Sony Xperia 10 III review

Competition

The Xperia 10 III is another of those Sonys that don't bother adhering to market trends. Sony has its own feature prioritization. As such, this Xperia is different from a lot of its competitors in the 5G-capable midrange space. With, naturally, both the good and the bad implications.

Perhaps the closest match to the Xperia's feature set is the Galaxy A52 5G. While we've only reviewed the 4G version, the largely identical hardware between the two Galaxies lets us speculate with a fairly high level of confidence who's going to win at what. The Galaxy has a superior display, beefier chipset, and stereo speakers. The main and ultrawide cameras on the A52 5G are a little better, but the Xperia does counter with a decent zoom camera which the Galaxy lacks. The Samsung is the only competitor offering proper water resistance, but the 10 III is that extra bit safer with its IP65/68 rating (IP67 on the A52), and the Sony is the obvious choice if you value pocketability.

If you care about size and weight, the Mi 11 Lite 5G can give the Xperia 10 III a run for its money thanks to its svelte 6.8mm waistline and 159g weight, but the narrow Sony remains a favorite for single-handed use. The Xiaomi's water protection maxes out at splashes, but it has stereo speakers, a finer display, and a more powerful chipset. The Sony lasts longer on a single charge but takes three times as long to top up. Oh, and one has an infrared blaster (Mi), the other - a headphone jack (Xperia).

The OnePlus Nord is half-way out the door, to be replaced by the Nord CE any day now, but the new one won't be much different by all accounts. Yet another alternative with more raw power and better display, the Nord is much quicker to charge, but also quicker to drain - the Xperia wins another endurance race. The Sony is the overall better cameraphone, too.

Here's a curveball - the LG Velvet. It matches the Xperia's water submersion survival rating, has stereo speakers and a headphone jack, and even if it's not overly compact, it is a pretty sexy handset. It, too, offers better performance than the Xperia though it's far from the Sony's endurance rating. With the Velvet you win bonus points for having one of LG's last smartphones, but it's really the fact of LG exiting the smartphone business that will allow you to get it at roughly Xperia 10 III money, otherwise it would have been out of reach.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G • Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G • OnePlus Nord • LG Velvet 5G

Verdict

The Xperia 10 III, similarly to the bulk of Xperias in the past, is hard to get us excited and advising that you rush into stores to get one. It's got its flaws - the 60Hz display sticks out at a time when virtually the entire industry is switching to high refresh rates. And we've picked our words very carefully when talking about the charger but we do have very strong feelings in that respect. Stereo speakers are ever more common in the midrange too, and the Xperia misses out on this trend too. And for a phone that prides itself on its camera prowess, selfies sure aren't up to scratch.

However, this Xperia has its fair share of advantages over the competition. Starting with the physical, the Xperia 10 III is one of the most compact devices you can find in the midrange. More importantly, it has full IP65/IP68 dust and water protection - best in class weather sealing. Best-in-class is also the 10 III's battery endurance, and that does mean a lot. Plus, you do get a proper triple camera system that while not infallible, is more versatile than most. And, in the end, it's an Xperia and that may matter a lot to the right buyer.

Pros

• Durable Gorilla Glass on both sides, IP65/IP68 rating for dust and water protection.
• Relatively light and compact.
• Superb battery life.
• One of few telephoto cameras in the price segment.

Cons

• Display is only 60Hz in a sea of HRR competitors, it's not as bright as most either.
• Painfully slow bundled charger, optional Sony unit is expensive, and charging speed is not competitive even with it.
• No stereo speakers.
• Middling camera low-light performance, unimpressive selfies.