Sony Xperia 1 III review 

I really love how Sony doesn't give a damn about trends and still provide the still relevant 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card support. But as much as I like this Mk3 Xperia 1, I'll stick with last year's Mk2. The Mk3 has a bigger 4,500mAh battery compared to the Mk2's 4,000mAh and yet the Mk3 doesn't show significant battery endurance rating improvement than its predecessor. It does show that even Sony couldn't tame the Snapdragon 888 heat, it really is literally a hot beast. I said to myself before that I'm not going to buy 2021 flagship smartphone if Sony couldn't cool down the Snapdragon 888 chipset and this phone proves it.

The colour and contrast look very natural vs most other flagships. No HDR weirdness detected.

Refreshing to see Sony is elegantly different with their Xperia offerings. Adaptive charging and battery care adds value IMO -- not everybody wants you to have your handset for three + years.

No phone is ever perfect. That's why i choose Sony. Used 1ii for 1.5 years and completely satisfied with service

I can’t imagine myself with a phone that doesn’t have a headphone jack and an SDcard slot.

The camera review for this phone kinda tells one thing or two about smartphone camera standards . Either people have got so used to super overblown unnatural punchy Samsung-esque style as a standard for good and bash anything that doesn't look anything like it *cough* phonearena *cough* , or people can still appreciate thing or two about realism in their photos

Mate.review the audio. What's lacking in any review. We miss the headphone jack with good iems. Screw wireless

Audiophiles know why we need the headphone jack. And he didn't mention the launch bundle includes earbuds, to soften the blow of the overall price.

I love your color grading. Watching on a reference monitor, your videos look like the phone is actually in front of me.

Nice review as usually, however I miss here a section dedicated to the sound quality and specially quality with the headphones supporting LDAC. It would be worth to mention about it ;)

Using Xperia 5 This Xperia 1III is a beast 💪

This is the design we need I'm done with those annoying "punch holes"

Sony continues to quietly make the best phones on the market, but their promotion of them lacks sadly.

Dude.............. you missed the PRO features from the phone! Where the phone ACTUALLY brights!

4k and 120 hz can run at the same time.

other reviews said the screen is always 4k. and the fps can only be toggled between 60 and 120fps

A bit disappointed that the battery health features were not even glanced over. Despite the mediocre battery life, there is a strong case to be made for software that preserves the battery in the long run. My old Lenovo laptop had this feature 10 years ago which prevented it from charging and sitting at 100% while plugged in (which is 99% of its life). This laptop battery is still in good health 10 years later and can provide more than 4 hours of runtime. People need to undeerrstand that that sort of features are not only a gimmick but have practical benefits. Most other flagships rape their batteries with excessive amount of heat and wattage pumped in them. The sole reason my old Oneplus 3T needed replacement was the battery which was absolutely destroyed within 2 years of service.

Watching this on my Xperia 1III. Still awesome after 2 years.

After weeks, the legends are back!

thanks gsmarena for always phone review that i always watch... You're awesome and nice review. Have a good day to all. -from Philippines

One of the most best quality smartphone in this World in this time...salut Sony 💟💟💟💟

Preordered same minute it came Up in Sweden.

Excellent review! I didn't realize it was only 345 Nits. That needs to almost double on the MK4. The slower battery charge speeds compared to the too fast competition is fine, as long as the lithium is healthy after a year or two. I think there were tradeoffs with this phone and hopefully the more efficient and powerful Snapdragon 8 can help make this thing perfect next round.

Hey Will what can u say about the long term software support? 3years atleast? tnx

love your reviews! keep it up!

Ill take this phone over all flagship phones.. Why because its fully pack flagship phone.🤗

Looking for a phone with these 10 features. The first 5 are must-haves, and I don't buy that these are "super enthusiast" asks. The other 5 are nice to have, but could live without some of them. The Xperia 1 iii has ALL TEN. But name me another current phone with even just the top 5 must haves, available in the US market that doesn't require custom ROM building, etc. I'll wait. - dualSIM (physical SIM, not eSIM) - expandable memory - 3.5mm jack w/ at least 24bit DAC - physical two stage camera shutter - no notch / punch hole - auto eye focus for humans / animals and focus tracking - 4K screen - 120 Hz refresh rate - fast charging / wireless charging / reverse charging - GG Victus glass screen

Great review! But the awkward smile from the one guy in the photo examples makes me think he didn't want his picture taken XD what a trooper!

Love your all videos ❤️, keep adding more reviews

good job in the stabilization test.

As a user of the original Experia 1, I couldn't be happier that Sony is FINALLY getting the acknowledgement they've worked hard for.

Does the MK3 have even louder front facing speakers than the MK2 ? i noticed a 30% difference when I switched from the MK1 to the MK2 and I'm wondering if it's gonna be the same again this time round

I have just ordered mine; excited to see what this phone holds for me, the cinematography app looks amazing!

You didn't mention if there is 4k recording on the front facing camera? Just wanted to know if there was...thanks!!!!!

Flawless review,great! Thanks 👍

Love the color configuration 😍😍😍

Wow the 4k videos look really good!!

Nice video. Just 2 quick question for you. Without dial into the Photo Pro app, when you launch the camera and wanted to take the picture at the moment, how is the quality of the picture? Would you recommend this phone in 2023?

Looks nice, waiting for Xperia 5 iii to launch tho

Sony : No Gimmick Others : Gimmick, Yes.

Can you help me with the charger of my Sony Xperia 1 III? It came with a bigger size than the other one. How do I set up the charger?

This is my first Sony smart phone which I just got last week mainly for shooting video for my youtube channel. I do not play games on the phone. Is there any way to remove the pre-installed bloatware Aps like Game-Enhancer or Call Of Duty?

Headphone jack, no notch/punchhole, 120 hz screen, this is the only flagship phone in existence with these specs bois

This is what I'd call a "Complete" phone

Curious how it compares to Galaxy S22 or S23 when it comes to movie making or quick snaphots.

I love their fingerprint scanner side button 🙌

Are we going to get more that 1 year software support?

Well that camera review is very different than phone arena one

A few issues with it but I still like it. Have previously used the Samsung Note 8, S10, and now I'm currently using the S21+ and Sony Xperia 1 III concurrently. Always loved the 21:9 aspect ratio and was considering the Xperia 1 II 2 years back, but held off for the Mk III for it's 70mm to 105mm upgrade. The Mk III is a good phone and I prefer it over my S21+ (mainly because I'm bored of Samsung) and the Sony phone is vastly different than any other Android phone on the market, but there are some issues with it which many reviewers do not cover (basically most or all of the reviews on RU-vid). #1: Camera Eye / Face Lock On Basically the AF and lock-on are good, and the 20fps with re-autofocus is working well. But I've found that in certain instances, the face / eye lock on and tracking do not focus correctly. When the option for this is enabled, the camera can detect my dog's eye 100% of the time, but does not focus on the eye.... It focues on his snout or nose. This causes the image to be visibly out of focus. However, turning the eye / face lock on feature off, and simply tapping on my dog's face solves this issue. Also, the object tracking works well too! #2: Camera 20FPS As said earlier, the 20FPS works well and the re-autofocus does work too. However, in the default auto mode (meaning in BASIC mode), when using 20FPS, the shutter is definitely too slow for medium to fast moving objects (such as a dog walking at normal speeds in good lighting conditions like in a living room). This holds true for humans as well. Basically, the images will turn out blurry because the shutter speed was kept slow (1/40 to 1/80) while keeping a low ISO too. This is not an issue in absolutely bright conditions like at a dog park with direct sunlight, but anything else and the phone will revert to prefer a slower shutter speed to keep the ISO low. For an average user, this would be an issue, but having some experience using manual mode on DSLRs, this slow shutter issue can be avoided by using the phone's MANUAL mode and setting the ISO and Shutter Speed manually while enabling 20FPS. However, it is understandable that the masses may find this tedious or too complex for smartphone photography. #3 Camera - Videography and Cinema Pro [Basic Camera Mode - Not Cinema Pro] One issue I found the most irritating is the fact that when taking a video using the front facing camera, you cannot swipe / toggle to the back camera like how you can do on any Samsung phone. If you're taking a video using the front camera, that's the only camera you can use, and the same thing goes for the back cameras. Furthermore, when taking a video using the back cameras, regardless of whatever resolution you choose (4k, 1080 60, 1080, 720), you can't switch cameras while recording. I know for a fact that this is possible on my old Samsung S10 (only in FHD - definitely not possible in 4K 60), but at least they had the option to switch cameras while recording). Also, while the Mk III can clearly record in 4K up to 120FPS, the option is not available in BASIC mode (the default camera application). It only offers a max of 4K 30FPS (or something, but definitely not 60FPS). To use 4K 60FPS or 120FPS, you have to use the Cinema Pro application. More on that below. [Cinema Pro] On a side not, I find their menu system weird for a smartphone. For instance, everything starts with a project. To create a video, a project has to be opened first. If certain settings change, a new project may have to be opened. An example: using the 24mm lens with 4K 60FPS, a project is created. Using another lens, another project has to be created, using a different frame rate, a project has to be created, and it continues. However, as good as the ability to record in 4K 60FPS or 120FPS is, the Cinema Pro application is basically useless for the main reason that ISO CANNOT BE ADJUSTED ONCE YOU START RECORDING. I own a Sony A7 and I play around with the video mode sometimes. I know that during recording, it's mainly the ISO that's adjusted to compensate for different lighting conditions on the fly (not shutter or aperture). In Cinema Pro's case, since ISO AND SHUTTER SPEED cannot be adjusted once records starts, you're basically fixed with one exposure. If you're outside and point to the sky, you're basically stuck with a blown out screen. If you're indoors and point to a darker place, you're stuck with underexposed frames. That being said, unless I'm in an environment with consistent lighting, I'm stuck with the BASIC default app and limited to either 4K 30FPS, or 1080 60FPS (I normally stick with the 1080 60). #4 General Usage I'm quite sure it's because of the screen, but the phone gets hot, really hot. Compared to the same tasks on my S21+, the Sony definitely gets way hotter then it should. I attribute this to the 888 chip as well but who knows. Things like Lightroom, transferring files to the SD card, RU-vid, Facebook, etc. Also, just to add on the burst photos with 20FPS. When viewing them using Google photos (the default photo viewer), there's a bug with scrolling between the bursts. This is prominent with bursts of 20 images, or 100 images. But it's a small issue. Also, with the attributes about the camera mentioned above, using the Pro mode for everything photography related really brings out the best of the cameras, albeit 12 megapixels. Having a steady hand helps too, seeing as for most shots, there's a weird issue that the phone predere long exposure times for images that are clearly in daytime. Maybe it's related to the fact that there is no dedicated night mode or for HDR, and that the phone auto detects the scene you're in. Basically expect long exposure times when there shouldn't be any. Just to add, in night mode, with a steady hand, the images are as good as those on my S21+ with its 64 megapixel sensor. One thing I have to give credit to is the colour accuracy of the phones cameras. Compared to Samsung and Iphones (both old and new), this is by far the most accurate representation of the original scene. Grass looks like grass at the dog park (on the Samsung, its always oversaturated). One other thing, their flashlight is oddly not at it's brightest setting and this cannot be adjusted by the user.... Finally, and weirdly enough, there's no option to turn Fast Charging off..... I don't like to fast charge my phones because I like them to stay away from heat as much as possible, so I have no choice but to use a slow charger (5V 1A or 1.5A). Overall, I still appreciate something different as compared to Samsung's UI. This phone has many issues which I believe are software related (toggle 120HRZ, toggle night mode, toggle front/back camera while recording, toggle fast charging, toggle NFC on/off, toggle flashlight brightness, etc). As for their hardware, it's almost perfect. All that they're missing is a configurable extra button (currently the Google assistant button is fixed) and higher megapixels on all cameras. With all it's shortcomings, I'm still using this as the daily driver over my S21+ (the S21+ is a damn good phone fyi. It's really refined - better screen, better camera in most cases, etc).

Does it have a dedicated ESS Sabre DAC like what's on the LG V60 ?

Yes I can see xperia is coming back 😍

do i finally upgrade my XZ then,, but it still looks too long for jeans pockets

Actually, the screen support 120fps and 4k at the same time , just not in all apps, however the fps can be locked at 120fps and the resolution will automatically follow the maximum app resolution 😁

People at GsmArena : I think you should make a video ASAP to correct the 2 wrong facts you gave about Xperia 1 III ( updates and refresh rate at max 4K) and also learn to take a step back instead of trying to be the firsts in publishing or relaying incorrect information that is . It s quite embarassing and shows a lack of professionalism, experience and respect. And you cannot hide behind an "honest" mistake.

Finally i will be able to buy 5ii when this releases 🤣

Wait, but Sony clarified that it is 4K@120Hz and not 4K@60HZ or sub-4K@120Hz so wonder where the difference is coming from...

how many stops of dynamic range? I never saw the actual stats on this. Why is the 105 mm lens more fuzzy? I suspect it's because the limited field of view makes more of it out of focus, and compared to a wider lens? Am I wrong? With a longer lens, you need to pay super close attention on what exactly you want to focus on? No HDR in the photos, but it allows 20 RAW photos per second?

Can you clarify what you mean about the screen resolution, because my understanding is that the phone is locked at 4k at all times (with 60hz and 120hz refresh rate)?

Congratulations GSMARENA for achieving the feat of going to display reliable information for 10,000 mobiles, You have become history today for being the biggest encyclopaedia of mobile information. Kudos 👍👏👏👏👏👏

You should add video stabilization test in your review

Perfect smartphone 🥰. This review lacks lots of things you can find in other reviews lmao.

You got the chance to revisit the Telelenses of the xperia 1 iii again as in the other video xperia 5 iii telelenses were better?

Headphones jack at these times is really high definition sound!!

most reviewers are only saying that Sony phones are good for Sony fans which is a total nonesense... I own Xperia 5 II which is a very good all rounded phone and this prejudice against Sony is just stupid and pathetic... but to be fair, Sony should price their devices better to make them better value options (let's say 999 EUR / USD for 1 III as an example)

Just pre ordered mine.

4K 120Hz 1000nit AMOLED panel with an SD 888 5G would absolutely demolish that 4500mAh battery :( We can kinda see why Sony is doing this... still not the phone Sony needs to rise to the top

I love sony as always 😍😍😍

That adjustable Zoom is a great innovation. It saves lot of space

Disappointing that when zooming in with telephoto lens when recording, there is haziness.

Hi, can I ask the community a question, I have this phone, and love it, but I have a issue with screen. And that is colour banding I've only just noticed it. If I play Apple music you can see it in the background of the album art. As you play music. As a good test if you play running by Beyonce. Which I just did (And I used this test with TV ) you can clearly see the lines of colour in the sea. I was hoping someone else could run this test on there phone to see if this is a bigger problems. Or just mine many thanks.

I'm from Indonesia, I always watch your videos brother

I am going to purchase this to support them sticking to the headphone jack and SD card slot. I am coming over from being on the note series so it will be an adjustment

What country are you filming in?

The old good days with sony xperia ❤❤❤

How are the haptics compared to 1 mark ii

From someone who has the Pixel 4XL, trust me, daytime usage is a pain in the ass with a dull screen. Plus battery life is a massive factor IMO.

Headed to program and looks. And also some check ins with the bee and Georgia tech and tech university's and also near area check ins.

FINALLY I have been waiting for a phone that has a SD slot, 4k 60fps (AND ITS got bonus video HDR) which is awesome and a 3.5mm jack. No bloat like Samsung and it has a great screen. I am buying this for sure. edit:People here complaining the battery is going to be no good because of the screen, well sure like any phone if you pump the brightness it's going to take a hit. The screen isn't at 120hz all the time, only when it's in use but if battery life is important then just turn it back to 60.. normal people will easily get a full day out of this unless your gaming loads.

More smartphones need to start making 2 forward facing stereo speakers. Very few do that along with wireless Qi charging. All the "gaming flagships" have the stereo speakers but no wireless charging, so I had to go with the Sony Xperia 1 iii. I really wish iPhone had stereo speakers so it would be easier to transfer from phone to phone but the iPhone has the "earpiece \ speaker" and a downward firing speaker that doesn't qualify, in my book, as stereo.

Awesome phone features are superb

You get 4k and 120hz in apps that support it. With a monitoring app you can easily find out which apps support that

this is a great video but i have to say i am in (positive) awe of the first selfie guy's griNace.. grimace grin... his photos look like he's just decided life's a POS the moment before depressing the button... awesome. I've got this phone incoming and i'm super excited about it. costs way too much but i was willing to go for a monthly payment plan and just get myself some good sony tech... my pixel 4a 5g phone kept taking freaking massive photos and videos despite my trying to tone down the resolution etc, in the past my xperia took more weildy photos, so i'm excited to get this one.. i don't game on my phone, so don't care about that stuff, i just want something that won't flag over the next year or two when i'll get my next one.

if you're in sweden, there's deals where they bundle in the WH-1000XM3 headphones for free 👍

Yeah we want 20k nits brightness on our phone. My retinas arent burn enough yet. 500nits is more than enough for me imo

I've been waiting for your review on this phone, patiently, of course. I ain't gonna lie, I was told that the speakers on the 1 III were apparently 40% louder than the 1 II, assuming this's with the Dolby Atmos feature enabled. I'd expect them to be quite loud, but knowing that they're lacking a bit, or meh, on lows is surprising. And about the charging speed; 42% in 30 minutes with a 30W charger is a bit disappointing, but Sony know what they're doing; I think the charging speed isn't the fastest 'cause it's how Sony prolong the battery life; by not charging the phone too fast.

Wow awesome brother 👍💖

Waoo..! #SonyXperia 👍Saludos de #Bolivia 🇧🇴

Is it waterproof? So can it be submerged in water etc.

Brightness can be a pita my phone is useless when using it with drone controller. I can't believe they didn't address that. They should have offered two display variants for the flagship.

GSM ARENA COME BACK WITH REVIEW FOR SONY XPERIA, AND I LOVE IT ..

Tech reviewers are so fickle. I'd appreciate a reviewer that has a set criteria they universally assess with every phone to provide context. I don't think it's intentional, but I only trust actual users these days.

Sony is the best of the best!

How can I get this flagship mobile please suggest me

That display👍

How about making phone calls? Is that good phone. I need phone to make calls.

Man, I really wish this wasn't the only phone on the market with a 888, a headphone jack, and an SD card slot

Thanks for this review. I have been watching the Sony III line for a while and was curious about the 4k display. This review has clearly steered me to waiting for the review of the Sony 5 III instead. The 1 III is priced at ~$1300 USD and the 5 III is rumored at ~$980 USD. Given what I heard here, I will wait for the 5 III and compare it to the Asus Zenfone 8 & ROG Phone 5.

2:48 “It was also the night the skeletons came to liiiife!”

Which phone do you use?

Where can i buy that here in philippines