Sony Xperia 1 III
The Sony Xperia 1 III has a spec sheet like no other smartphone and big shoes to fill
The Xperia 1 III is Sony’s latest flagship phone and, while it’s more a case of evolution than revolution on the previous model, it’s another excellent handset that is well worth considering if audio and video performance are key factors for you when choosing a mobile.
We loved the last-gen 1 II but here the design has been tweaked, the battery boosted, the 4K display now has a 120Hz refresh rate and there’s an upgraded chipset and GPU. Crucially for us, Sony has eked out yet more performance from the Xperia 1 III screen and 3.5mm headphone jack, which gives us even more reason to recommend it over what was already our Award-winning phone.
The same 6.5in OLED screen and 21:9 aspect ratio ensures once again this feels like a comparatively long, slender phone compared with the more common 16:9 form. Gorilla Glass Victus replaces Gorilla Glass 6 on the front panel. This should decrease yet further your chances of scratching the screen, while the previous generation’s glossy finish has been replaced by an anti-reflective frosted treatment. A button for firing up Google Assistant is another new addition.
As the Creator intended
The 6.5in OLED, 21:9 aspect ratio screen is designed to maximise your enjoyment of movies via its Creator Mode, as seen on the previous generation. The 1644 x 3840 pixel resolution (643ppi) may be the same but you do now get the benefit of 4K at 60Hz and Full HD at 120Hz. In fact, 4K is possible at 120Hz on certain apps. The 120Hz refresh rate screen also helps smooth out scrolling and general navigation around the interface.
The chipset has been upgraded to the Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G, a new Adreno 660 GPU, and 8GB of RAM for speedy operation comparable with any phone on the market. There’s a bigger, 4500mah battery inside, an increase on the 4000mah in last year’s model. There’s fast-charging for 50 per cent power in 30 minutes and support for wireless charging too.
The Xperia 1 III has a triple camera set-up with a new 12MP f/2.3 telephoto lens, 12MP f/1.7, 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2 and an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera. Sony borrows plenty of tech from its Alpha camera range, with the telephoto set-up offering 2.9x and 4.4x zoom magnifications and optical image stabilisation. After all those specs, a simple point and shoot Auto mode turns out natural, faithful images. Some might miss a Night Mode but low-light photos again prefer to reveal what the naked eye actually saw rather than an artificially enhanced representation.
That’s entertainment
Listening to the Xperia 1 III using Tidal through our reference Beyerdynamic T1 Mk III headphones, we’re treated to a sonic performance that delivers a little more punch and a little more detail than its predecessor. Comparing the two phones, we are more than happy to recommend either based on their sound performance, but we’re impressed to hear there are marginal gains with the new model.
Bass notes sound a little tighter, meaning more control and agility, and help tracks such as New Ferrari by Surprise Chef sound like they’re in a particularly good mood. The brooding tension in Black Rainbow by Koreless is well conveyed and it’s clear the Xperia is capable of dynamics to rival any phone on the market and plenty of dedicated hi-res players.
As well as a wired connection via the headphone jack, you can use Sony’s LDAC technology, which allows for hi-res audio transmission and aims to maximise performance over Bluetooth. There’s also support for Sony 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos. It’s an all-round entertainer.
The world’s first 4K 120Hz screen sounds good on paper and it looks even better in reality. The refresh rate really does make scrolling that much smoother, but of course it really comes into its own with games or video content.
The shape of the phone takes a little getting used to for day to day use but makes perfect sense when using the screen in landscape mode. The 21:9 screen automatically shows you the content in the format it was shot rather than forcing it to fit.
Watching 4K video on Youtube, the Xperia 1 III steadfastly offers up images that are faithful; the previous generation looks to have over-cooked some of the bright colours in comparison.
Throw in bags of detail, smooth motion and careful handling of black levels and skin tones, and we think it will be hard to beat the video performance on offer here.
Sony knows more than a thing or two about audio devices, has plenty of pedigree when it comes to displays, and has a fine reputation when it comes to cameras, so it’s no surprise the Xperia 1 III does the job of being more than the sum of those inherently good parts.
It will be hard to beat this phone when it comes to audio and video excellence.