Sony’s second-most powerful 2021 phone has some serious upgrades to its processor, cameras and battery life
The Sony Xperia 5 III is available to buy right now, so if you’re so keen to grab the handset that you don’t need to wait for our review (work in progress), then you can from Sony’s website or other retailers in your region. We currently have a Sony Xperia 1 III review, as well as one for the Xperia 10 III, so the 5 III is the only member of its generation we haven’t tested. You can get a good idea as to the middling phone’s features, though, by checking out its siblings. Like the iPhone 12 Pro / Pro Max or Galaxy S21 Plus / S21 Ultra, the Xperia 5 III has similar tech and specs to the more powerful Xperia 1 III, but cuts back in a few key areas like display size and resolution. Looking back at last year’s lineup, our reviewers preferred the more compact Sony Xperia 5 II to the expensive Xperia 1 II, finding it easier to hold and much more affordable but with many of the same perks. We’re excited to see if the Xperia 5 III continues this trend of compact excellence. Sony has released some spec and feature information for the Xperia 5 III, so let’s dive into what we know about the 5 III release date, how its specs compare to the other 2021 Xperia phones, and how much you can expect to pay. You can buy the Sony Xperia 5 III right now from Sony’s website, as well as region-specific retailers depending on where you live. The phone costs $949 / £899 (roughly AU$1300), less than the Xperia 1 III’s asking price of $1,299.99 / £1,199 (around AU$2,200). We don’t imagine the phone will come to Australia, based on Sony’s past mobile practices. The equivalent Xperia 5 II 2020 phone cost $949 / £799 (around AU$1,350), so people in the UK are paying even more than before, which is a shame given the exchange rates already punished them.
