Sony's compact (and tall) Xperia 5 III 5G powerhouse is more affordable than ever before
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Even though Sony hasn't made any global or US top ten best-selling smartphone lists in a fairly long time and that situation is unlikely to change in the near (or distant) future, there are clear benefits to purchasing and owning high-end Xperia devices.
In a world of strikingly similar Android flagships from most major manufacturers, the 5G-enabled Xperia 5 III, for instance, stands out in a bunch of different ways, showing a lot of potential to draw attention and drive solid sales volumes... at the right price.
$999.99 was arguably not right for a 6.1-inch phone that arrived excruciatingly late to the US Snapdragon 888 availability party in January 2022, but $699.99 certainly feels like a big step in the correct direction. Coincidentally (not!), Best Buy is taking this step as the upgraded Xperia 5 IV approaches its October 27 release stateside at the exact same starting price.
While the fourth-gen Xperia 5 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processing power also includes a complimentary pair of WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds in its $999.99 list price, it's definitely worth mentioning that the model unveiled last year is not much humbler.
At $699.99 with no big freebies bundled in, the third-gen Xperia 5 has plenty of unique qualities and key selling points, ranging from its silky smooth 120Hz OLED display to a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card slot, no less than three different 12MP rear-facing cameras, and relatively clean Android 12 software experience with an Android 13 update almost certainly on the way.
Of course, the love-it-or-hate-it design is the number one way this bad boy distinguishes itself from the competition, sporting symmetrically thin screen bezels and an unusually tall yet also very compact body, at least by 2022 high-end standards.
Available in a fairly straightforward black and a far more eye-catching green color option, the Xperia 5 III delivers content in an extra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio, which can definitely make for a... different viewing experience than anything else on the market right now. Whether you prefer that or not obviously remains a matter of personal taste, but what's indisputable is the attractiveness of Best Buy's unprecedented $300 discount.
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