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 Xperia 1 III’s screen stands out from other flagships because it has a narrower aspect ratio (21:9) and a higher resolution (1644 x 3840), 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.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]Specifications
- Dimensions: 165 x 71 x 8.2 mm (6.50 x 2.80 x 0.32 in)
- Weight: 186 g / 187.1 g (mmWave) (6.56 oz)
- Build: Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame
- DISPLAY Type: OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020
- OS: Android 11, upgradable to Android 13
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
Where to buy Xperia 1 III smartphone?
There is no variation, so you 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’re warned that the battery will drain faster, which it does, but not too quickly. I left it on the whole time I used the phone.
Overall, it’s a beautiful screen, but there are a few things to mention: Auto brightness isn’t always reliable indoors, and the screen itself isn’t very bright outside. It can still be used outside when there is a lot of light, but it can be hard to see what’s on the screen.
Dieter liked how the Xperia 1 II looked when he reviewed it, and I agree with him about the III: it has a sleek, understated design that I like. I like how the back panel glass has a slight matte finish, and the overall build quality (including its IP65/68 durability rating) is on par with flagship phones.
The front is made of Gorilla Glass Victus, and the frame is made of metal. The Sony logo is so small that it almost blends in with the back panel, and the whole thing looks right at home next to an RX100 series camera.
Sony has also made it easier to connect a PS4 DualShock controller to the Mk.III by adding a prominent connection option to the settings app. To keep the Xperia 1 III attached to your controller, you will probably need to buy some kind of mount. At the time of writing, you couldn’t pair the DualSense controller for the PS5.