Sony’s next flagship phone, the Xperia 1 III, will ship on August 19th in the US — for a whopping $1,299.99. It’s available to preorder today, the company announced. The new photography-focused phone is designed as a complement to Sony’s Alpha camera range, and it introduces a variable periscope-style telephoto lens. It’s also equipped with just about everything you’d expect from a flagship Android phone in 2021, including a Snapdragon 888 processor, 5G, and a 6.5-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate.
The Xperia 1 II launched at $1,200 — pricey even for a top-of-the-line device — and Sony isn’t backing off by pricing this one at an extra $100. In this case at least, users in the US will be able to utilize its 5G connectivity; last year’s model had the right hardware but couldn’t use US 5G networks. The 6.5-inch 4K display has also been upgraded to a faster 120Hz refresh rate compared to last year’s model (which had a standard 60Hz rate), and you’ll get a bigger 4,500mAh battery, too.
If the Xperia 1 III sounds appealing but paying $1,300 does not, the Xperia 5 III is a smaller-screen variant that will likely cost a bit less, though US price and shipping are still unannounced. In the meantime, if you are willing to shell out top dollar for the 1 III, Sony’s offering a healthy preorder incentive by throwing in a pair of WF-1000XM3 noise-canceling earbuds for free on orders placed by September 26th. The Xperia 1 III will be sold directly from Sony and other third-party retailers.
