Sony is all set to kick off its smartphone launch cycle for 2021. The company has quietly updated the banner of its official Sony Xperia YouTube channel which says that a ‘New Product Announcement’ is happening on April 14. First spotted by the folks over at DroidLife, the launch event begins at 9:30AM CEST (3:30AM ET), which means you’ll probably have to wake up a tad too early to tune in. So, what products Sony has in the bags? Well, the most probable candidate would be a new flagship, as the company last launched a high-end phone all the way back in February of 2020.
However, leaks may have already spoiled the surprise element. Let’s start with the name – Sony Xperia 1 III. The device has already appeared online in some sweet high-resolution renders, and its key specs were leaked earlier this week. Not much is changing in the aesthetics department. You’ll get a familiar glass-and-metal design with a tall 21:9 aspect ratio, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and bezels on the top and bottom. No fancy hole-punch or notch here!
Xperia 1 III leaked render (Image: Steve H / Voice)
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 will keep things running inside, paired with up to 16 gigs of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. A beautiful 4K HDR OLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate will take care of your multimedia needs, while a 5,000mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging will keep the lights on. In the camera department, you get a 64MP main shooter, 12MP ultra-wide-angle snapper, and a 12MP periscope style telephoto camera with 60x zoom output.
In the past few weeks, a couple of other upcoming Sony phones have been given the leak treatment as well. Renders of an iPhone 12 Mini-esque phone called Sony Xperia Compact surfaced online back in January this year. And a few days prior to it, renders of a mid-range phone called Xperia 10 III also made their way to the internet. However, it is unclear whether one of these phones will be making their debut on April 14.
Alleged render of Xperia 10 III mid-ranger (Image: Voice / Steve H)
I certainly am excited to see what Sony brings to the table in 2021, but I am a tad cautious too. The Sony Xperia 1 II was announced in February 2020, but took a few months before it became widely available, and that too, in a handful of markets only. The Xperia PRO 5G was also introduced the same day as Xperia 1 II, but the device only went up for sale in January this year for an astonishing $2,500. Let’s hope the same fate doesn’t befall the Xperia 1 III too!