The Sony Xperia 1 III is a good telephone that I gained’t suggest to many individuals. Once once more, Sony has created an exquisite gadget with some distinctive, marquee options like a 4K-ish OLED 120Hz display, nice photo-taking facilities like a bodily shutter button and a high-quality guide digicam app, and top-notch {hardware} for leisure consumption, like twin front-facing audio system and an honest-to-god headphone jack. You gained’t discover that mixture among the many different big-name flagships available on the market.

But reader, it’s $1,300. That’s a $100 improve over final yr’s mannequin, and greater than an iPhone 12 Pro Max ($1,199) or a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ($1,249, however typically on sale for much less) with an equal 256GB of storage. That is solely quite a bit to ask somebody to pay for a telephone.

For that $1,300, you get a top-notch expertise on principally each degree (apart from its comparatively brief security-support timeline), however I battle to see any a technique by which it units itself other than the established competitors. There are critical photograph and video recording capabilities throughout the native digicam apps, however nothing that may very well be thought-about distinctive to Xperia or essential.

It all quantities to a really costly gadget that does numerous issues properly, however and not using a sturdy worth proposition for anyone sort of particular person.

Sony Xperia 1 III display, battery, and ergonomics

The Xperia 1 III’s display stands out amongst its fellow flagships each when it comes to its slimmer 21:9 facet ratio and its greater 1644 x 3840 decision, which Sony calls 4K (it’s shut). It’s additionally an OLED panel, and this yr’s model affords a 120Hz most refresh charge.

There’s no variability, sadly, so that you’ll want to decide on between locking it in at a normal 60Hz (the default) or that greater 120Hz charge for the smoothest of clean scrolling experiences. Opting for 120Hz comes with a warning that the battery will drain sooner, and it does, however not unreasonably so. I stored it enabled all through my time utilizing the telephone. Overall, it’s a beautiful display, with a few notes: Auto brightness is typically slightly squirrely indoors, and the panel itself doesn’t get terribly shiny outside. It’s nonetheless usable outdoors in shiny mild, however it could really feel like a pressure to see what’s on the display.

Dieter was a fan of the Xperia 1 II’s look when he reviewed it, and I’m in settlement concerning the III: it’s a complicated, understated design and I dig it. I just like the slight matte therapy for the again panel glass, and all-around construct high quality (together with its IP65/68 sturdiness score) measures as much as the flagship class with a steel body and Gorilla Glass Victus on the entrance. The Sony branding is so unobtrusive it virtually disappears into the again panel, till the sunshine catches it, and the entire thing appears to be like at house subsequent to an RX100 sequence digicam.

The Xperia 1 III will get an upgraded 4,500mAh battery in comparison with the previous-gen’s 4,000mAh, doubtless a vital transfer given the 120Hz show. Battery life is sufficient, not stellar. I averaged two hours of display time on a day of lighter use, which drained the cell to solely about 50 % by the tip of the day. I used to be involved about how it could maintain up on a day of heavier use recording some 4K video clips, however even in that case, the battery lasted by the tip of the day. I’d pack a charger or a backup if I deliberate on capturing video extensively, or on an extended journey day the place I anticipated greater than 4 hours of screen-on time, however for day-in-day-out use, the Xperia 1 III does high-quality. There’s additionally assist for 30W wi-fi charging.

I each like and dislike the telephone’s distinctive tall-and-slim profile. It matches my hand extra simply, and it’s potential to succeed in your thumb throughout the display in one-handed use (neglect about reaching the far higher nook, although). But it’s additionally extra vulnerable to slipping out of pockets. I do just like the fingerprint sensor embedded within the on / off button on the facet; it’s fast and it doesn’t care if I’m carrying a masks.

Sony Xperia 1 III efficiency and software program

Spec-wise, the Xperia 1 III is a flagship by and thru. It makes use of a Snapdragon 888 processor with 12GB RAM and 256GB of built-in storage. There’s 5G connectivity right here, and in contrast to final yr’s mannequin, these within the US will have the ability to reap the benefits of it — so long as you’re on Verizon or T-Mobile. The Xperia 1 III doesn’t assist AT&T’s 5G, and there’s no mmWave assist, simply sub-6GHz on T-Mobile and Verizon.

Sony doesn’t have a agency security-support timeline for the Xperia 1 III however tells us that homeowners can anticipate two years of assist. The telephone ships with Android 11, and the corporate doesn’t have plans for future OS model upgrades. That places it properly behind Samsung’s and Apple’s assist insurance policies, each of which supply at the least 4 years of safety updates and a number of OS model upgrades. Considering its excessive price ticket, this can be a vital shortcoming in opposition to its friends.

Sony has geared up the Xperia 1 III with twin front-firing audio system and says they’re louder than these within the 1 II. Paired with the high-res OLED display, it makes watching movies a high-quality expertise. I used to be delighted after I heard a automobile offscreen and the audio tracked because it handed by the scene from the left to proper audio system. Maybe I’m simply impressed by these items, however I can see myself genuinely having fun with watching a film or a present on the Xperia 1 III, quite than as a final resort to stave off boredom.

Sony Xperia 1 III digicam

Sony is a extremely regarded maker of cellular imaging sensors, and up to now few years has gotten extra critical concerning the digicam {hardware} in its personal Xperia telephones. This yr’s iteration features a whole of three 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras, together with a telephoto lens with a folded-optic design that features two focal lengths: 70mm and 105mm equivalents. All three cameras, together with that telephoto unit, use a sensor with twin phase-detection autofocus, a know-how that helps Sony Alpha cameras obtain class-leading autofocus speeds. If you’re a numbers sort of particular person, right here’s the fast rundown on the rear-facing digicam {hardware} within the Xperia 1 III:

The Xperia’s Photography Pro digicam app now features a “basic,” auto-everything capturing mode because the default. Switching over to one of many semi-auto or guide modes brings up an interface resembling an Alpha digicam’s fast menu. The fundamental mode is refreshingly minimal — there are fast shortcuts to completely different focal lengths, to show bokeh mode on or off, allow steady capturing, and entry flash settings, however not far more than that.

Manual modes introduce much more management and extra show choices like a giant, stunning (to me, at the least) horizon degree. It will all really feel very acquainted to anybody who’s used a traditional digicam, particularly if that digicam is a Sony. I like each the fundamental and superior capturing mode experiences, and a two-stage shutter button is a really welcome addition, however my one criticism is that there’s no actual on-screen indication when a photograph is taken. I stay with all of my telephone’s notifications and audio indicators on mute, so with out the audio cue, I missed it after I solely half-pressed the shutter on a couple of events, considering I’d totally pressed it.

I’ll admit that it took a minute for me to heat as much as the Xperia’s telephoto digicam. I have a tendency to love a wider lens, and I’ve used too many unhealthy or mediocre smartphone telephoto cameras to get too enthusiastic about them. But as soon as I began trusting it — particularly on the 70mm focal size — I began to actually get pleasure from utilizing it to layer foreground and background parts, or convey extra consideration to a topic I can’t get nearer to. You know, stuff you employ a telephoto lens for. The picture high quality gained’t put your devoted zoom lens out of labor, but it surely’s ok.

There’s an inclination for smartphone telephoto lenses to only amplify the shortcomings of the small-sensor-small-lens combo working to create them, which manifests as ugly purple fringing or clearly smeary particulars. The photographs I took at 70mm are blessedly free from these artifacts, particularly in case you’re them at social media sizes. The 105mm focal size begins to look slightly artifact-y, and particulars are noticeably gentle, however so long as there’s loads of mild, photographs don’t look distractingly unhealthy.

Grid View

That’s the good things. I’m rather less enthusiastic about one of many different marquee digicam options on the Xperia: autofocus. Namely, Sony’s twin phase-detect and monitoring AF applied sciences, which it has imported to the Xperia sequence from its Alpha vary. Don’t get me flawed, Sony autofocus is wonderful. It’s why I personal a Sony digicam. You can see it at work within the Xperia 1 III when it effortlessly identifies a human or animal topic and tracks it round a scene, maintaining even when the topic turns away or turns into obscured behind one thing else. I’m simply not satisfied that it does a lot good right here.

First, it appears to contribute to some distracting autofocus fluttering between close to and distant topics in some conditions with the telephoto lens. Combined with the inherently much less steady ergonomics of taking footage with a telephone versus a devoted digicam, it could make for an actual problem making an attempt to get a photograph of one thing within the distance.

Taking closer-range pictures of shifting youngsters and pets in dim situations might be a extra widespread use case for many individuals, and it’s one which no telephone producer has been capable of crack simply but — together with Sony. In these conditions, twin phase-detect will sustain along with your topic, however that doesn’t imply you’ll get a pointy shot. Just like each different telephone digicam system, it’s certain by the legal guidelines of small-sensor-small-lens physics. Situations the place there’s simply not sufficient accessible mild to maintain shutter velocity excessive sufficient will nonetheless end in some blur, irrespective of how properly the topic monitoring is maintaining.

In very low mild, the digicam will assemble knowledge from a number of frames to create a brighter, much less noisy picture. This really occurs mechanically in darker situations, and doesn’t require a visit to a separate night time mode, which I admire. But it does require you to carry the digicam regular for a second or two, and isn’t properly fitted to shifting topics.

Sony has included a darn good digicam system on the Xperia 1 III, and it’s one I loved utilizing. I received to flex some creativity that I’d usually keep away from with a smartphone and reserve for when I’ve a devoted digicam available. But it hasn’t discovered a means but to bend the legal guidelines of optics and physics.

We famous in our Xperia 1 II assessment that quite than leaning into computational pictures the best way Apple and Google have, Sony appears to be leaning into its conventional digicam chops, making use of the know-how that has pushed the corporate’s mirrorless cameras to the highest of the sport. That strategy has paid off in some methods — an important native digicam app, a surprisingly good telephoto lens — but it surely doesn’t all the time translate, and I’m undecided how a lot additional Sony can take that strategy.

Sony Xperia 1 III video recording

The Xperia 1 III can be properly geared up for the intense cellular video shooter, with as much as 4K / 60p recording and a local video app that features loads of guide management over video settings. You can set shutter angle, manually set factors for pull focus, and apply considered one of Sony’s pro-video-esque coloration profiles. I’ve no drawback telling you that this was all means over my head, however I performed with it anyway.

Your video information are related to tasks, and sure parameters like body charge are preserved from clip to clip inside a venture. You even have the selection of recording to inside storage or on to a microSD card in case you don’t need to dissipate your space for storing with 4K video information. I’m completely satisfied to report that the SIM tray the place the microSD card slot lives merely pops out of the facet of the gadget, so that you gained’t must seek out a security pin each time you need to seize your card to switch information. That’s a pleasant contact, particularly in case you’re going to be taking that card out typically to switch footage to a pc.

There’s not a lot you are able to do in the best way of enhancing information — you’ll be able to trim them or seize a nonetheless body — in order that they’ll must be exported for something greater than that. It’s additionally potential to make use of the Xperia 1 III as an exterior monitor for video recording with a devoted digicam (doesn’t must be a Sony), or to make use of it for live-streaming.

This is all far more sturdy than any native video-recording choices you’ll discover on a Samsung, Google, or Apple flagship. For somebody who’s entrenched within the Alpha digicam ecosystem, it might make sense as a compact, light-weight choice for recording clips, or as a part of a live-streaming setup. But there are additionally sturdy third-party apps and accent choices for cellular video shooters, particularly these utilizing iOS, which have benefited from years of improvement and use within the area. While the Xperia packs extra of this into its native app expertise, it’s not precisely a singular proposition.

In the Xperia 1 III, Sony has created a complicated gadget that each appears to be like good and delivers flagship-level efficiency. It affords subtle digicam {hardware} and software program and a beautiful high-resolution OLED that’s not fairly like the rest in its class. And but I’m struggling to think about anybody who can buy this telephone over an iPhone 12 Pro Max or a Galaxy S21 Ultra.

There’s the fundamentals: for $1,300, you’d be getting a tool that’s prone to solely see a few years of safety updates. And in case you’re on AT&T, you’re paying high greenback for a 5G gadget that may’t entry the provider’s 5G community. It’s arduous to make a case for the Xperia simply primarily based on these details.

But suppose you propose on buying and selling in your telephone in a few years anyway, and also you’re not on AT&T or don’t care about 5G (nonetheless an inexpensive response to have towards 5G proper now). The Xperia 1 III will ship an excellent picture-taking expertise with digicam {hardware} pretty much as good as the rest on the market proper now. You’ll get an important leisure consumption gadget, with good audio and a beautiful display. And in case you’re concerned about capturing video, you’ll have a robust device in your arms proper out of the field.

But none of those options go far sufficient above and past what you will get with an iPhone or Galaxy flagship to make the Xperia stand out. Factor within the shorter timeframe for gadget assist and uncertainty of any OS platform updates, and issues simply don’t add up within the Xperia 1 III’s favor.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge