Sony launches photography-centric Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III

Source: Sony

Sony has officially taken the wraps off two new smartphones: the Xperia 1 III (read as "one mark three") and Xperia 5 III. These are two smartphones focusing on bringing a better camera experience on smartphones. 

The Xperia 1 III's 12-megapixel, 24mm equivalent Exmor RS sensor still offers the fast 20 times per second burst mode. It's joined by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, time-of-flight sensor, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera, which Sony promises is the first phone with "true" optical zoom. 

Source: Sony

The trick is that the telephoto lens elements in the smartphone move instead of relying on digital zoom. Combined with phase-detection autofocus, this configuration should offer some "serious clarity," as Engadget says with the camera's 75mm and 105mm focal lengths.

On the software side, the Xperia 1 III gets real-time object detection, which uses the time-of-flight camera and algorithms to track your subject better. All of the photography tools you need will be accessible via the phone's Photography Pro app.

As for videos, the Xperia 1 III also offers some impressive resolutions, maxing out at 4K120, which has any judder in check with the help of the algorithmically-enhanced SteadyShot image stabilization. Of course, Sony has the Cinema Pro app for both shooting and editing on the phone.

Source: Sony

We aren't going to forget the phone aspect of the Xperia 1 III. It comes with a 6.5-inch OLED display, with the world's first 4K screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 21:9 aspect ratio. Photographers who want to use the phone's 4K display as an external monitor for supported Sony cameras can do so, but you'll need a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter. 

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Sony finally offers wireless charging for its 4,500mAh battery. It also comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm headphone jack. And if you've been waiting for it, Sony introduces its 3D Reality audio with this flagship phone's front-facing stereo speakers.

The company has yet to release the price of the Xperia 1 III, but we're willing to bet it's going to be quite expensive.

Source: Sony

If you want a similar experience but on a smaller device, there is the Xperia 5 III. This model gets the same pro-grade camera setup as its bigger brother. But it loses features like real-time object tracking and the time-of-flight sensor.

Nevertheless, the Xperia 5 III has a 6.5-inch Full HD OLED display, Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM, either 128GB or 256GB of storage, and a 4,500mAh battery sans wireless charging.

Unfortunately, we don't have the pricing for the Xperia 5 III either. So, we don't know where the new Sony phones will be available, too.