Sony reveals the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III
Sony

Sony’s introduced to two latest entries into the Xperia smartphone line, the Xperia 1 III and the Xperia 5 III. The Xperia line typically focuses on building on smartphone camera technology and the Xperia 1 III and 5 III are no different.

The new releases offer some new, never-before-seen features included on a smartphone. First, both Xperia models are the first smartphones to include a variable telephoto lens with a Dual PD sensor. Among other improvements, Sony’s beefed up both model’s autofocus systems as well. Overall, both models are practically the same. Their specs vary slightly. For instance, the Xperia 1 III has a .5” 21:9 CinemaWide 4K HDR OLED display while the Xperia 5 III has a 6.1″ 21:9 CinemaWide HDR OLED display. Both have a screen refresh rate of 120Hz.

Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III overview

Internally, there’s aren’t too many major hardware upgrades. Both smartphones house a snapdragon 888 processor, feature three cameras on their back and supports 5G. These are all fairly standard for an A-lister smartphone. However, The Verge does state 5G support is noteworthy because the last Xperia models lacked 5G support. The new Xperias will support 5G, but only on sub-6 networks from Verison and T-Mobile. The new smartphones don’t support AT&T’s 5G network.

Sony’s using three 12-megapixel sensors for the back lenses. The main camera and the telephoto lens support optical image stabilization.

Sony Xperia 1 III
Sony Xperia 1 III. Image courtesy: Sony

Autofocus

The smartphones feature Real-time Tracking. Their system runs using an AI-based algorithm and measures distance with its 3D iToF sensor to keep subjects in focus. Even if the subject temporarily walks out of the frame, the Xperia models keep the subject in focus when they walk back into the frame.

Both the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III offer continuous AF, calculating AF / AE up to 60 times per second. So, if you wanted to, you could shoot at 20 fps and still keep the image exposed properly and sharp. Additionally, both smartphones house the BIONZ X processor, allowing users to shoot in low-light in Burst Mode while also reducing noise.

“This level of performance is comparable to that used in professional sports cameras such as the Alpha 9 series,” claims Sony.

Telephoto lens

Sony claims the smartphones offer many focal lengths, including 16mm, 24mm, and 70mm. The Telephoto lens offers 105mm as well. Their wide range of focal lengths makes them great for shooting landscapes and wildlife.

Sony Xperia 5 III
Sony Xperia 5 III. Image courtesy: Sony

Double duty as a monitor

Both models feature a USB-C port, allowing you to wire them to an SLR camera and use them as a monitor.

Pricing and availability

Sony hasn’t announced a price or release date for either model yet. Sony says they’ll start shipping in the US sometime this summer.