Sony Xperia 1 III and 5 III announced with 120Hz screens, variable telephoto lenses

14 April 2021
The two boast the industry-first telephoto camera with variable focal length.

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No matter, 14 Apr 2021Just as I thought. Too small sensors, sony keeps it safe fo... moreI wouldn't say that. The Mi 11 Ultra with its giant bump and giant 50MP is quite disappointing when the S21 Ultra did better with a slithly smaller 1.33" sensor. There's also the Realme 8 Pro with the 108MP sensor and that doesn't do as good as the S21U.

So TL;DR implementation is more important than specsheet. The 12MP is a solid sensor.

    Make it widely available, not absurdly priced and released soon. I would definitely consider it had I not bought a S21U.

      • a
      • ae86
      • vaS
      • 14 Apr 2021

      Many missing features in this article lmao.

      Anyway the sharp looks is enough for me to buy it.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • fur
        • 14 Apr 2021

        No matter, 14 Apr 2021Just as I thought. Too small sensors, sony keeps it safe fo... moreThose are full sensor with larger aperture too , so they are better option than quad bayers or nona ones
        If you do maths on aperture pixels sensitivity and sensor size you get what I mean

          • a
          • ae86
          • vaS
          • 14 Apr 2021

          Anonymous, 14 Apr 2021If this was a samsung or Apple phone , it will be a long ar... moreAgree. The air in GSMA screams "Just Go Die Sony" then when Sony Mobile shut down they'll be like sad or something.

          These media should be aware that they play a huge part on killing brands like what happened to LG.

            • O
            • Ozocky
            • R0K
            • 14 Apr 2021

            Sony need to upgrade their cameras, and stop making the phones look like 2015ish. They refuse to update their looks and stays way too long to release the phones after they are announced. This company is stubborn, no wonder their phones don't sell well, they are the next BlackBerry.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • pQr
              • 14 Apr 2021

              They should have chosen a higher megapixel count for the periscope camera, if the lens is sharp. 25-30 megapixels is approximately the maximum resolution that would have made sense regarding diffraction. Though, even then the theoretical angular resolution would be a bit worse than the P40 Pro Plus or S21 Ultra.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • LkA
                • 14 Apr 2021

                Anonymous, 14 Apr 2021The telephoto camera switches between two lenses. It is not... moreThere is movement to go from 70 to 105.
                Not digital zoom.
                You just do not have stage between like 80, 90 or 100.

                Variable f value is the proof.
                All real zoom lenses have smaller aperture at longer FL.

                  • N
                  • No matter
                  • L13
                  • 14 Apr 2021

                  Just as I thought. Too small sensors, sony keeps it safe for camera sales. Dissapointed.

                    Shui8, 14 Apr 2021More like 3x & x4.4.... not too much gap. I wonder h... moreLooking at the official spec sheet.. it looks like that none of the three cameras is using a Quad Bayer sensor. The main and ultra wide sensors are identical to the one on Mark II, whereas the telephoto uses a 12MP 1/2.9 inch one (though it can't be IMX486 since Mark III has Dual Pixel AF for all of its 3 cameras).

                    According to Sony, the new phones feature "new AI super resolution zoom, which uses Sony's AI processing to restore detail and definition to your pictures" - It definitely seems they are just changing the way they post-process images rather than employing more clever multi-frame stacking algorithms, just like how they do in the professional camera lineup.

                      Anonymous, 14 Apr 2021All with too small screens. This useless aspect ratio requi... more2017 LG G6, 18:9 aspect ratio, Galaxy S8 18.5:9, iPhone X 19.5:9 ratio
                      2021 Galaxy S21 Ultra, Oneplus 9 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra 20:9 aspect ratio

                      next couple of years everyone moves to 21:9 ratio because there are more contents in that ratio rather than the above mentioned 'useful ratio'.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • fur
                        • 14 Apr 2021

                        If this was a samsung or Apple phone , it will be a long article ....

                        You missed talking about adding shutter button , integrating pro camera and video into sony camera app, also adding type-C proprietary to fully utilise the phone as a second screen to dslr camera( a feature was exclusive to xperia PRO)

                        Also xperia 1 iii have 120hz missing on gsmarena specs

                        Be fair so we wouldn't ended sony like LG got ended by media

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • TnQ
                          • 14 Apr 2021

                          Now, they only need to get the pricing right (and with right I mean less than the price of a used car) and I will say I'm in!

                          In the worst case, i.e. ridiculous pricing like Samsung and some other brands lately, I'll have to get my hands on a Mk. II at a good discount, maybe around 500-600 €.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • LkA
                            • 14 Apr 2021

                            Shui8, 14 Apr 2021More like 3x & x4.4.... not too much gap. I wonder h... moreThere is no Quad Bayer.
                            They do not have interest of using on their Pro Gear nor for xperia.
                            Just a way to milk money out of the other.
                            Quadbayer are cheaper to make.
                            And they can sell at higher price.
                            Crap imx586 was announced for $25 back then.

                            Be sure it has quality loss at 300mm, just like all other phones that claim "lossless zoom".
                            They have done before with the "clear zoom" from Z5.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 847
                              • 14 Apr 2021

                              The telephoto camera switches between two lenses. It is not a continuous variable that allows you to adjust the focal length. There are two different states. A telephoto lens that varies the focal length by moving the lenses mechanically is ideal. Liquid lenses that adapt their shape progressively too.

                              Anyways is an improvement for them but it remains to be seen how much zoom your software is capable of without a significant loss of quality.

                              On the other hand the 10 III mid-ranger is all less appealing watching what competitors offer.

                                Anonymous, 14 Apr 2021You missed one hell of a feature "you can plug the pho... moreI doubt if Sony remove the Battery H.S feature. After all, Sony really cares about having a long battery life in the first place.

                                  • W
                                  • Woohoo
                                  • 7kk
                                  • 14 Apr 2021

                                  "The Xperia 5 III also moves to 120Hz refresh rate, but on a smaller 6.1-inch OLED panel of Full HD resolution with the same 21:9 aspect ratio and again complete with HDR support."

                                  GSMA , the 5 II already had 120Hz last year.

                                    • S
                                    • Shab
                                    • sUv
                                    • 14 Apr 2021

                                    Anonymous, 14 Apr 2021You missed one hell of a feature "you can plug the pho... moreGreat

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • fur
                                      • 14 Apr 2021

                                      Shui8, 14 Apr 2021More like 3x & x4.4.... not too much gap. I wonder h... moreNo not quad bayer it is a full sensor which will offer similar result or better than 48Mp quad bayer (since this is a new sensor lets wait for more info and test)

                                        • R
                                        • Rkm
                                        • ypc
                                        • 14 Apr 2021

                                        Again good job Sony by keeping the half press shutter key. Others should also incorporate this.