Sony Xperia 1 III release date, rumours, features and specs

(Pocket-lint) – Sony Mobile is due to announce the refresh of its flagship Xperia 1 smartphone, which should be called the Xperia 1 III – pronounced Sony Xperia 1 mark three.

The third generation of the Xperia 1 should launch alongside the Xperia 10 III, which you can read about in our separate feature, but here we are focusing on everything we have heard so far about the Xperia 1 III.

Release date and price

• Expected soon
• Over £1000/$1000

Sony typically uses tradeshows Mobile World Congress and IFA to announce its latest smartphone offerings. As Mobile World Congress is delayed this year however, it is unclear how Sony will reveal the successors to the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 10 II, both of which are due in February.

The Sony Xperia 1 II was announced on 24 February 2020. As yet, there has been no word on when exactly the Sony Xperia 1 III could be announced, but we’d expect it in the next couple of months.

In terms of price, the Xperia 1 II cost £1099 in the UK and $1199 in the US so don’t expect the Xperia 1 III to be cheap. It’s likely it will sit within the same price bracket and over £1000, or $1000.

Design

• Smaller but thicker than Xperia 1 II
• IP65/68
• Dedicated shortcut button

The Sony Xperia 1 III will look very similar to its predecessor, albeit a little smaller but a tad thicker, according to the leaks.

Renders have appeared of the device, showing a flat slab design with rounded corners, a physical fingerprint sensor on the right edge and the same long, narrow look we have come to expect from Sony devices over the last couple of years.

We’re expecting Gorilla glass on the rear and based on the images, the camera housing will be positioned in the top left corner, as it was on the Xperia 1 II. We are also expecting IP65/68 waterproofing.

Leaks suggest there will be a 3.5mm headphone jack again – as there was on the Xperia 1 II – and there is also said to be a new dedicated shortcut button, similar to the one on the Xperia Pro, which can be customised to launch a specific function.

Display

• 6.5-inch, 4K
• OLED, HDR
• 21:9
• 15 per cent brighter?

The Sony Xperia 1 II has a 6.5-inch 4K display with HDR and a 21:9 aspect ratio and the Xperia 1 III is expected to follow suit. There have been claims the new device will sport a brighter display though – 15 per cent – but otherwise, it looks like we will see the same panel as the 2020 model.

If reports are accurate that the Xperia 1 III will be smaller than the Xperia 1 II however, that could mean the bezels at the top of the display has been reduced slightly, making for a much more appealing finish.

Hardware and specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 5G
• 8GB RAM/256GB storage, at least
• Wireless charging

Sony and Qualcomm have a long-standing relationship so it is very likely the Xperia 1 III will come with the Snapdragon 888 under its hood, which also means 5G capabilities.

The Xperia 1 II has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with microSD for storage expansion. We’d therefore expect at least the same for the Xperia 1 III. As the Xperia 10 III is rumoured to see a jump in RAM, perhaps the Xperia 1 III will too. 

In terms of battery, Sony added wireless charging to the Xperia 1 II so we expect to see that feature continue in the Xperia 1 II model. The Xperia 1 II has a 4000mAh battery compared to the 3300mAh capacity in the original Xperia 1 so hopefully we will see the same as the Xperia 1 II or larger for the Xperia 1 III.

Camera

• Triple rear with ToF
• Improved front camera

According to the rumours the Sony Xperia 1 III will come with a triple rear camera, as well as a 3D time-of-flight depth sensor, which is the same as the Xperia 1 II.

Though the specificiations haven’t been detailed in leaks, rumours claim that one of the three main cameras is said to be a telephoto/periscope zoom lens similar to that found on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. 

The Xperia 1 II has three 12-megapixel sensors and a ToF sensor. It offers features like Photo Pro mode with a visual layout that reflects the user interface of the Sony Alpha 9 and a 20fps burst mode that can give you autofocus and auto exposure with subject tracking through the burst. We’d expect more features and improvements to come to the Xperia 1 III.

The front camera of the Xperia 1 III is said to be improved with a wider aperture, but there is currently no word on whether it will stick to the same 8-megapixel resolution as the Xperia 1 II.

Sony Xperia 1 III rumours: What’s happened so far?

Here is everything we have heard so far about the Sony Xperia 1 III.

5 Febraury 2021: Sony Xperia 1 III revealed in video

Steve Hemmerstoffer followed up the renders of the Xperia 1 III with a 360-degree video of the device.

29 January 2021: Gorgeous Sony Xperia 1 III renders leak alongside rumoured specs

Steve Hemmerstoffer revealed some renders of the Xperia 1 III, along with some of the specs reported to come to the flagship device.

29 September 2020: Sony Xperia 1 III could have display and front camera improvements

AndroidNext reported the Sony Xperia 1 III will have display improvements and front camera improvements. It’s said the display will be 15 per cent brighter, while the front camera will have a wider aperture.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.