Sony Xperia 10 III could be the first mid-range 5G phone from Sony

A recent rumour indicates that the Sony Xperia 10 III smartphone will pack a Snapdragon 690 chipset, which released in other mid-range phones in 2020, potentially making it the first mid-range 5G handset from Sony. 

In a chunk of code tweeted by code diver Nodar Sikharulidze which referred to upcoming phones, the Snapdragon 690 was listed (under the model number sm6350). It is likely to refer to the Xperia 10 III due to its surfacing now, while the other chipset listed, the Snapdragon 875, is presumably intended for the Sony Xperia 1 III flagship.

It’s a little bit of hearsay, and take it with a grain of salt, but joining the dots means that these two phones may be arriving soon. GSMArena theorizes that Sony launched the Xperia 10 II earlier this year but apparently skipped on making a Sony Xperia 10 II Plus, which reportedly would have packed a Snapdragon 720 chipset, to concentrate on a 5G variant. 

The Snapdragon 690 will enable the Xperia 10 III to connect to sub-6 5G (but not mmWave). Sikharulidze told GSM Arena that the Xperia 10 III could have more than four cameras, and next year Sony’s lineup could include an Helio P35-packing affordable Sony Xperia L5 along with an Xperia 1 III. 

Flagship, mid-range, and cheap phones: sounds like a healthy lineup for Sony to start the year off with. This is in line with last year’s Sony schedule, as the Xperia 1 II, Xperia 10 II, and Xperia L4 were all released at an online conference during what would have been the suddenly-cancelled MWC 2020. 

Which implies that in the same time window, their successors will be revealed. That leaves the Xperia 5 III out, but because the phone normally drops later in the year in 2021, we will still expect it to subsequently slip down the line.