Sony Xperia 5 III
- N
- NX-PS1
- 7y{
- 15 Mar 2023
Purchase Date: July 2022
Overall, very satisfied with this device.
PROS:
- Fingerprint scanner is easy to reach (very convenient for small or clumsy hands; very fast, incredibly responsive)
- Camera is amazing (I had fiddled with the settings for a very long time and now love the UI. Have a hard time switching to any other device for the camera. Feels like I lost a limb using a different device. I take quite a few photos and videos as I travel and am usually the photographer. Most of the videos are at the gym where I record lifts for others and myself. Multiple custom cinematography presets/profiles are incredibly useful for getting everything set up quickly. Everyone is very picky about the lighting--better lighting for better looking bodies--so this is incredibly useful. I also use camera to scan barcodes for food labels and it boots very quickly. Video and camera editing software I use - either google photos, light room, snapseed, or YouCut. YouCut is probably the best free video editing software for the device as it allows me to manipulate 4k footage at 120 fps.)
- Display resolution is great (I can tell the difference when I switch to a device with a lower resolution)
- Device dimensions are perfect, long and slender (my hands are smaller - 7 in fingertip to base of palm)
- Shutter button is incredibly useful for quick snaps; very responsive
- Google Assistant button is also incredibly useful (ex. driving and "OK Google" doesn't activate the assistant; this occasionally happens with a lot of my devices)
- Headphone jack is a huge bonus (many cases where only aux is available, many people have depended on my device's headphone jack when they forget their dongle)
- Came with an ultra-fast charger (use this charging block for all of my other devices - s9, s10, s22, s21fe, s21)
- Device is fast and runs smoothly (now it does - see CONS section)
- Notification light is a nice bonus, but I don't rely on it very often (useful when trying to find my device in the dark)
- Glass back is beautiful; stunning design overall and feels sturdy and high quality in hands (I do use a case over my phone, but just some information for those living the raw phone life)
- Expandable storage (very useful when you record lots of videos and photos. easy to transfer photos. I have a 256gb micro SD card in my device and have used about 100 gb.)
- Extra sim (option to add an extra sim--alongside my current US sim--when I travel outside the country, very useful)
- Battery life is amazing (I actually don't charge my device at night. I set the device to protect battery, so it only charges to 90%. I use my device for probably 3 hrs a day and still have plenty of charge left at the end of the day. Primarily use my device to listen to music, videotape, photograph, browse instagram, shop, snapchat, read news, youtube, take notes, and record food. I do keep a battery pack with me at all times, but I rarely have to use the battery pack.
- Speaker quality seems good. It's loud and I can hear it (I definitely don't know much about this, but I believe works well)
CONS:
- Fingerprint scanner is sometimes too easy to reach. Can sometimes be activated on accident while just holding device. Checking notifications was somewhat challenging as pressing the power button can unlock device. There is no "double tap screen to turn display on" so device isn't unlocked when checking notifications [WORK AROUND - set device display to turn on when pressing volume key. This setting has helped a lot. I no longer have a hard time checking notifications on my device. The only slight irritation is the volume change whenever I'm checking my device while listening to music]
- Camera sometimes crashed or failed to boot. This was only a problem when I was on android 11 and 12. For some reason, the camera had frequent crashes and would take 15 to 20 seconds to boot (if it worked at all). There was a period when I switched over to a Samsung s21 because the camera was not dependable, and I needed to take a lot of photos for notes. [FIXED - since the android 13 update, the camera has not crashed. Boot time is incredibly fast, usually faster than all my other devices. This is the same for the cinematography app (works incredibly well and has had no problems since)]
- Display brightness is a little lacking. harder to view outside, but perfect for indoor use. [THOUGHTS - I can still see my device outside and use it in multiple outdoor locations. I'm not too dependent on a bright display to use my device, but just wanted to mention this for some individuals who like to crank up the brightness]
- Display resolution cannot be adjusted [Just a little side note as my older Samsung devices had the option to change display resolution. I would use this to save battery life on occasions. Not a huge downside, but just a note]
- Apps would crash and fail to boot on multiple occasions while on android 11 and 12. I tried loading previous versions of the apps just in case it was a version compatibility issue. This did not fix the problem. [FIXED - Since the android 13 update, all the applications have been running very smoothly. Apps boot immediately, are very responsive, and are--overall--unproblematic.]
- Touch display sometimes doesn't register two finger taps. This is only specific to one app. When resizing brush on Snapchat, using two finger zoom doesn't seem to work (this is something minor, just a note. I don't care about Snapchat features and such).
- Micro SD card file manipulation was previously blocked on my device. Couldn't move photos around on my SD while on my phone. Tried using multiple different micro SD cards to see if it was an SD issue, but problem persisted. [FIXED - access to SD card and file manipulation has been enabled since the android 13 update. not too sure what happened, but something changed in the software. ALTERNATE WORKAROUND - When SD cared wasn't working, I used Google Drive and have a family plan. Plenty of storage and I keep all my photos organized in albums. Easy to use. Downside is I need access to internet and data to access. Also have to wait for files to load on occasion.]
- Customization isn't the same. I use Nova Launcher so I can manipulate the device appearance, but I can't add custom shortcuts on the lockscreen (a minor inconvenience). I do have a lot of gesture shortcuts on my home screen, though (Nova Launcher feature). One hand operation is also not available so I can't really add extra gestures to make navigation faster nor add app shortcuts on the side of my display. [WORK AROUND - the default gestures available for the device are very good already. although it was unfortunate other gestures aren't available, the "side swipe" to go back, "swipe up" to go home, and "swipe left or right" on the navigation bar to switch between apps is very fast, responsive and easy to use. The "swipe down" on the navigation bar for access to the upper region of the display is also incredibly INCREDIBLY useful for me as I still have a hard time reaching the very top of the display.
- Support for the device is limited. Not too sure how much longer this device will receive updates, but I hope it lasts for some time as I enjoy using this device. Should updates (and security updates) stop rolling out for the device, I will keep the device for the camera. I will probably wait for some time before moving to the next update just in case there are some minor bugs that may affect the speed of the device.
- Device connection to computers is questionable. I haven't tested it yet, but previously (while on android 11 and 12) the device failed to form a stable USB connection to my laptops and desktops. I could only access files for about 2 minutes before the device would disconnect. I haven't checked since the most recent android update.
- Selfie camera is lacking (just a side note, but I don't use the selfie camera often. Just know that it is not the best selfie camera out there)
- Linkshare is not available (not that I know of). This would have made sharing between android devices a lot easier, but I believe this feature is only on samsung. Also would have made sharing full resolution photos/videos a lot easier.
OVERALL: Love the device. I hope it lasts for a very long time. I am open to purchasing a new Xperia down the road and might opt for either the Xperia 1 or another Xperia 5 (smaller size would be a lot better for me).
- a
- afs
- nmM
- 07 Mar 2023
I was quite happy with the phone until I had to deal with service.
The fingerprint sensor stopped working, I sent the phone for service, they changed them main board and now the phone just doesn't update. It is stuck to the factory Android 11 initial build. Xperia companion also does not work. I am practically left without a properly working phone since February 16 and still waiting for a solution from Sony.
- Super Dave 01
- 86f
- 27 Feb 2023
Werne, 24 Feb 2023This is by far the most annoying, irritating phone I'v... moreWow so many problems with just one phone, you sound like a "troll" ! I don't have any of those problems especially with the finger print scanner ! If there is a problem it's not the phone it's more likely the person using it !!!
- W
- Werne
- 3Fg
- 24 Feb 2023
This is by far the most annoying, irritating phone I've ever had. The list of annoying things are almost endless.
Among the worst things is the finger print sensor. It's so unreliable, even with the newest updates. Half the time the phone tells me that i have unsuccwsfull tried to unlock it 3 times, and that i have to wait 30 seconds. I can still unlock it with my pattern, but it's ridicoules.
The flashlight is a complete joke. It's so week that you can hardly use it for anything.
The UI has so many stupid and annoying flaws, that I don't bother to mention them. Small but annoying things where I think....."why Sony......WHY"?
The Camera.....I bought this phone because it was supposed to have a great camera. But it doesn't. While it takes decent pictures, the camrea UI is unnecessary troublesome to use. Focus is highly unreliable on the longer focal lenghts. The phone runs warm very fast if you shot video or continous in camera mode.
The aspect ratio on the screen is ridicoules....why does it has to be so long?
On the plus side, the battery life is excellent.
I came from a Huawei P10 which I was very happy with. I would any day swap my Sony Experia 5 iii for a new Huawei P10.
- Super Dave 01
- 86f
- 23 Feb 2023
For those with Android 13 battery drain ! I noticed that Android 12 had better battery life then Android 13 on my 5 iii and one of the culprits is "Carrier Services". It cant be disabled or uninstalled through settings and apps. However it can be uninstalled through "Google Play". This will increase battery life !!!
- d
- dragonov
- 32I
- 31 Jan 2023
Chris T., 04 Sep 2022Just sold my Xperia 5 Ii and thinking of getting this one, ... moreOn 5G and outside where the screen is on its brightest auto levels (which is still dimmer than all the competition) the phone does miserable and terrible 2 hours of screen on time with 120hz and my watch linked to it.
You may get 3 on 5G with all the good features disabled or 5 at best on WiFi but don't expect anything better. The phone's battery life is simply unsatisfactory.
- g
- goingaround
- Cem
- 26 Jan 2023
ant.mint, 26 Jan 2023is it still worth buying in 2023 at 700 USD? Since Sony already proved a trouble free hardware and a decent implementation of Android distro, no reason to stop buying Xperia phones( mostly high end devices). My previous Z3 worked fine for 6-7 years till the carrier blocked it.
- a
- ant.mint
- Fvc
- 26 Jan 2023
is it still worth buying in 2023 at 700 USD?
- Super Dave 01
- 86f
- 20 Dec 2022
I have model XQ-BQ72 and I just received Android 13 update notification. Just wanted to see if others have downloaded Android 13 and if so how buggy was it. No reviews on the web just yet about the update for Xperia 5 iii 🤔...
- Super Dave 01
- 86f
- 30 Nov 2022
Ami, 15 Nov 2022How many screen on time normally u get. I just get from 90%... more: Easily 10➕ hours and that's charging from 10%-80% 😁👍 !!!
- A
- Ami
- tZ4
- 15 Nov 2022
Super Dave 01, 12 Nov 2022Even though my Xperia XZ2 is still goin strong I couldn... moreHow many screen on time normally u get. I just get from 90% to 5% almost 5 hours only. Mine not so good battery life on android 12
- Super Dave 01
- 86f
- 15 Nov 2022
Dan, 13 Nov 2022Where is it being sold for 400 CAD??Small electronics store had it listed on kijiji... Still sealed in a box... The add had only been up for about 30 minutes... I get notified for new listings...
- D
- Dan
- 0@a
- 13 Nov 2022
Super Dave 01, 12 Nov 2022Even though my Xperia XZ2 is still goin strong I couldn... moreWhere is it being sold for 400 CAD??
- Super Dave 01
- 86f
- 12 Nov 2022
Even though my Xperia XZ2 is still goin strong I couldn't resist the $400 Cad price tag (usually $1000 Cad) ! I got the XQ-BQ72 model ! Build quality and size is excellent especially the 21:9 screen ratio. Phone fits perfectly in my hand and it's 30grams lighter then my XZ2 ! Movies look great actually everything looks great on the display ! The audio is really good to ! Running Android 12 with no sluggishness what so ever. Haven't tried 120Hz yet as I see no need right now ! Really good battery life to with no overheating ! Been playing around with the camera the last few days and so far so good ! The only downside is not many good quality shockproof cases to choose from (still👀lookin for an Otterbox) so I haven't taken the phone outside for some video testing ! Conclusion, Excellent all round phone and I'd suggest this phone over the Xperia 5 iv anyday especially if you find a great deal like I did ! 😁👍...
- A
- A-R-T-E
- 32A
- 07 Oct 2022
Alpha, 05 Oct 2022No thank you, we Sony fans like the 21:9 ratio..True, watching YouTube premium with ultra wide video I'd much better than the usual ratio
- A
- Alpha
- 80i
- 05 Oct 2022
Anonymous, 27 Jul 2022The specs are amazing, camera is amazing and the size is pe... moreNo thank you, we Sony fans like the 21:9 ratio..
- A
- Alpha
- 80i
- 05 Oct 2022
Anonymous, 17 Aug 2022Do not get a sony phone Their warranty for these very exp... moreOh wow 2 complaints, never heard from any other Sony customer. Bravo...
- A
- Alpha
- 80i
- 05 Oct 2022
Mugen, 22 Aug 2022Get the S22 Far better screen, much better cameras, better... moreYou mean the Samsung has old screen tech, Ugly UI, Screen with a punchole, tiny battery, heats up more than the Xperia, no SD slot or 3.5mm jack! Weird 20:9 ratio...
- k
- kupfernigk
- 0pg
- 04 Oct 2022
Mugen, 22 Aug 2022Get the S22
Far better screen, much better cameras, better... more"Not built well at all"
Not my experience, which is that they seem to refuse to die.