Sony schedules event; 5G flagship Xperia 1 III could debut April 14

Sony has historically announced its latest Xperia smartphones at MWC Barcelona in late February. But the ongoing pandemic has put an end to that practice and this year Sony is going it alone with a dedicated event.

Sony could announce its next 5G Xperia flagship on April 14

The Japanese brand has announced plans for a digital press conference on April 14, to be streamed on the company’s official Sony Xperia YouTube channel at 12:30am PDT / 3:30am EDT / 8:30am BST / 9:30am CEST.

Sony hasn’t confirmed which devices are going to be introduced, but it’ll likely announce the high-end Xperia 1 III 5G, set to be one of the best Android phones of 2021. The next-gen flagship will succeed the Xperia 1 II and sports a periscope camera and a 6.5-inch 120Hz display, per leaked renders.

Other Xperia 1 III specs should include the Snapdragon 888 chip and at least 256GB of internal storage. The phone also boasts a headphone jack, a dedicated shutter button, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

There’s no official word on the Xperia 1 III price and release date. But Sony is often quite slow with launches, so a release in late May or June could be on the cards. As for pricing, last year’s model retail at $1,199 in the US, and a similar price is expected for the 2021 edition.