The Sony Xperia 1 III is Sony’s best phone to date. It has a lot of great features and is built very well. It doesn’t have as many features as its biggest competitors, and many people will find the price too high, but if you like the Xperia experience, you’ll love it.
The screen of the Xperia 1 III stands out from the screens of other flagship phones because it has a narrower 21:9 aspect ratio and a higher 1644 x 3840 resolution, which Sony calls 4K (it’s close). It’s also an OLED panel, and the one for this year has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
There is no variation, so you will have to choose between locking it in at the standard 60Hz rate (which is the default) or that higher 120Hz rate for the smoothest scrolling possible. When you choose 120Hz, you are warned that the battery will drain faster, which it does, but not too quickly.
Specifications
- Display: 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED, 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB or 512GB (expandable up to 1TB with microSD card)
- Rear Cameras: Triple 12MP (wide, ultrawide, telephoto), 3D time-of-flight sensor
- Front Camera: 8MP
- Battery: 4500mAh with 30W fast charging and wireless charging
- OS: Android 11
Where to get Xperia 1 III?
Overall, it’s a beautiful screen, but there are a few things to note: Auto brightness isn’t always very reliable indoors, and the screen itself isn’t very bright outside. Even in bright light, you can still use it, but it can be hard to see what’s on the screen.
Dieter liked the look of the Xperia 1 II when he reviewed it, and I agree with him about the III: it has a sleek, simple look. With a metal frame and Gorilla Glass Victus on the front, the phone’s overall build quality (including its IP65/68 durability rating) is on par with the top-of-the-line models.
The back glass has a slight matte finish, and the front is made of Gorilla Glass Victus. The Sony logo is so small that it almost blends in with the back panel. When the light hits it, though, it stands out, and the whole thing looks right at home next to an RX100 series camera.
The Xperia 1 III has a 4,500mAh battery, up from the previous generation’s 4,000mAh. This is likely because the 120Hz screen requires a bigger battery. The battery life is fine, but not great. The Xperia 1 III is a top-of-the-line phone in every way. It has 256GB of built-in storage and a Snapdragon 888 processor.
There is 5G connectivity here, and unlike the model from last year, people in the US will be able to use it as long as they are on Verizon or T-Mobile. AT&T’s 5G doesn’t work with the Xperia 1 III, and T-Mobile and Verizon only support sub-6GHz, not mmWave.