Sony Xperia 1 III Flagship 4K SD888 Phone Arrives August 19 With Eye-Searing Price Tag

sony xperia 1 iii water
Sony first gave us a glimpse at its upcoming Xperia 1 III flagship phone back in mid-April, and quite frankly, it's a beast. Although Sony provided all the smartphone's specs, it was reticent to clue us in on its price until now. According to the Japanese electronics giant, the Xperia 1 III will launch in the United States on August 19th with a price tag of $1,299.

That's quite a princely sum for a flagship smartphone, even in the face of devices like the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The former starts at $1,099, while the latter is priced at $1,249 (currently $999 on Amazon).

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For that price, you'll get a flagship-worthy Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. However, you can expand that storage with a microSDXC slot, suitable for an additional 1TB. The smartphone's big claim to fame, however, is likely its 6.5-inch display. Not only is there a gorgeous OLED panel with HDR support, but it features a stunning 4K resolution, which only Sony seems interested in pushing to the public these days. The display is also backed with a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz motion blur reduction.

Other features include dual SIM slots (5G connectivity, of course), a 4,500 mAh battery, IP68 water/dust resistance, and Gorilla Glass Victus covering the 6.5-inch display (Gorilla Glass 6 is covering the rear of the smartphone).

Sony Xperia 1 III Cameras

Sony also aims to impress when it comes to the cameras on the Xperia 1 III. The engineers from Sony's well-regarded Alpha camera line helped develop the phone's camera subsystem. On the back, you'll find triple 12MP Exmor RS sensors (24mm wide-angle, 16mm ultra-wide-angle, 70mm - 105mm telephoto variable angle). In addition, an 8MP f/2.0 camera is on the front of the Xperia 1 III for selfie duties.

Although the $1,299 price of entry is steep for the Xperia 1 III, Sony is sweetening the deal by including a set of WF-1000XM3 earbuds for free ($188 on Amazon). Is the Xperia 1 III too rich for your blood? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.