Sony Xperia 1 III review

05 July 2021


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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • Kxv
  • 10 Jul 2021

Alpha, 10 Jul 2021Your comment reflects how much you know about tech and phon... moreSurprise surprise...
Nope. Making good hardware does not mean they write good software.

    • I
    • InDaShadow
    • BmF
    • 10 Jul 2021

    Latest chipset, 3.5mm jack, sd card, zeiss optics, oled display with 120 hz, fingerprint out of the screen, ... you really got me, this is the kind of mobile phone I'd buy, however I will wait for the next or the other year as my S20+ is still a great phone, then I will look for such specs, I only would ask for a 5000 mAh battery and that will be it

      Anonymous, 10 Jul 2021I really see no point dissecting outputs. Add Xperia XZ2 be... moreThat's with a long exposure mode which will be activated whenever the device detects that it's on a stable surface. In real life, XZ2 will perform extremely poorly due to the combination of the terrible processing, lack of OIS and a severely outdated sensor, and I bet it won't even come close to 1 III unless you use tripod.

      You know, if that was allowed then I would've just added Mate X2's AI 50MP mode and said "haha highres sensor ftw now go suck it losers" but obviously I didn't do that since it's pointless.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • LHe
        • 10 Jul 2021

        mobileman, 10 Jul 2021i cant help it, i must comment that...that 'thing'... moreAll of the time you still don't have one so you are repeating some stupid stuff you found online instead form experience. You need to recharge it once a day like any other flagship and don't worry screen is absolutely fine outdoors unless you are in southeast Asia at noon in mid December on 40 degree day.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • LHe
          • 10 Jul 2021

          Nick Tegrataker, 10 Jul 2021https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=4&idPhone1=... moreI really see no point dissecting outputs. Add Xperia XZ2 besides X1III and Mi11Ultra and it all blows them away as it focused across the whole frame and texture detail on the SpongeBob and the donkey patch cannot be rivaled by any other phone.

            • m
            • mobileman
            • gnJ
            • 10 Jul 2021

            i cant help it, i must comment that...that 'thing' sony phone more..its soo lausy.

            -moust of time you must re-charg it,and when oyu charg it, go do something else, you have alot time.
            -you cant read it screen nothing outside, you need dark room,brightness is like 5 years old level.
            thouse above things are moust important, screen and battery... bcoz its doesent matter how 'good' you phone is IF YOU CANT USE IT.

            anyway,i ant see any good it,...but still price is same level then axample samsung flagship phone 21 ultra,, and its now even cheaper.

            score that phone is category 4 to 10.. i give 6.

            must say last that price...looks sony totally thing buyers are idiots or hope it.
            i mean 1300 is 700 too much.. and still i dont buy it, problem is still there.

            omg.

              Anonymous, 07 Jul 2021Not as good as the S21 Ultra or Mi 11 Ultra or Vivo X60 pro... moreFor a troll that have never touched an Xperia is true! Xperia it’s never what you see on paper nor from lame testers! Avoid!

                oodav33, 07 Jul 2021MKBHD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN1W-YeVP-U 27:00 ... moreBetter crap placebo troll! As long as it has better screen and camera functions, much lighter and smaller battery and with its cleaner android adaptation with such few differences, Xperia wins all the time! Placebos of Samsung never knows real life testing nor on paper and some first time testers: avoid!

                  Nick Tegrataker, 10 Jul 2021https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=4&idPhone1=... moreObserve the top around spongebob part, Where Xperia has better processing than the two, and only on that part. Rest is kinda blurred out. Its obvious there is autofocusing difference between phones in this studio test.
                  Remember Xperia has object and eye autofocus tracking turned on by default.
                  Consider that when comparing these studio compares, with other that use center/multifocus on.

                    Replicant , 08 Jul 2021Fun fact S21 Ultra takes burst shots at faster rate than Xp... moreGalaxy can't use a continuous AF during burst shooting, though.

                      L.O.R.D, 10 Jul 2021Imma just say that Sony phones are not for everyone, especi... more"usually such gimmick feature in a phone"
                      Such an irony, as if Sony is not trying to attract customers with big numbers and flashy (yet half-baked) features too. (Sort of) 4K display? Dynamic Vibration System? Dual FL telephoto lens?

                        Nick Tegrataker, 10 Jul 2021https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=4&idPhone1=... moreJust trying to make it clear, I'm NOT saying Xperia has such an awful processing that my eyes start to bleed just by staring at it or something. I used to say that back in XZ era as well as the first gen Xperia 1, but right now it's nowhere near as bad as before. But it's simply that there's still large room for improvement, because those problematic characteristics of Sony's processing are clearly dragging down the image quality which has been already worsened quite a bit by a poor quality lens even further (especially on the telephoto camera). Both Mi 11 Ultra and Pixel 5's processing has been improved a lot and made far more natural through software updates as the latest sample photos speak for themselves, and Sony should work equally hard to get this part right.
                        To say that their current style of post processing is great and has no need of getting fixed, however, that would be just disingenuous when there are other companies who have already managed to do it better.

                          Tann Hauser, 09 Jul 2021Seriously? You gonna still claim Xiaomis processing I linke... morehttps://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=4&idPhone1=10712&idPhone2=10737&idPhone3=10528

                          To start off, you can clearly see how much more sharpening Xperia applies to the image over Xiaomi by simply looking at the centre symbol - the Mach band is significantly more noticeable on the former with thicker white border surrounding the logo whose edges are also more darkened. While the effect is definitely not non-existent on Xiaomi, it's still much harder to perceive it.

                          Then jump over to the ten pound note and zoom into the illustration of a bird carrying a handheld mirror, there exists a prime example of another type of artifacts. The ring-like patterns inside the mirror is completely smudged and the edges are heavily pixelated, which is a clear processing issue given the concentration line patterns under the "BANK of ENGLAND" logo right next to it is defined relatively fine. Moving onto the five dollar note right below it, you can see the yellow numbers on the left side of the man's face. It's slightly distorted on Xiaomi, but smudged really badly on Xperia - showcasing a low contrast detail smudging.

                          Next, the tips of the colour pencils. Again mild pixelation artifacts blurrier textures on Xperia, then the wooden star right below it also shows Xperia's rendition of string being noticeably soft and lacking in fine details.

                          Finally, low light. Xperia's shots are much softer despite shooting at near-base ISO value of 160, compared to Xiaomi's 747. If you think that's unfair due to sensor size difference, you can replace Xiaomi with Mate 30 Pro and see how it goes - spoiler alert, Mate will be still a lot sharper despite shooting at much higher ISO. So there's the low light noise reduction part of my argument done as well.

                            • A
                            • Alpha
                            • 80i
                            • 10 Jul 2021

                            Android-Authority, 10 Jul 2021Xiaomi image processing is miles ahead of Sony as seen from... moreYour comment reflects how much you know about tech and phones, and obviously its less than zero. Sony makes cameras, lenses, sponsors photography competitions around the world. Hear of "Alpha" their camera line that holds some of the best mirrorless cameras in the world? You really think some ABC Chinese company that uses Sony sensors in its phone is going to beat years and years of research and experiece. Hahahahah

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • kfy
                              • 10 Jul 2021

                              From Android headlines dot com (comparing s21u to x1m3)

                              "Sony actually fixed the camera for the final build that people will be able to purchase in stores. The dynamic range is now excellent, the images are not soft at all, and the white balance is on point. The only complaint is that the device could pull out more detail from the shadows in low light, but other than that, it’s flagship-grade all the way."

                              Review samples likely do not have the latest camera update, and some might have an older OS version like that one guy that was complaining about slow rotation.

                              Regardless, I believe the damage has been done since the press has generally given this phone a lukewarm response, and that's being nice.

                              These are the reasons why I pre-ordered this phone:

                              Comes in purple
                              Front facing speakers
                              3.5mm
                              Sd
                              Notif light
                              Historically great ROM support. A tweaked kernel and more options to improve battery (manually force lower res anyone?) will take this phone a long way.
                              Flat screen. Less prone to cracking and is my personal preference.
                              Top and bottom bezels, no punch or notch.
                              Lots of customization options.
                              Looks nice
                              Snappier OS than the s21u overall based off of that one yt video comparing real-world use.
                              Best in class camera focus for moving targets. Important for the types of pictures I take (you ever try getting a dog to look at the camera and end up getting a blurry picture because they move at the last second?)
                              Toolless Sim tray
                              Supports all of t-mobiles bands barring mmwave which doesn't affect me.
                              Comprehensive manual mode
                              Easy to replace battery vs competing phones. Heat gun, remove back glass, move some cables out of the way, and there's your battery. I won't risk damaging the display since all of the work is done on the back side.
                              Nice square design and should play nice with rugged cases so I can beat on it relentlessly without worry...mostly.

                              Things I don't like about the phone:
                              Dim display (still better than my current phone so it's an upgrade for me)
                              Poor battery (sw update and/or custom kernel+rom will fix that)
                              Aspect ratio. I prefer 16:9, but that's pretty much gone now that companies are replacing bezels for a couple hundred more pixels that'll cause letterboxing. At least it's a more "translatable" 21:9 instead of those weird ones with curved edges...
                              Narrow and tall due to aspect ratio. Maybe I'll like it. We'll see.

                              Uncertain:
                              Camera performance. If the aforementioned source is correct, and if the pictures we're seeing is from an older build, then I don't have any complaints with the camera. More dynamic range and detail is all it needs, and it has apparently been fixed on the retail version.
                              Dual focal length camera is a concern since it is a moving part. I wonder how it will work after dropping the phone multiple times.

                              Not many people have $1300 plus tax to dump on a phone just for review purposes, so it's likely that the vast majority of reviews are using review samples instead of retail models (especially for the bigger names). Very common practice in the pc hardware industry.

                              I've struggled keeping this ZTE axon 7 alive for this long. The negatives people are talking about don't mean much to me. I've already been desensitized lol. Running Android 7 with the last security patch in 2017 is rough, even moreso because this phone doesn't support some bands I need to have reception in some areas, but I put up with it because it has front facing speakers, SD, 3.5mm, no notch/punch, flat screen, 16:9 1440p amoled, and because it still works after dropping it hundreds and hundreds of times. I am looking forward to retiring this gem, and I'm glad that there is at least one company out there that still makes phones like this. It's worth it for me.


                                L.O.R.D, 10 Jul 2021Imma just say that Sony phones are not for everyone, especi... morelooking at this sony spec with s21, 12 pro or 11 ultra its better and cheaper people are not wrong, it hard to see this will sold millions but lets see.

                                  Imma just say that Sony phones are not for everyone, especially the ones looking for some cheap phone with those crazy charging speeds or some colorful gradient finish or usually such gimmick feature in a phone that they can buy and then discard two years later

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • p%S
                                    • 10 Jul 2021

                                    Android-Authority, 10 Jul 2021Xiaomi image processing is miles ahead of Sony as seen from... moreCost cutting at the price of inferior image quality is a staple of Sony smartphones

                                      Tann Hauser, 09 Jul 2021Seriously? You gonna still claim Xiaomis processing I linke... moreXiaomi image processing is miles ahead of Sony as seen from various comparisons.
                                      Sony still can't get things right. Tiny cheap sensor can't compete with premium large sensor.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • mHh
                                        • 10 Jul 2021

                                        Tann Hauser, 09 Jul 20214 problems with your counterargument: 1. That was also t... moreAgree

                                        +1

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