Sony Xperia 1 III
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Sony Xperia 1 III

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kevinmcmurtrie, 22 Oct 2021OK, I managed to finally get a working phone. The Good: -... moreI saw this and at first was going to go through point-by-point, but it seems like you unfortunately had a very different experience with the phone than I have. Some of the things are preferences, some are user-related, some are true (e.g. flashlight), some are untrue (I have 5G on Verizon for example), and some are individual experiences that I simply have not had. Bummer that your list of what you don't like is so much longer than what you do. Hopefully you get something you really like soon.

    OK, I managed to finally get a working phone.
    The Good:
    - Sharp screen.
    - Loud and clear speakers in both speakerphone and stereo modes.
    - Extremely fast booting and app launching.
    - 27mm and 70mm cameras are sharp and work fairly well in low light.
    - Headphone jack and 1 TB microSD support.

    The Really Bad:
    - Sony Support states that the US model has no 5G support in the US! NSA 5G might work. No VoNR, no SA 5G, and some carrier aggregation combos don't work.
    - Absolutely insane shoveware. Maybe 10GB of it? It's almost impossible to get the phone up and running without first disabling all of it.
    - Private application storage (/Android/data) on the microSD card is so slow that apps storing many files will simply hang. This is a Google bug and Sony hasn't provided a fix.
    - There's no desktop mode when plugged into an external monitor. In fact, it can't detect a USB mouse and keyboard while using an external monitor.
    - The External Display app isn't working. Everything I've tried sees an MTP device and the screen says no video source is connected.
    - There are two sets of camera and video apps. The basic ones look bad. The "Pro" ones are far too fussy for the tiny cameras on a phone.
    - Screen brightness lock is missing for the camera and video apps. Adjusting the controls causes wild brightness changes as your fingers get near the light sensor.
    - "Pro" camera apps overheat the phone.
    - 16mm lens has severe barrel distortion that needs software correction.
    - 105mm lens suffers from severe flare and halos - it's pretty much unusable.
    - NFC shortcut tile is missing.
    - Assistant button configuration is missing.
    - Customization of the 3-button navigation bar is missing.
    - 3-button navigation bar covers video playback in browsers.
    - Volume control is not a rocker switch. It's a short bar over two buttons.
    - Configuration for the volume control is missing (always adjusts media).
    - Having a long line of buttons on the right side of the phone means many phone holders can't be used.
    - GPS reception is weak and often doesn't work indoors.
    - Flashlight is uselessly dim.
    - Early model of purple phone is purple. Later model looks black except under bright light.

      • T
      • TopSpy
      • KxY
      • 20 Oct 2021

      I want this phone.
      The only flagship with 3.5 mm jack.
      The only problem is the price in my country.

        this phone is so expensive i dont even consider it (despite i haves quite tons of flagships).. had xperia 5, was a generic phone like Alcatel, not much software for productivity. swiping didn't work from the corners. now this model is fixed to have proper screen but needs to have a oneplus price.. to bribe users who will close their eyes on poor camera.

          Dometalican, 19 Oct 2021It's apparently about the sensor size. One can hope So... more👍🏼

            B El-Deen, 16 Oct 2021That would work I guess. I just have no idea why would SON... moreIt's apparently about the sensor size. One can hope Sony can make at least a 10MP IMX lens at the same size so it can be a more...substantial improvement.

              Tiabeanie, 18 Oct 2021Does it help that it sounds like samsung is going to be usi... moreLooks like both CEOs are golfing together. Lol.

              Seriously though, I just hope that SONY works on their embarrassing marketing strategy because they build truly premium quality products.

                B El-Deen, 16 Oct 2021That would work I guess. I just have no idea why would SON... moreDoes it help that it sounds like samsung is going to be using sony lenses?

                  JansherKhan25, 18 Oct 2021If they launched it in 18:9 or 19:9 O would've conside... moreWell, it's as tall as the S21 Ultra, so it's not that crazy tall or anything. It's not that narrow also. My previous phone was 19.5:9, and I gotta say the Xperia feels so much better in my hand. I now see other wide forms as unappealing. If that's your only issue, then I suggest you hold it and see for yourself.

                    B El-Deen, 16 Oct 2021I've had this phone now for two weeks or so, and I... moreIf they launched it in 18:9 or 19:9 O would've considered it. The aspect ratios are just for a very limited customer base

                      Tann Hauser, 16 Oct 2021In low light selfie needs, just turn it the other way aroun... moreThat would work I guess.
                      I just have no idea why would SONY use a SAMSUNG lens for the front cam, not that I care that much about it but still 🤔

                        B El-Deen, 16 Oct 2021I've had this phone now for two weeks or so, and I... moreIn low light selfie needs, just turn it the other way around to main cams, and press the shutter ;)

                          I've had this phone now for two weeks or so, and I'm really impressed. I can't say I've covered everything about it. In fact, I'm far from covering most things, but you gotta give these innovators a credit for what they've built.

                          The display is simply gorgeous. Brightness is really good, not like some reviewers were promoting. I put it under direct sunlight in a really sunny day and I could see the screen just fine. Not IDEAL, but just fine and that's all I care about.

                          The battery also was surprisingly good considering this is a 4K display. It lasts from almost half a day to day and half depending on your usage. The charger is absolutely what they advertised. It's really fast that I couldn't care less when to charge the phone. It goes up to 50% in 30 minutes or a bit less even. Of course the battery in something like iPhone 13 Pro Max is much much greater as I've seen it myself, but again the Xperia has a 4K display, so it's not a really fair comparison. And again the battery is more than fine, it won't bother you in the slightest. And btw, Stamina mode is really effective.

                          As for the flashlight, yes, it's dimm.

                          Overheating, is not an issue as long as you don't play with something like Cinema pro for an hour or so. It should have been better.

                          Selfie camera is average at the very best, but I'm not self-obssessed, so I don't take lots of selfies. I only take occational selfie or two with family or friends once or twice a week at most. In daylight, it's just fine. In low light though, you're better be friends with someone with an iPhone to be honest.

                          Main cameras are gorgeous. The colors are the nearest to real, unlike almost all other phones. A couple of things though, if you wanna go with Auto mode, scene recognition of is slow and isn't always accurate right away, so you might sometimes hide the lenses for a second or move the phone a bit to get a different scene, as there is no option to change the scene yourself for no apparent reason, unless you're using the manual mode anyway. The focus area, when you choose wide instead of center, it isn't always wide and I don't know why. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, after all I'm not a Pro. Over exposure can sometimes be easily noticed in pictures, and I've never tried an ND filter before on a mobile. Maybe you guys can tell me if it's worth it or not.

                          Speakers are loud and clear. Btw, louder than iPhone 13 Pro Max.

                          Should you buy the Xperia 1 III ?
                          Well, if you're an Android user, and not into crazy zoom capabilities, then definitely, imo.
                          But, if you're an apple user, then you know you won't. The iPhone 13 Pro Max isn't bad in the slightest and it's not a wrong choice. It's a really good fast premium phone with fantastic cameras. But it's OS and approach to certain things isn't appealing to everyone, just like the Xperia isn't appealing to everyone.
                          It's always very nice to see some real competition with different approach regardless of the brand. Just remember guys, they're all competing to please us, not the other way around.
                          Have fun.

                            Dometalican, 15 Oct 2021Well...this might not help you but those negative reviews w... moreYou're probably right for the point and shoot part. But, man! I really love how pics under even the primary "auto" setting look....

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 8nC
                              • 15 Oct 2021

                              Dometalican, 15 Oct 2021Well...this might not help you but those negative reviews w... moreWell thank you for your reply, I appreciate this. I'm not sure if I would be disappointed by iOS. I have not customized anything on my xperia xz2. I would miss my notification light on my for sure. Also my battery needs to be charged three times a day.. so a good battery is very important haha. Have had xperia for years now. This choice is really difficult 😣

                                Anonymous, 14 Oct 2021Thank all of you for your reply. Most important would be th... moreWell...this might not help you but those negative reviews were a little bit biased. Point-and-shoot on Auto Pro mode has been fantastic for a lot of us that Cafe about natural pictures. The overheating has pretty much been fixed in one of the updates Sony pushed out as well. The battery life is the only thing that's true; it's not that great and could have benefitted from a display with variable refresh rate.

                                If anything, your safest bet is the iPhone since you have a Mac already. It should suffice just fine for what you want to do.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • yAJ
                                  • 14 Oct 2021

                                  AlexP, 13 Oct 2021,I'm just done with Samsung phones. The last one was S... moreSame here. After my Note 4, S7 and S9+ died after 1.5 years I'm leaving Samsung for good.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • T3G
                                    • 14 Oct 2021

                                    Mangoon, 14 Oct 2021Depends on what you want in a phone, and what ecosystem you... moreThank all of you for your reply. Most important would be the cameras. Never had an iphone before, but using a Mac for years. Having small kids I just want to point and click instead of having to use a pro mode for good pictures. I own Xperia phones for years, but this time I'm more in doubt because of some bad reviews of the Xperia. And the iphone cameras seem to be very good. Also I can't see the Xperia in any store which would make the purchase just a blind guess. Maybe I just have to wait for some time.

                                      Anonymous, 13 Oct 2021I'm not sure to get the Iphone 13 pro or the xperia 1 ... moreDepends on what you want in a phone, and what ecosystem you want to be in. Contrary to the other poster, I went with the Xperia. Just don't want to get locked into the Apple ecosystem. Apple works great with, well, Apple. And I don't like the distinct lack of customizable options. That said, and have, that Apple makes a great product, but the features they have and lack, even if was within the Android system, I'd still have chosen the Xperia over the iPhone.

                                      Good luck to you.