The Sony Xperia 5 II was one of our favorite phones of 2020, making it to the top five of our Editor’s Choice Awards. Its more premium sibling, the Xperia 1 II, was a better phone on paper but the value/specs ratio of the Xperia 5 II trumped it. We’re not quite sure if that’s going to happen this year with the Sony Xperia 1 III, though.
Simply put, the Xperia 1 III might be the best 2021 choice for Android enthusiasts. It makes very few compromises in almost all respects and even offers a few features that competitors simply don’t. Of course, its price, availability, and software might be its ultimate downfalls. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about this premium flagship!
See also: The best Sony cameras to spend your money on
Sony Xperia 1 III at a glance
The Sony Xperia 1 III is Sony’s top-tier premium flagship for 2021. This is the phone that has all the bells and whistles. Every other Sony phone on the market is now objectively weaker than this one in nearly all regards.
One of the best aspects of premium Sony flagships is their cameras. While they often lack the versatility of some other brands’ offerings, they usually are terrific at capturing crisp, stunning images as well as beautiful video. This year we expect to see more formidable results from the Xperia 1 III. Unfortunately, we also expect to see the same confusion regarding hardware capabilities and software usage — more on that in a bit.
The Sony Xperia 1 III has a 4K display, a Snapdragon 888 processor, and a headphone jack. What more could you want?
Outside of the camera, the Sony Xperia 1 III features all the usual 2021 premium flagship staples. That includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 5G support, tons of RAM, plenty of internal storage, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and fast wired charging. You’ll also get a 4K OLED display, a microSD card slot, and the oft-neglected headphone jack.
Unfortunately, we expect the Xperia 1 III to be a very expensive phone. We also expect it to be tricky to get in some areas of the world. Software updates will likely be slow and infrequent as well. These are the trade-offs one needs to make with pretty much any Sony phone.
Is the Sony Xperia 1 III worth buying?
With Sony phones, you need to make your decision based on what you prioritize. If you want an affordable flagship with frequent Android updates and ultra-fast wired and wireless charging, this likely isn’t the phone for you.
Instead, folks who want a powerful camera, a headphone jack, expandable storage, and one of the highest-resolution displays you can get on any phone would likely love the Sony Xperia 1 III. The headphone jack, in particular, is a feature that pretty much no other OEMs offer with flagships. The only other company that frequently did so was LG, and it is no longer in the smartphone game. Simply put, if you want a Snapdragon 888 phone with a headphone jack, the Xperia 1 III is one of your very few choices.
See also: The best Android phones you can get
We have more information on the camera below, but the biggest thing you need to keep in mind there is that the software has a reputation for being really confusing. Professionals love it because of its versatility, but people acclimated to the point-and-shoot ease of cameras on Samsung, Google, and Apple phones will face a learning curve.
Overall, the Sony Xperia 1 III looks to be an incredible phone that could be worth its sure-to-be-high price. However, the phone appeals to a pretty niche audience rather than the average buyer.
What AA readers think of the Xperia 1 III
In October 2020, we ran a poll asking our readers what they were most excited to see on the Xperia 1 III. There were five preset options and then a catch-all “other” option. You can see how the poll results break down in the chart below:
Interestingly, Sony delivered on pretty much every one of these hopes our readers had. The camera has a very unique telephoto lens which will offer a more versatile experience. The headphone jack stuck around, the display refresh rate is high, and the phone has 30W wired charging. It even works natively with the Sony PlayStation DualShock 4 controller, which fits in with the “Better PlayStation integration” option.
Of course, this poll happened months ago. We’ll run more polls in the future to get a gauge on what our readers think now that the phone is official. If you want to participate in some polls right now, head to the bottom of this article!
Sony Xperia 1 III specs
The Sony Xperia 1 III features the predictable 2021 upgrades. However, it also boasts a stunning 4K display and a unique telephoto lens setup. See our specs table below, and scroll down a bit for a comparison between the Xperia 1 III and last year’s Xperia 1 II.
| Sony Xperia 1 III | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.5-inch OLED 21:9 aspect ratio 4K resolution 120Hz refresh rate 240Hz touch sampling rate Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB microSD card support |
| Power | 4,500mAh battery 30W wired charging Charger included in box Wireless charging Reverse wireless charging |
| Cameras | Rear: 1) 12MP main (24mm) 1/1.7" sensor ƒ1.7, dual-PD auto-focus, OIS 2) 12MP ultra-wide (16mm) 1/2.6" sensor ƒ2.2, dual-PD auto-focus 3) 12MP telephoto (70mm/105mm) 1/2.9" sensor ƒ2.3/ƒ2.8, dual-PD auto-focus, OIS 4) 3D iToF sensor Front: 1) 8MP single |
| Video | Cinema Pro 4K at 120fps |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack Dolby Atmos and DSEE Ultimate 360 Spatial Sound |
| Connectivity | 5G support (Sub6 only, no mmWave) [SIM + SIM] or [SIM + microSD] |
| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
| Durability | IP65 against dust IP68 against water Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Software | Android 11 |
| Dimensions and weight | 165 x 71 x 8.2mm 186g |
| Colors | Frosted Black Frosted Purple |
What’s up with these camera lenses?
In the specs table above, you can see that the Sony Xperia 1 III has a quad-lens array on the back. Predictably, there’s a primary lens flanked by a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. Rounding it out, there’s a time-of-flight sensor (ToF) that helps with depth perception and focus tracking.
Fun fact: Sony makes the lenses that appear in most high-end flagships. The sensors in the Galaxy S21 lineup, as well as the OnePlus 9 lineup, are all made by Sony, for example. As such, the lenses here are predictably high in quality and represent some of the best hardware available.
Related: The best camera phones you can get
The odd-ball-out, though, is the telephoto lens. In the specs table, you’ll see that this lens has a 70mm and 105mm size label. To be clear, this does not mean it is capable of zooming in from 70mm to 105mm. It actually means that it has just those two distinct focal lengths: 70mm (~2.9x) and 105mm (~5x). You can jump from one to the other, but there are no stops between.
How does this work? Sony used a mechanical periscope-style system to physically move the lens to those distinct points. This allows for a true optical zoom of 2.9x or 5x. Interestingly, though, anything between those two focal lengths (like 4x, for example) will involve a digital crop. That’s the big difference between this setup and the one we’ve seen on phones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which offers 1x, 3x, and 10x optical zoom with hybrid zoom in between.
The bottom line here is that this is a very unique camera setup that is a bit more limited than it might seem. Yes, you’re going to get lossless optical zoom at 2.9x and 5x, but you are locked to those two settings.
How is battery life on the Xperia 1 III?
The Sony Xperia 1 III has a 4,500mAh battery. This isn’t a huge battery when compared to other ultra-premium flagships. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery, for example, and the Asus ROG Phone 5 has a 6,000mAh battery.
Normally, 4,500mAh would be fine for a phone of this size. The wildcard, though, is that 4K display. A display pushing that many pixels at a 120Hz refresh rate is going to tear through battery power. We’re going to need to conduct our usual tests before we can say if the battery lasts long enough or not, but it’s likely battery life won’t be incredible with the Xperia 1 III.
Thankfully, the phone can charge at a rate of 30W using the in-box charger. That’s the fastest wired charging we’ve yet seen on a Sony phone. Granted, OnePlus has phones that charge more than twice as fast as that, but the entire Galaxy S21 lineup charges slower (and doesn’t have in-box chargers). In other words, Sony’s 30W speeds are faster than some, slower than others.
The Sony Xperia 1 III also features wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. That means you can charge the phone at standard speeds using a wireless charging system. You can also “leech” power off the phone by placing another wireless charging device on the back, such as earbuds or a smartwatch. However, with the expected power-drain of that 4K display, you might be looking to preserve as much juice as possible for the phone itself.
How is the Xperia 1 III performance?
Inside the Sony Xperia 1 III, you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. This is currently the fastest and most powerful mobile chipset for Android phones. It’s paired with a hefty 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. As such, we expect performance to be pretty great while using this phone.
Granted, hardware only tells half the story. Sony’s Android skin — known as Xperia UI — is a pretty lean system that usually performs well. We’ll need to put it through our suite of tests, but we’re expecting solid marks when it comes to overall performance.
Phone software and updates
Simply put, Sony’s history when it comes to Android updates and upgrades is pretty dismal. While it might not be the industry’s worst offender, most of its phones languish on older versions of Android even months after the latest launch. Likewise, Android security patches come at a slow and irregular pace.
For a lot of our readers, software updates are a big deal. Not only do they bring new features and bug fixes, but security patches help keep phones safe. For them, Sony’s historical lack of regard for the importance of software upkeep is a major issue.
You, however, might not care much about software updates. You also might be the kind of user who likes installing custom ROMs and relying on that community for your upgrades. If you’re in either of those situations, you’ll likely be happy. If official software is important to you, though, proceed with the Sony Xperia 1 III (or any Sony phone) with caution.
Sony Xperia 1 III vs Xperia 1 II: What’s new?
Overall, Sony mostly brought the predictable 2021 upgrades to the Xperia 1 III. The Xperia 1 II has a similar display, a very similar camera setup, and a similar build/design.
The big upgrades compared to last year are the Snapdragon 888 processor, a 120Hz display refresh rate, a bigger battery, reverse wireless charging, 30W wired charging, and the more advanced telephoto lens. Outside of those, the rest of the upgrades are pretty subtle.
Check out the specs table comparison below for more.
| Sony Xperia 1 II (2020) | Sony Xperia 1 III (2021) | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.5-inch OLED 21:9 aspect ratio 4K resolution 60Hz refresh rate Gorilla Glass 6 |
6.5-inch OLED 21:9 aspect ratio 4K resolution 120Hz refresh rate 240Hz touch sampling rate Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
| RAM | 8 or 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB microSD card support |
256GB microSD card support |
| Power | 4,000mAh battery 21W wired charging Charger included in box Wireless charging |
4,500mAh battery 30W wired charging Charger included in box Wireless charging Reverse wireless charging |
| Cameras | Rear: 1) 12MP main (24mm) 1/1.7" sensor ƒ1.7, dual-PD auto-focus, OIS 2) 12MP ultra-wide (16mm) 1/2.55" sensor ƒ2.2, dual-PD auto-focus 3) 12MP telephoto (70mm) 1/3.4" sensor ƒ2.4/ƒ2.8, PD auto-focus, OIS 4) 3D ToF sensor Front: 1) 8MP single |
Rear: 1) 12MP main (24mm) 1/1.7" sensor ƒ1.7, dual-PD auto-focus, OIS 2) 12MP ultra-wide (16mm) 1/2.6" sensor ƒ2.2, dual-PD auto-focus 3) 12MP telephoto (70mm/105mm) 1/2.9" sensor ƒ2.3/ƒ2.8, dual-PD auto-focus, OIS 4) 3D iToF sensor Front: 1) 8MP single |
| Video | Cinema Pro 4K at 60fps | Cinema Pro 4K at 120fps |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack Dolby Atmos and DSEE Ultimate 360 Spatial Sound |
3.5mm headphone jack Dolby Atmos and DSEE Ultimate 360 Spatial Sound |
| Connectivity | 5G support (Sub6 only, no mmWave) [SIM + SIM] or [SIM + microSD] |
5G support (Sub6 only, no mmWave) [SIM + SIM] or [SIM + microSD] |
| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
| Durability | IP65 against dust IP68 against water Gorilla Glass 6 |
IP65 against dust IP68 against water Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Software | Android 10 in-box Android 11 upgrade available |
Android 11 |
| Dimensions and weight | 165.1 x 71.1 x 7.6mm 181g |
165 x 71 x 8.2mm 186g |
| Colors | Black, purple, and Mirror Lake Green | Frosted Black and Frosted Purple |
What are some good Xperia 1 III alternatives?
There are a few aspects of the Sony Xperia 1 III that are unique. This includes the headphone jack, 4K display, and telephoto lens configuration. It will be tough to find those on any other 2021 flagships.
That being said, if you can do without those three details, here are some other phones that might be worth a look:
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ($1,199): While this phone won’t have the same display resolution, it will be more than good enough. It also will have a more versatile camera system with easier-to-use camera software and a full IP68 rating. It also has an in-display fingerprint sensor rather than a side-mounted one. Of course, there’s no headphone jack, no microSD card slot, and no charger in the box.
- OnePlus 9 Pro ($969): This is OnePlus’ best phone to date, with the best camera system we’ve ever seen on a OnePlus device. It has a display with similar quality to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and features wired charging that’s twice as fast as what we see on the Xperia 1 III. Of course, there’s no headphone jack, no microSD card slot, and no 4K display.
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra (€1,199 (~$1,415)): This just-launched phone features the largest camera sensor of any Android phone ever. It also features similar high-end specs as the Xperia 1 III while also offering a larger battery that charges faster. However, this phone will be harder to buy for some folks, especially those in the United States.
- Asus ROG Phone 5 (€899 (~$1,066)): This phone is a “gaming” phone, so it won’t have as good of a camera system. However, it is one of the very few Snapdragon 888 phones out there with a headphone jack, and it does feature a 144Hz display refresh rate, trumping the Xperia 1 III’s 120Hz. This is a very different phone for a very different consumer base, but still worth a look.
Where to buy the Sony Xperia 1 III
Sony has confirmed that the phone is coming to the US in summer 2021. The company hasn’t revealed the price of the Sony Xperia 1 III though. We expect the company to announce pricing closer to the launch window.
However, judging from Sony’s pricing history, this phone will likely be quite expensive. Last year, the Xperia 1 II launched at $1,199. With the bevy of upgrades coming with this new model, we should expect pricing to be the same or even higher.
Of course, Samsung threw us all for a loop by dropping the overall pricing for its latest Galaxy S21 phones. It’s possible that Sony would feel it needs to respond to that in kind and drop the pricing of its flagship, too. However, we wouldn’t put too big of a bet on that.
We will update this article as soon as Sony gives us pricing and availability info!
FAQs
Q: Does the Sony Xperia 1 III have an IP rating?
A: Yes, but it is not a full IP68 rating. Instead, it is IP65 rated against dust and IP68 rated against water. In other words, you’ll need to be a bit more careful in dusty/dirty situations with this phone.
Q: Can I use the Xperia 1 III to connect to 5G networks?
A: Yes, but only certain kinds. The Xperia 1 III works with Sub-6GHz 5G, which is the most readily available variant. It does not support mmWave 5G, which is the faster-but-rarer version.
Q: Does it come with a charger in the box?
A: Yep! The charger is capable of charging the phone at its top speed, which is 30W.
Q: Did Sony bring an in-display fingerprint sensor this year?
A: No. Just like last year, the Xperia 1 III has a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor.
Q: What are the big differences between this and the cheaper Sony Xperia 5 III?
A: The Sony Xperia 1 III is physically larger than the Xperia 5 III. It also has a higher-resolution display, a ToF sensor on the back, louder speakers, a higher-grade variant of Gorilla Glass, and wireless/reverse wireless charging. Other than those features, the phones are very similar.
Q: What colors can I get for the phone?
A: There are two choices this year: Frosted Black and Frosted Purple.
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