This is an excellent phone if you’re looking for a top-end flagship that offers some unique features. It has a competent triple-lens camera, 4k OLED display, and exceptional audio and gaming.
Sony has a strong design heritage, reflected in the 1 III’s slimmer, taller design. There’s also a headphone jack and microSD card shared dual-SIM tray, not to mention an IP65/68 rating for water resistance.
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Display
Sony has a proud record of making high-end smartphones with 4K displays, and the Xperia 1 Iii continues this trend. The 6.5-inch OLED display is one of the best in this class, with excellent color reproduction and a super-high pixel density.
The screen also sports a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes for smoother animations and gaming. However, the panel does suffer from frequent frame drops and a slight greenish tint.
The Xperia 1 Iii also packs several extra features, such as a slew of custom display settings and battery optimizations and an improved Android skin with navigation gesture support. It’s also a lot more 5G-friendly than its predecessor, which means it can work with T-Mobile and Verizon networks in the US.
Camera
The Sony Xperia 1 Iii is a capable smartphone. It’s Sony’s third take on a device that positions itself as a tool for photographers, filmmakers, audiophiles, and gamers.
Taking cues from its Alpha camera line, the Xperia 1 III offers a triple rear camera set-up with a 12MP f/1.7 standard lens, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, and a 12MP f/2.3 telephoto lens. It also features a 3D iToF sensor and ZEISS optics.
The telephoto lens is a new addition to the Xperia range that uses a variable f/2.3 aperture and offers 2.9x and 4.4x zoom magnifications. It also has Optical Image Stabilisation and SteadyShot 4K video capture.
Performance
There’s a lot to love about the Sony Xperia 1 Iii. Its 4K display has a 120Hz refresh rate, it comes with the latest chipset and GPU, and there are improvements to the cameras too.
As a result, it’s a powerful smartphone that can handle the most demanding games without breaking a sweat. It’s also got a range of features to optimize your gaming experience, including changing settings from all-out performance to battery longevity on a game-by-game basis.
There’s also a solid Geekbench 5 benchmark score, courtesy of the Snapdragon 888 chipset and 12GB of RAM. That’s good enough to outperform a few flagships at this price point, though it’s behind the OnePlus 10 Pro and Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Battery
The Sony Xperia 1 Iii features an impressive battery which can provide you with an entire day of usage. Moreover, it also supports wireless charging and reverses wireless charging.
The phone’s 4500 mAh battery can provide 10 hours 27 minutes of rundown time under the PCMark for Android Work 3.0 battery rundown test, which is quite good. However, it could not match the battery life of other top devices, such as the iPhone 12 Pro Max or Galaxy S21 Ultra.
This is mainly because the phone’s processor and RAM are overkill for most users, but Sony has done a great job of optimizing the background apps and keeping them from draining too much power. We found that it lasted through an average day, so long as you don’t push the limits with gaming or video recording.
Design
Sony’s Xperia smartphones have always had a strong aesthetic appeal. That’s partly thanks to the rounded corners and frosted glass that softens the edges when held.
But it’s also a result of Sony focusing on its technical expertise and a distinct style of hardware and software often unmatched by rivals. This year, it’s applied that to the Xperia 1 III, offering a handful of notable world-firsts: a 4K 120Hz display, a periscope camera, and an upgraded chipset and GPU.
That might not be enough to lure die-hard Sony fans away from the competition, but it’s an incredibly well-built, feature-packed device that will surely please those who value its unique approach. As a result, the Xperia 1 III is the best smartphone we’ve seen from Sony to date.
