The Sony Xperia 1 III is now certain to launch next week, and new leaked information has revealed its key features.

The rendered images (via GSMArena), designed by case maker Olixar, reveal Sony's next flagship model ahead of its April 14 debut. And while the focus of these images is not only on the handset, many of the rumored features of the Xperia 1 III appear to have made it into the final version of the handset.

Rendered images provided by Olixar show a familiar outline: Sony seems to be sticking with a 6.5-inch display with a unique tall 21:9 aspect ratio and 4K resolution, similar to the Sony Xperia 1 II. This is not a bad thing, as the display and shape of the previous Xperia 1 model was one of its most interesting specs, and the new Xperia 1 II is a good example of this.

Unfortunately, the top bezel (with selfie camera) also appears to be making a return. Plain bezels, while not interfering with the screen like notches and punch holes, make the phone larger than necessary and also make it look old-fashioned. Ideally, Sony would have kept this part of the display design in the previous generation.

One old-fashioned feature that can be appreciated is the headphone jack on the bottom edge, along with more modern stereo speakers. The headphone jack is not a feature found on many flagships, but its inclusion here is good news for those who have not yet invested in the best wireless headphones or the best wireless earbuds.

The other main exterior detail revealed by the case is the Xperia 1 III's rear camera: there are three cameras arranged in a long vertical rectangle, all using Zeiss-tuned lenses like previous Sony phones. One of them is said to be a periscope telephoto lens, a significant improvement over the Xperia 1 II's standard telephoto. While it is only one factor to consider, the periscope lens puts this phone in line with the other devices appearing in our best camera phones guide.

Looking at the side of the phone, the power button with fingerprint sensor appears again, as it did on the previous model. New is the shortcut button above it, which Sony previously used on the Xperia Pro earlier this year.

We don't yet know what chipset the Xperia 1 III will use, but it will likely be 5G-capable, as the Xperia 1 II used the Snapdragon 865 chip, the best flagship silicon available at the time the new Xperia will use a Snapdragon 888 like those found in Samsung's Galaxy S21 series, OnePlus 9 series, and many other recent Android phones.

The Xperia's RAM and storage are also a mystery at the moment. The previous generation offered 8GB or 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage, expandable via microSD card. However, the SD card slot is rumored to be making a comeback, which is good news for users who quickly fill up the phone's internal storage.

The Xperia 1 III is expected to be available in a week. All that remains to be determined is whether it deserves to be one of the best Android phones or just one of the best phones. Sony's job is tough, however, as no handset currently ranks on either list.