An initial look at Sony’s upcoming flagship phone shows that it will probably get a more powerful zoom lens, thanks to some leaked renders posted by Onlex. The Xperia 1 III’s rear camera bump looks like its predecessor at first glance. But if you look closely at the camera at the bottom, it has a square-off housing compatible with periscope designs. The previous Xperia phones offered standard telephoto lenses with 2x or 3x optical zoom; A periscope design allows 5x or more optical reach without sacrificing image quality.
LNex also reports that the Xperia 1 III will include 5G, requiring practically any flagship phone in 2021. Like the Xperia 1 II, it probably looks like Sony’s U.S. The Creator-Focused Xperia Pro will offer 5G support for 1 III devices sold in.
Overall, it looks like the Xperia 1 III will stick to Sony’s minimalist approach. The 6.5-inch display floor is very thin, and Sony is sticking with a tall 21: 9 aspect ratio. The 1 III should also have a 3.5mm headphone jack – a rarity in flagships – as well as a microSDXC card slot.
Despite being a major manufacturer of imaging hardware, Sony’s phones lag behind other flagships in the camera camera with better software. When we reviewed the Xperia 1 II, we had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a dedicated Q-Mera-like experience that Sony could provide, rather than trying to play catch-up on computational photography. Strengthening its hardware offer fringes with good quality zoom is a solid step in that direction.
