Sony launches the Xperia 10 III, its budget entry in its Mark III series, with a Snapdragon 690 SoC and a 4,500 mAh battery

Today is not just about the Xperia 1 III and the Xperia 5 III, as Sony has also introduced a new mid-range smartphone, the Xperia 10 III. At first glance and unsurprisingly, the Xperia 10 III resembles its predecessor. Once again, Sony has equipped the new Xperia 10 with a 6.0-inch OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, a staple of Xperia smartphones over the last few years. The Mark III relies on a 1080p panel too, just as its predecessor does.

Similarly, Sony has not adopted a notch or a punch-hole display, making the front of the Xperia 10 II and Xperia 10 III almost indistinguishable. The earpiece has moved to above the display's top bezel, although it is difficult to tell from marketing renders if Sony has reduced the bezels on its mid-range smartphone this year. The front-facing speaker from last year returns, though.

Visually, little separates the Xperia 10 III's back from its predecessor's, either. The triple camera array from last year returns, which comprises of a 12 MP primary sensor (27 mm) and two 8 MP sensors, a 52 mm telephoto and a 16 mm ultra-wide-angle. While the Xperia 10 III has the same cameras as the Xperia 10 II, Sony claims that the newer model has better lenses than its predecessor.

Additionally, the Xperia 10 III will benefit from the improved image processing associated with the switch to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 690 SoC. According to our database, the Snapdragon 690 should also offer about 30% better performance than the Snapdragon 665 found in the Xperia 10 II. Moreover, Sony has equipped the Xperia 10 III with a 4,500 mAh battery, up from the 3,600 mAh one in the Xperia 10 II.

Thankfully, the Xperia 10 III retains the 3.5 mm headphone jack and has an IP65/IP68 rating. The Xperia 10 III will be available from early summer in black, blue, pink and white. Unfortunately, Sony has not yet confirmed pricing information.

Purchase the Sony Xperia 1 II on Amazon