Sony Xperia 1 III review

05 July 2021


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  • F
  • Fred
  • AJy
  • 06 Jul 2021

This Sony has quite a few problems granted but those holding the S21 ultra up as the phone to beat are having a laugh.

These are the reasons I did not choose Samsung S21 Ultra.
Punch hole, the phone is a heavy brick, The aggressive hdr makes everything look ridiculous, no charger in box, no headphone jack, no expandable storage, bloatware. There is more including bad optimisation etc and Samsung's passion to be Apple.

Yes this Sony isn't great but the Samsung fanboys need to look at themselves.

    Nick Tegrataker, 06 Jul 2021I mean, in that case you can just buy Xperia 5 III with cle... moreWhile you may be right, I don't care for compact devices.

    I do find it odd that GSMArena didn't say least redo the battery test in 60Hz to see the difference along with stating the multitude of features the Xperia has (Game Enhancer allowing you to deadlock the refresh rate to certain apps, 360 Reality Audio, I could swear this thing has Dolby Atmos like the previous model, changing the charging settings to push the 30W, etc) like they would for other phones (ESPECIALLY the ROG phones). It's almost fishy if you will (no, I'm not a 'fanboy'. This review just seems to be missing a number of things...)

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • rRU
      • 06 Jul 2021

      Anonymous, 06 Jul 2021You can buy an S21 Ultra now for $8xx, and it's a much... moreYea no headphone jack

        Anonymous, 06 Jul 2021Lux is not equal to nits. He was measuring in lux units. To... moreNo, dont disinform people.
        He clearly stated nits, doing and showing the test in bright sunlight scenario. Everyone can chech that test on yt. The phone goes over 1300 nits.

          Anonymous, 06 Jul 2021What's the reason that 4K60 isn't in basic mode?CinemaPro which has it.

            • N
            • No matter
            • nyq
            • 06 Jul 2021

            Sony is holding back too much in camera department. They're afraid not to interfere with RX sales, which is a mistake. They should kill pull the plug on RX and put all they have to Xperia: biggest sensors, best tech. and etc. They could easily compete and overtake any PRO+ out there. I like most natural looking pictures Xperia 3 is producing. Not so oversharpened and not overdone with ugly HDR.

              786, 06 Jul 2021Lmao No other phone gives you 4k 2160p Optical 70mm to... moreits 3840×1644 actually and modern day flagship stoll have 3200×1440ppi real brightness panel.
              70mm and 105mm are fixed and you cannot adjust optically between it and the details apart from the centre is ver low. modern day flagships have better optical zoom with 70mm and other lens upto 240mm and 30X hybrid zoom without losing details.
              there are still phones with led notification light and 3.5mm jack.
              Even the so called 'Pro' apps cannot get any better shots/video.
              The 'Pro' apps is powered to a tiny sensors. (there are phones with bigger 1/2 inch sensors for 120mm lens and sony have tiny 1/2.9" for a smaller 105mm lens)
              Didn't want to mention the front cameras because the Sony's own mid range phones from 2015 have better one with autofocus lens and the $1300 have fixed focus in 2021

              Even the old Zenfone 6 with 5000mah battery can charge faster with it's 18W charger compared to the 30W for smaller 4500mAh and that thing has the same battery care advanced options.

              There are only things Xperia could do. an uninterrupted screen without holes/nothes or pop up cameras and the 360° reality audio, and the 20fps continues shot with the main lens in good lighting conditions.

                How exactly does this review merit a 4.0 rating? Weird IGN vibes off of this one

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • xZI
                  • 06 Jul 2021

                  786, 06 Jul 2021Use your brain and have common sense, it's using oled... moreI thought based on the article, only certain apps can make use of the 4K display. So it’s either 1080p@120Hz or 4K@60Hz?

                    786, 06 Jul 2021Use your brain and have common sense, it's using oled... moreDoes it look like I care? Did somebody force Sony to use a gimmicky 4K OLED screen? No. It was THEIR decision. A stoopid decision, mind you. 4K on a phone is nothing but a gimmick, as it has no benefit and only drawbacks. Again battery life is absolutely PATHETIC!

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • vjX
                      • 06 Jul 2021

                      Tann Hauser, 06 Jul 20214k res working at 120 fps, 1300 nits screen brightness, con... moreLux is not equal to nits. He was measuring in lux units. To convert lux to nits, you divide it by pi, or 3.142. 1361/3.142 = 433 nits, which is lower than what gsmarena measured.

                      I am now starting to doubt all the other tests that he did.

                        786, 06 Jul 2021Use your brain and have common sense, it's using oled... more1644p actually. and with pentile oled, only the green sub pixel have that 640ppi density. while the red and blue sub pixel density is closer to 450ppi.
                        the old xperia Z5 premium had an actual 4k uhd with 3840×2160p full RGB panel with 800ppi density.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • iF4
                          • 06 Jul 2021

                          Anonymous, 06 Jul 2021It is pure entertainment watching these people defending a ... moreSony's marketing team is present and trying to do its best to defend their product. The way they choose to do it, really is entertaining. :)

                            Tann Hauser, 06 Jul 20214k res working at 120 fps, 1300 nits screen brightness, con... more1300nts with 2% window(2% area of screen) for few seconds in HDR contents. otherwise while browsing etc, the full screen brightness is closer to 400nits which is pathetic for a flagship display.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • vjX
                              • 06 Jul 2021

                              It is pure entertainment watching these people defending a phone with their lives lol

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • vjX
                                • 06 Jul 2021

                                Anonymous, 06 Jul 2021That test is useless. Now you are gonna jump on me with que... moreNow you are just trolling.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • fFC
                                  • 06 Jul 2021

                                  Japanese is not going to outstanding in consumer electronics nowadays due to their conservative mindset. The reason why they retain most of the Xperia 'uniqueness' not because of they proud of it but they afraid to change. Period. The SW support/update alone is mediocre at best.

                                    • 7
                                    • 786
                                    • BiP
                                    • 06 Jul 2021

                                    notafanboy, 06 Jul 2021Very bad battery life. Unacceptable in a flagship in 2021. ... moreUse your brain and have common sense, it's using oled 2160p 600ppi.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 70d
                                      • 06 Jul 2021

                                      Tann Hauser, 06 Jul 2021Same as it was for 1 II. Basic mode does video in HDR 4k or... moreWhat's the reason that 4K60 isn't in basic mode?

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • 70d
                                        • 06 Jul 2021

                                        Anonymous, 06 Jul 20214/5 stars? That’s fair. However, the display is 4K at 12... moreYou can buy an S21 Ultra now for $8xx, and it's a much better phone.

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