SMARTPHONES
They’re all but indispensable these days, so be sure to get one that delivers your music and video content to the highest standard
Sony Xperia 1 III £1199
We loved the last-gen Xperia 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. Photography fans will be pleased by the inclusion of a periscope lens, too.
But crucially for us, Sony has eked out yet more performance from the Xperia 1 III screen and a 3.5mm headphone output (wireless audio is of course an option) gives us even more reason to recommend it over most rivals.
If you want a 4K display in your hand, your quest for a new phone begins and ends here. It’s a 6.5in, OLED, 21:9 aspect ratio screen. which is designed to maximise your enjoyment of movies “as the creator intended”. There’s a Creator Mode to prove it, 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.
This phone’s predecessor delivered Award-winning audio and video performance so any small upgrade would be a bonus. And that’s what we’ve got.
Listening through Beyerdynamic T1 Mk III headphones on Tidal we’re treated to a sonic performance that delivers a little more punch and a little more detail when compared with the Xperia 1 II.
When it comes to visual treats, this 4K screen does not disappoint. The world’s first 4K 120Hz phone screen certainly sounds good on paper – and it looks even better in reality.
When you’re playing games or watching video the Sony offers up faithful, naturalistic images. Skies are blue, roses are red – and suddenly top-level rival screens look to have overcooked some of their colours. 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.
Some of the specs may be overkill, and the unusual long-and-thin shape might take a little getting used to, but there’s no denying it will be mighty hard to beat this phone when it comes to audio and video excellence.