Sony announces Xperia 5 III to ship in September on heels of the Xperia 1 III, which is now confirmed to ship on August 19 in the US

Sony often pre-announces its flagship handsets well before the devices go up for pre-order and then actually ship to consumers. It is probably the longest lead time of any maker on the market, but certainly helps with slowly building the hype and getting supply chains in order. This time, the wait seems longer than ever with the company announcing the Xperia 5 III and Xperia 1 III in mid-April.

Sony has now officially confirmed that the Xperia 5 III will ship in September, with a specific day still to be confirmed. This will follow on the heels of its big brother, the Xperia 1 III that is now up for pre-order and will ship on August 19 in the US. The two devices share many features with the more diminutive Xperia 5 III one of the few Android devices with a display 6.1-inches or smaller to feature the same high-performance Snapdragon 888 larger flagship devices like the Xperia I III.

Other shared features between the two devices are the 12 MP dual-pixel PDAF wide and ultra-wide cameras. While both also feature a telephoto zoom lens, the world-first variable telephoto lens is exclusive to the larger Xperia 1. Both also incorporate the same 4,500 mAh battery which will be needed to help keep their respective 120 Hz refresh rates and other features powered. There are other differences such as the Xperia 5 III being fitted with Gorilla Glass 6 display protection while the Xperia 1 III gets the newer Gorilla Glass Victus.

Both models are among the most desirable high-end Android devices released this year with the Xperia 5 III arguably representing better value for money at US$999 versus the Xperia 1 III which is priced at US $1,299. However, there are, naturally, trade-offs to be made which includes settling for a 6.1-inch display with a 2520 x 1080 against the 4K display fitted to the Xperia 1 III.

Buy the Sony Xperia 5 II from Amazon.