Sony Xperia 1 III review: the slightly different flagship

A few years ago, Sony was an integral part of the smartphone market, but now they hardly play a role, at least if the sales figures are to be believed. That should now change with the new Sony Xperia 1 III. In this review you will find out how well you have succeeded and whether it is worth taking a look at the latest flagship from Sony.

If you only look at the data sheet, the Sony Xperia 1 III delivers everything your heart desires. Even a 3,5 mm jack connection, which can hardly be found in flagships.

Design - the highlight of the Xperia 1 III

In terms of design, the Sony Xperia 1 III is different from other flagships from 2021, which I mean absolutely positively. With dimensions of 165 x 71 x 8,2 mm, it is significantly narrower than comparable competitors. This thin construction is due to the 21: 9 format. In combination with the light weight of only 186 grams, it ensures that Sony has made the Xperia 1 III a real flatterer.

The angular design also gives the smartphone a really good grip. For a long time I haven't had a smartphone here that is so comfortable to hold. As is typical for Sony, there is again a separate button for the camera and the fingerprint sensor has again been integrated into the power button. This unlocked the device quickly and reliably throughout my test period. A new addition this year is, in addition to an additional button for the Google Assistant, there is also a back made of matt glass. Optionally in purple or black. My test device was black, which I really liked. In my opinion, even the most beautiful back of a flagship smartphone in 2021.  

Display - compact cinema feeling

4K OLED, 10 bit color rendering and now finally 120 Hertz. On paper, the display of the Sony Xperia 1 III sounds like a real feast for the eyes for content creators. The 6,5 ″ display has an impressive 3.840 PPI thanks to a resolution of 1.644 x 643 pixels. It doesn't get any sharper at the moment. Unfortunately, you don't always notice something of this, because the Xperia 1 III decides for itself when it displays content in 4K and when in 1080p. We know this from the Xperia 1 and 1 II, for example.

As in the past two years, Sony relies on a display with a 21:9 aspect ratio. Incidentally, movies are also broadcast here. But the aspect ratio is particularly noticeable when watching YouTube videos. Even if 21:9 is the common cinema format, a lot of content is still in 16:9 or 18:9 produe. Here you either have thick black borders, or you crop into the picture and lose some of the content.

In everyday life, however, I still liked the panel a lot. As is typical for OLEDs, we have excellent contrast and black values ​​here. If you set the display to "Creator mode" in the settings, you can enjoy the benefits of the 10-bit color rendering and BT.2020 color scale to the full. Compared to the “normal mode”, the “creator mode” scores above all with a significantly better color rendering. And even if the 21: 9 aspect ratio has disadvantages when watching videos, there is also something positive about this format. It was thus possible to accommodate a relatively large amount of display space in a fairly slim housing that is easy to use with one hand.

However, what I noticed is that the brightness once again does not come close to that of the top competition. The display could have been a little brighter, especially in direct, bright sunlight. Some colleagues also report a slight green discoloration when viewed from the side, which I did not notice. I type here simply times on quality fluctuations in the Proproduction.

Performance - very good which was to be expected

Snapdragon 888, 12 GB RAM, 256 GB of internal, expandable UFS 3.1 storage. It already reads well on paper and so it is no wonder that the performance is also convincing in everyday life. The Sony Xperia 1 III flies through any application. Thanks to the 120 Hzertz refresh rate, everything finally looks fluid and smooth. Here it is at the forefront, but what you can expect for the price.

Unfortunately, the Snapdragon 888 in the Xperia also has to deal with heatprotrouble to fight. This is a Proproblem that unfortunately affects many smartphones with this SoC. Just after setupprocess or a slightly longer gaming session, you notice how the device gradually warms up. But it never got worryingly hot.

Software - almost pure stock Android

The in-house XperiaUI is used as the software. This is very reminiscent of stock Android, but is equipped with a few additional functions, such as a concentration mode. Also on board is the option of a dark mode, although “grey mode” would be more appropriate. Unfortunately, some bloatware is also preinstalled ex works in the form of Call of Duty Mobile, Asphalt 9, LinkedIn and Tidal. Sony's update policy also leaves something to be desired. My test device actually still had the security patch from April. And even if I can overlook that because I tested the Xperia before the market launch, the guaranteed period of two years in the update is verseprochen, not flagship worthy.

Camera - a Sony Alpha in your pocket?

Sony supplies the sensors for almost all smartphones on the market. The Xperia 1 III has three sensors. A 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a telephoto camera with also 12 megapixels, which comes along with a special feature. Because Sony is the first manufacturer to install a camera with a variable focal length. Unlike Samsung with the Galaxy s21 ultra or Huawei with the P40 Pro+, who rely on two separate zoom lenses, Sony only installs a telephoto camera with variable focal lengths of 70 and 105 mm.

Wide angle camera

Sony has installed a 12 MP sensor as the main camera, which comes with an aperture of f / 1.7 and optical image stabilization. The 1 / 1.7 ″ large camera sensor is, by the way, the same sensor that is used in the Samsung Galaxy S21 and  S21 + is used. Therefore, and also for the reason that Sony itself in the proprofessional camera market with their Alpha cameras, I had high expectations of the camera of the Sony Xperia 1 III. Unfortunately, not all of these were met. Let's start with the main camera first.

The Xperia takes really good pictures during the day. Nice sharpness, good dynamic range and an excellent autofocus. Above all, it offers the most natural color representation I have ever seen. The Sony Xperia 1 III reproduces the images as you can see them in real life.

This is the undoing of the Xperia, especially in poor light, because the very realistic display of the images makes them very dark in low light. In addition, there is a lack of sharpness and the images are noisy. All of the flagship competition is actually better here. I hope that this is due to poorly optimized software, because the hardware of the Xperia 1 III definitely has potential.

Ultra wide angle camera

The ultra-wide-angle camera is also the same lens as is already installed in the Galaxy S21 series. Accordingly, my expectations were also high here. In the end, I was less disappointed here than with the main camera, which is probably due to the fact that the difference to the competition is smaller here with a few exceptions. A Xiaomi Mi 11 or iPhone 12 perform even worse here. A OnePlus 9 Pro or Oppo find x3 Pro but better.

As with the main camera, the Xperia can score with decent sharpness, good dynamic range and a very realistic color display. Even with lowlight, it's not quite as bad as with the main camera. This is mainly due to the fact that the difference to the competition is not too great.

Telephoto camera

Sony is the first manufacturer ever to install a camera with a variable focal length. You can choose between 70 and 105 mm. This corresponds to a 2,9 or 4,4 times optical zoom. This is currently unique on the smartphone market and playing around with the camera is also really fun. Unfortunately, the image quality cannot convince across the board. There is a lack of sharpness, details and the color matching does not come close to that of the main camera. As impressive as the technology behind it is, the quality of one Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, Huawei P40 Pro+ or Xiaomi mi 11 ultra she does not come near. Nevertheless, I think it's good that Sony has dared to do something here and I definitely see potential in it.

The Sony Xperia 1 III is the first smartphone to offer a variable focal length. (Image: TechnikNews)

The photography experience

But you don't buy an Xperia as a point & shoot camera, but because of the experience when taking pictures. This year, Sony has replaced the standard camera app with the “Photo Pro' and 'Video Pro“ App replaced. These are very reminiscent of the interface of the Sony Alpha cameras and allow you to set everything manually, from the exposure time to the ISO, the white balance and the aperture. This is how the camera is really fun. You really notice how you have control over the camera and how the photograph itself comes to the fore. I only hope that the final image quality will be improved with an update.

Battery - the power-hungry display is noticeable

The battery of the Sony Xperia 1 III measures an impressive 4.500 mAh and thus 500 mAh more than its predecessor. But the combination of 120 Hz and 4K resolution really pulls the battery. With my usage behavior, I always got 4 to 4,5 hours of screen-on-time. This means that the Xperia 1 III joins the ranks of smartphones that can only be used for a day. After all, it supports wireless charging again and this year finally a bit faster wired charging. Even if only with 30W. The competition is in some cases significantly further ahead here.

Other - Great audio and an average vibration motor

In addition to really good-sounding stereo front speakers, Sony is the only manufacturer besides Asus to offer its flagship smartphones a 3,5 mm jack connector. Even though almost everyone nowadays consumes music via Bluetooth headphones and Sony makes very good Bluetooth headphones themselves, they still can't match good wired headphones in combination with a high-quality DAC in terms of sound quality. In combination with the 21: 9 OLED display, the Sony Xperia 1 III is ideally suited for media consumption. That comforts a little over the rather average vibration motor.

Conclusion

Sony throws the Xperia 1 III on the market for 1.299 euros. Apart from the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Fold 3, it is more expensive than the entire Android competition. For this price it has to deliver, it cannot allow itself any weaknesses and at least on paper the smartphone looks almost perfect. A 4K 120 Hz OLED display or the variable telecamera are unique and make the Xperia 1 III a special smartphone. But I think that you have to get a grip on the basics first. Be it the below-average camera and battery life, or the fact that we are only supplied with software updates for two years with a smartphone that costs 1.299 euros. The Sony Xperia 1 III has a lot of construction sites that make it difficult for me to recommend it for the price I want.

Thank you to Sony Germany for providing the Xperia 1 III!

• Buy the Sony Xperia 1 III on Amazon

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