pictures
Beyond the expected camera specs of the Xperia 1 III, the Weibo post also suggests a host of other impressive features are arriving on the device.
Under the hood, the phone is said to pack the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset – the benchmark for premium phones in 2021 – and feature 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage (rising to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage in a premium variant).
In terms of its display, this leak suggests the Xperia 1 III will arrive with a 6.5-inch OLED panel and an aspect ratio of 21:9 – the same quirky design feature as its predecessors. Sony was the first to adopt this display format, so it's become something of a signature feature on its Xperia handsets, and the idea behind the move is essentially this: the longer the screen, the more space to watch.
The leak suggests this latest display will be a 4K HDR panel that supports 10-bit color and refresh rates of up to 120Hz, as with the Xperia 5 II.
One other bit of new information shared by the leak is the potential price of the device – 8999 Chinese Yuan, which roughly converts to $1,370 / £995 / AU$1,810. That's a lot, then, but we had predicted the Xperia 1 III would be expensive given the price of its predecessor ($1,199.99 / £1,099 / around AU$1,840).
That said, leaks remain as such. We were expecting the Xperia 1 III to be officially announced in June and released later in the year, around September, but interestingly this source claims it could actually be unveiled as soon as April 14, alongside the Sony Xperia 10 III and Sony Xperia 5 III.
We won't be able to confirm these impressive specs and features until then – but at least there’s time for Sony to change the price.
- These are the best smartphones available right now
Via PhoneArena
