Multimedia Masterpiece
Pros:
- Stunning 4k screen
- Excellent audio through speakers and headphone jack
- Solid build
- Keeps things its rivals lost
- Best gaming features I’ve seen on a phone
Cons:
- Screen needs to be brighter for outdoor use
- 105mm camera looks a bit soft
The third iteration of the Xperia 1 offers everything you could want in a phone and more with the standout feature being its stunning 4k HDR 120hz screen. I’ve yet to come across such a multimedia powerhouse in such a small form factor.
Design and Build
Starting with the design, Sony has gone for a matte finish with the Xperia 1 iii and I’m all for the change. The matte finish not only feels and looks incredibly well made; it also means you won’t have to constantly wipe fingerprints off every surface. The 21:9 aspect ratio makes the phone feel long and this takes a short while to get used to, but when you do get used to it everything feels very natural. Sony has put a lot of attention into the design of this phone, the blasted metal frame sandwiched in gorilla glass feels premium. The textured two-stage camera button, side-mounted fingerprint sensor and google assistant buttons feel perfectly placed on the right side of the phone. The Xperia 1 iii really packs a lot into its sleek body, including a very good pair of 360 reality audio stereo speakers and headphone jack all while being IPX5/IPX8 water-resistant. The best part is the fact there is no notch or hole punch selfie camera in the screen, I still don’t understand why people think these are better options than a slight bezel. Sony has also kept the notification LED which is a feature most new android phones are missing and is really appreciated.
Specs and Battery
The Xperia 1 iii comes with the Snapdragon 888 and 12GB of RAM (I still don’t see the need for more than 6GB in a phone) which makes the phone feel immediate in everything it does. With 256GB of internal storage and support for up to 1TB micro-SD card, you should never run out of storage. The phone is 5G compatible and has Bluetooth 5.2. The battery capacity is 4500mAh and when the phone is running in 60hz mode it gets me to the end of the day with around 30% remaining, however, with 120hz activated, the battery drains faster. I only turn 120hz on when gaming as I see no need to waste the battery using it the whole time, it would have been nice if Sony could add a quick settings shortcut to toggle between 60hz and 120hz. Sony has also put in a lot of effort into battery care which allows you to set the time you want the phone to be at 100% so the phone can charge slowly to help the battery last longer over the lifetime of the phone. The phone is capable of fast charging and has wireless charging and reverse wireless charging (something Sony calls battery share).
Software
The Xperia 1 iii uses close to stock android with a few Sony features on top like the camera app, battery stamina mode and you still have the option to use the three on-screen buttons to navigate rather than gestures. Using a mobile to make phone calls is no longer the primary use for a smartphone these days but the Xperia 1 iii does a good job of it. The form factor makes it perfect and the sound quality is the best I’ve come across so far. To take advantage of the long aspect ratio, Sony has introduced a feature called side sense which makes multi-tasking with two windows open a breeze. Due to the aspect ratio, you can see more of each app and the processor has no issues doing two tasks simultaneously.
Screen
The star of the show is the screen. Having the option to select 2160p HDR on YouTube really shows what the Xperia 1 iii is capable of, the results are jaw-dropping. The Xperia 1 iii screens are individually calibrated from the factory, so colours are as realistic as you can get on a phone. Such a high pixel density on an OLED screen also results in the best contrast and sharpness you will find. The display settings allow you to set up the screen exactly how you want it. Image quality settings let you choose between creator mode for accuracy and you can even set which apps you want to automatically enable creator mode for. Standard mode enhances the colours, adding vibrancy and saturation. There is also video image enhancement which improves image quality using the X1 mobile processor, similar to the Bravia TVs. The white balance can also be tuned for both creator mode and standard mode. Finally, there is the option to switch between 60hz and 120hz. The screen isn’t the brightest when viewed outdoors but when watching videos or viewing photos in more ideal conditions, the screen really makes you realise you are looking at something special. The colours, sharpness and accuracy really stand out against the competition; there are no other phones with this level of customisation on for the screen.
Audio
With such a good screen the Xperia 1 iii needs audio hardware to match and this is something the Xperia delivers on. The stereo speakers are subtly hidden on the very edge of the screen. Whilst they aren’t the loudest phone speakers available, they are impressive in their clarity and separation. When watching videos and films I was impressed with how convincing the audio was in giving a surround effect. The phone has Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 reality audio capabilities and the effects are fairly convincing when watching videos. The speakers also do a good job when it comes to music. However, one feature that the Sony does have that most other phones lack is the headphone jack, and what a headphone jack it is.
The Dolby Atmos profiles allow you to customise the audio with an equaliser and there is also DSEE Ultimate to upscale lossy, compressed audio to much higher quality. The headphone jack also provides plenty of power, enough to drive a pair of Sony MDR-Z7M2 audiophile headphones. Whilst the sound quality isn’t a match for high-end DACs and headphone amplifiers, the Xperia still does an excellent job with detailed vocals and plenty of bass. The addition of a very capable headphone jack is something I greatly appreciate as it does such a good job for media and makes phone calls with a headset so much easier and clearer.
For Bluetooth headphone users the Xperia 1 iii is capable of using the LDAC Bluetooth codec which can deliver bitrates of up to 990kbps, far higher than SBC. With services such as Amazon Music HD and Tidal, LDAC will allow you to make the most of the Hi-Res audio quality wirelessly. For the best audio quality, the headphone jack is the way to go.
Gaming mode also has a separate equaliser designed for mobile gaming, something I have yet to see in any other gaming phone and even some game consoles.
Gaming
As someone who has never really been into mobile gaming, I wasn’t sure the Xperia 1iii needed to have a 120hz screen for phone games… how I was wrong. With 120hz activated the Xperia 1 iii has changed my perception of mobile gaming, to the point where I found myself playing Call of Duty Mobile all the time. I even bought a DualShock 4 mount so that I can use my PS4 controller with the Xperia 1 iii.
This phone should be advertised as a gaming phone because I cannot believe the lengths Sony has gone to for customising gaming on this phone. There are even more display settings for gaming beyond the other display settings mentioned earlier. There is the option to change the gamma and brighten up shadow detail, use black frame insertion to simulate 240hz, 240hz touch sensitivity, a fully customisable audio equalizer, the ability to bypass the battery and use the charger to power the phone directly to prevent overheating and throttling as well as the ability to record commentary and gameplay in up to 120hz to be shared with others. I cannot think of another phone that has all these features and the Snapdragon 888 and 12GB RAM did not stutter once. This is defiantly a true gaming phone.
Cameras
The cameras are what Sony really takes pride in on this phone and I can see why, however, whilst I loved using the cameras on this phone, it might not be for everyone. When opening the camera app there is the basic mode for taking photos and videos in up to 4K 30p in HDR. The basic app produces very good images and videos with a few customisation options. Where this camera really stands out is in the pro mode. Even leaving it on auto in the pro mode opens so many more customisation options, just like a Sony Alpha camera.
There are three 12mp sensors and a 3D time of flight sensor. The four different lenses available are 16mm (wide angle), 24mm (normal), 70mm and 105mm which uses the world’s first variable periscope lens in a smartphone. Switching between the three sensors I found the colours to match, my favourite being the 24mm lens as it produces the best images. Using 105mm provides a good zoom, however, the images can sometimes look a bit soft. There’s the option to use jpeg, raw or jpeg and raw. Burst mode can shoot at 20fps with autofocus enabled and each photo in burst ended up looking clear and in focus when I used it. The Xperia has human and animal eye autofocus which resulted in excellent pictures.
Overall, I was impressed with the photos taken by the Xperia, made better by the fact they can be viewed on a 4k HDR screen straight away, even when zooming into the photos, there isn’t much pixelization. One area the Sony could improve is the selfie camera, the 8mp sensor isn’t great but I hardly ever use the front camera so it didn’t bother me. The dedicated camera button is something you cannot live without once you’ve used it and I wish more phones had one.
The videos on the basic app are also excellent. The 4k HDR is really impressive due to the clarity, colour and stabilisation. There is also a Cinema Pro app for those who want more customisation. This mode allows you to shoot in up to 4k HDR at 120fps. This app also has so many levels of customisation I can’t explain them all in this review. This app is perfect for people who like to experiment with short home movies and videos. For those who want a simpler video app like me, the basic app still produces great results. Having a micro-SD card also really helps as 4k videos can take up a lot of storage.
Conclusion
The Xperia 1 iii is an excellent all-rounder and best in class for the screen, gaming features and audio. It keeps many features that are no longer on most android phones such as the headphone jack, dedicated two-stage camera button and notification led. The cameras are capable of taking stunning photos and videos and using the pro apps make it much more enjoyable when you capture the moment exactly as you intended, however, the apps might be a bit fiddly for some. The screen is where this phone really flexes its muscles for both videos and gaming. Overall, I would give this phone a 9.5/10 and will definitely be using it as my daily phone.