After quite a few leaks yesterday, Sony officially announced the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III today (April 14). Both models have solid specs, and early indications are quite positive, as Sony claims they are the world's first camera phones.

Pricing details are not yet known (but being Sony, they will be expensive), and the release date has been set at a vague "this summer". Sony is touting these phones as "the world's first smartphone with a variable telephoto lens combined with a dual PD sensor," and furthermore, this model improves upon Xperia's already very powerful autofocus system.

In layman's terms, these camera improvements mean that instead of two separate shooters, the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III have a single periscope camera that can switch between 3x and 5x zoom (70mm and 105mm focal length). Sony claims this is the first commercially available smartphone to do so.

Sony has historically struggled with camera software, with few devices capable of taking pictures that rival Apple's or Google's, but the Japanese tech giant seems determined to right its reputation here.

The phone will feature three 12.2MP sensors on the back, with both the main and telephoto lenses supporting OIS. The front camera will be 8MP.

Improvements go beyond the core hardware: support for 4K shooting with HDR at 120 fps was expected but still welcome, real-time autofocus tracking has been added to the new Xperia phones, and Sony has (finally) integrating the Pro Camera app into the basic camera app to make jumping between modes quicker.

It's not just in the camera department that these Xperia smartphones venture into uncharted territory: the 1 III model boasts a 6.5-inch 4K OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, which I can't wait to see in person. It is the first phone to offer such a screen and may be the device's biggest selling point.

The Xperia 5 III will be downgraded slightly to a 6.1" screen with 1080p resolution. This is hardly unexpected, since it is an entry-level model and should receive some attention in the name of price, but at least it includes most of the camera improvements.

The two models are powered by a Snapdragon 888 processor, combined with 12GB of RAM, which at this point is considered the basic specs found in flagship Android phones like the OnePlus 9 Pro. The previous Xperia model was oddly incompatible with 5G networks in the U.S., but this one will offer full 5G support, although it is not yet compatible with AT&T's 5G network.

In terms of design, the Xperia follows the unique look of the Xperia, which has become well established by this point. That is, both models are taller and narrower, with curved angles and a slightly larger camera bump this time around; hopefully both models will have no problems displaying everything on the screen at once, as the Xperia 10 did.

Both models also have a 4,500 mAh battery, support wireless charging, run the Android 11 OS, and even have a headphone jack. All in all, the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III seem to be reasonably attractive devices, especially for serious photographers.

The question is whether Sony can gain a strong foothold in the market compared to giants like Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro. The Xperia line has often struggled in terms of price and has not been available through carriers in the past This has not helped either.

We certainly look forward to putting both of these Xperia phones through their paces later this summer. Hopefully, these could be the devices that finally take Sony's smartphone game up a notch.