World’s first smartphone with 120Hz 6.5” 4K HDR OLED display.Form_factor : Slate.Aspect ratio:21:9.Display resolution maximum:1644 x 3840 pixels
World´s first smartphone with variable tele lens and Dual PD sensor
World’s first smartphone with 360 Reality Audio through its speakers
Triple camera with four focal lengths and Real-time AF tracking
Win with Game Enhancer’s custom display, audio and mic settings
Evolved Full-stage front facing stereo speakers – 40% louder
360 Spatial Sound up-mixes stereo music into immersive experiences
Use as high-quality external monitor and live stream from your camera
IP65/68 water resistance and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus display
5G connectivity and speed; Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform
Product Dimensions
6.5 x 2.8 x 0.32 inches
Device interface - primary
Touchscreen
Country of Origin
Thailand
Manufacturer
Sony
Included Components
Mobile Phone, Charger Block, USB C-C cable, Printed Leaflets
Battery Power Rating
4500
Colour
Black
Form Factor
Slate
Audio Jack
3.5 mm
Other camera features
Rear, Front
Other display features
Wireless
Item Weight
6.6 ounces
Display technology
OLED
Special Features
Dual SIM, 4K Video Recording, Expandable Memory, Fingerprint Sensor, Water Resistant
GPS
True
Connectivity technologies
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, NFC
RAM
12 GB
OS
Android 10.0
Batteries
1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included)
Item model number
XQBC62/B
Date First Available
July 1, 2021
4 reviews for Xperia 1 III – 5G Smartphone with 120Hz 6.5″ 21:9 4K HDR OLED display with triple camera and four focal lengths- XQBC62/B
Rated 5 out of 5
Matthew T. Weflen –
Sony is currently the underdog in the Android mobile market. Their sales have dwindled (though the division now turns annual profits). They don’t get anywhere near the mind-share of Samsung or Apple, or even companies like One Plus. Practically every tech reviewer out there has been saying “this phone is overpriced.”
So why do I like this phone? Am I the weird one who thinks it’s worth the money?
I don’t think so – and here’s my case.
USER EXPERIENCE
The Snapdragon 888 SoC and 12gb of system RAM mean this phone absolutely flies through Android 11 (Sony has promised a minimum of 2 OS updates as well). The user experience is fast and buttery, and it can handle even the most taxing games with aplomb. The 256gb of on board memory means you will likely not worry about app storage or photo storage for quite some time. Android is near stock, but a raft of Sony improvements are available, such as “side sense” and multi-window switch, which make running two apps simultaneously on the tall screen a breeze.
SCREEN and SPEAKERS
As you can see in the above LOTR picture, this screen is really spectacular when it comes to media. It is 21:9, and video apps intelligently zoom to fit is when using that cinematic aspect ratio. The level of detail and the pop from HDR is palpable. The screen can do 120hz in 4K resolution, but I find 60hz perfectly smooth. The speakers are the best I’ve heard on a mobile device. Loud, clear up to top volume, and even a little bassy. Terrific for YouTube or podcasts even if you’re in, say, a noisy kitchen.
CAMERA
Sony has brought its Alpha camera interface (pictured) to the Xperia line (though not to worry, there is a standard “Basic” mode enabled by default as well). This affords the user control of basically everything – ISO, white balance, shutter speed, manual focus, and so on. The camera features four native focal lengths to shoot in – 16mm ultrawide, 24mm standard, 70mm 3.7x zoom, and 105mm 4.4x zoom (which I have demonstrated in my attached skyline pictures, all taken from the same position). Results are impressive, and make this phone a real point and shoot replacement. Eye Autofocus detection is a major boon to parents of fast moving children or pets, and it works wonderfully. The camera is also capable of 4K/120fps video, and includes the Cinema Pro app to let your inner film director fly free in 21:9 aspect ratio with all sorts of manual control of camera settings and color timing.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The Xperia line has two unique selling points that are massively important to me. First and foremost is expandable storage. You can pop a 1tb micro SD card into this phone to store photos, music, movies, whatever. Also, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack – not important to some people, but for those with high quality headphones or a desire to use an external mic, this is a must. Now, I wish these features were not unique in the smartphone world, but they are now, thanks to Apple.
CONCLUSION
This phone has the same MSRP as the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It performs equally with them in terms of user experience and camera, but adds expandable storage, a 4K/120hz screen, and a headphone jack. There’s even a deal currently to get free Sony noise canceling earbuds. so is this a “bad deal?” Only insofar as any current flagship is a bad deal. This phone is tailored for a specific sort of user – one who likes a lot of features, customization, and user control. If that’s not you, this phone isn’t for you. But if it is, I have a hard time imagining you being disappointed by it.
Rated 5 out of 5
Hameed Prince –
Satisfied
Rated 4 out of 5
wdritchey –
I’ve been using Sony phones for a long time. Since they were pretty awful quality and have watched them evolve. My last phone was the XZ3 from 2018, which lasted me through 2022. I would have kept it if they hadn’t shut down 3G towers, virtually destroying my cellular service. I held off as long as I could and went for this model with high expectations. Initial thoughts – wow, the display is different. It feels larger and smaller at the same time. Slimmer. Fits the hand better. Certain apps like Instagram, you see more of your feed at once, which can be nice. YouTube allows you to zoom to fill videos that don’t have a 21:9 aspect ratio which is pretty nice. I didn’t think it would bother me, but for certain websites that don’t have this zoom to fill or a 21:9 aspect ratio, you get black bars which make this flagship device effectively have a smaller display than any other phone in it’s category. But when you DO make use of it, wow, it’s nice. Audio is loud and super clear. Camera is great quality too. I have a Sony A7 III, so I feel at home here. Where the camera lacks, you can more than make up for it in Adobe Lightroom and fine tune the photographic look you desire. Battery life is noticeably better. I chose not to use the 120hz mode to make the battery last even longer and with heavy use, I can still get through the day with no top ups and may not even get hit by the 15% warning before bed. If I had to be critical, I liked having a rear finger print scanner so I could unlock it with either index finger. Now I have to use my right thumb. Another issue with the tall/narrow profile is the keyboard is narrower. Prepare for thumb cramps if you type a ton. For one handed use, it’s good and bad. Your horizontal reach is good, but for buttons at the far top or bottom, they’re not even harder to reach. One issue I had early on was overheating. It never did overheat, but day 1, I was scrolling TikTok and the back got very hot in a short amount of time. Scared, I looked at other reviews and saw some complaints about overheating in pro photo mode and streaming video. I’m not sure why this is, but as I’ve used the phone more, it’s seemed to fix itself. There are some minor quirks like that to be aware of, but none have been a red flag yet. I’d like to say Sony is ahead of their time, or maybe not. But I respect them for making a decision and sticking to it for 4 generations of this phone now. It fits a niche, in a good way. As someone that’s been a fan of Playstation, Sony Headphones, Sony Cameras, and other premium electronics, they really did take what they learned from all their other categories and integrate it here. The build quality is also very nice. The matte back finish looks and feels awesome. I’m deciding not to buy a case this time and will see how it holds up to drops. I feel like it’s sturdy enough to be fine. I hate ruining the aesthetics and form of a phone with a case. Anyways, I think the phone is worth the buy. Especially if you can get an open box on here for close to what I paid ($830).
Rated 5 out of 5
Shin-ing Tsai –
Great item, well wrapped and wellingness of helping customer for their concerned. More than willing purchase with them next time.
Matthew T. Weflen –
Sony is currently the underdog in the Android mobile market. Their sales have dwindled (though the division now turns annual profits). They don’t get anywhere near the mind-share of Samsung or Apple, or even companies like One Plus. Practically every tech reviewer out there has been saying “this phone is overpriced.”
So why do I like this phone? Am I the weird one who thinks it’s worth the money?
I don’t think so – and here’s my case.
USER EXPERIENCE
The Snapdragon 888 SoC and 12gb of system RAM mean this phone absolutely flies through Android 11 (Sony has promised a minimum of 2 OS updates as well). The user experience is fast and buttery, and it can handle even the most taxing games with aplomb. The 256gb of on board memory means you will likely not worry about app storage or photo storage for quite some time. Android is near stock, but a raft of Sony improvements are available, such as “side sense” and multi-window switch, which make running two apps simultaneously on the tall screen a breeze.
SCREEN and SPEAKERS
As you can see in the above LOTR picture, this screen is really spectacular when it comes to media. It is 21:9, and video apps intelligently zoom to fit is when using that cinematic aspect ratio. The level of detail and the pop from HDR is palpable. The screen can do 120hz in 4K resolution, but I find 60hz perfectly smooth. The speakers are the best I’ve heard on a mobile device. Loud, clear up to top volume, and even a little bassy. Terrific for YouTube or podcasts even if you’re in, say, a noisy kitchen.
CAMERA
Sony has brought its Alpha camera interface (pictured) to the Xperia line (though not to worry, there is a standard “Basic” mode enabled by default as well). This affords the user control of basically everything – ISO, white balance, shutter speed, manual focus, and so on. The camera features four native focal lengths to shoot in – 16mm ultrawide, 24mm standard, 70mm 3.7x zoom, and 105mm 4.4x zoom (which I have demonstrated in my attached skyline pictures, all taken from the same position). Results are impressive, and make this phone a real point and shoot replacement. Eye Autofocus detection is a major boon to parents of fast moving children or pets, and it works wonderfully. The camera is also capable of 4K/120fps video, and includes the Cinema Pro app to let your inner film director fly free in 21:9 aspect ratio with all sorts of manual control of camera settings and color timing.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The Xperia line has two unique selling points that are massively important to me. First and foremost is expandable storage. You can pop a 1tb micro SD card into this phone to store photos, music, movies, whatever. Also, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack – not important to some people, but for those with high quality headphones or a desire to use an external mic, this is a must. Now, I wish these features were not unique in the smartphone world, but they are now, thanks to Apple.
CONCLUSION
This phone has the same MSRP as the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It performs equally with them in terms of user experience and camera, but adds expandable storage, a 4K/120hz screen, and a headphone jack. There’s even a deal currently to get free Sony noise canceling earbuds. so is this a “bad deal?” Only insofar as any current flagship is a bad deal. This phone is tailored for a specific sort of user – one who likes a lot of features, customization, and user control. If that’s not you, this phone isn’t for you. But if it is, I have a hard time imagining you being disappointed by it.
Hameed Prince –
Satisfied
wdritchey –
I’ve been using Sony phones for a long time. Since they were pretty awful quality and have watched them evolve. My last phone was the XZ3 from 2018, which lasted me through 2022. I would have kept it if they hadn’t shut down 3G towers, virtually destroying my cellular service. I held off as long as I could and went for this model with high expectations. Initial thoughts – wow, the display is different. It feels larger and smaller at the same time. Slimmer. Fits the hand better. Certain apps like Instagram, you see more of your feed at once, which can be nice. YouTube allows you to zoom to fill videos that don’t have a 21:9 aspect ratio which is pretty nice. I didn’t think it would bother me, but for certain websites that don’t have this zoom to fill or a 21:9 aspect ratio, you get black bars which make this flagship device effectively have a smaller display than any other phone in it’s category. But when you DO make use of it, wow, it’s nice. Audio is loud and super clear. Camera is great quality too. I have a Sony A7 III, so I feel at home here. Where the camera lacks, you can more than make up for it in Adobe Lightroom and fine tune the photographic look you desire. Battery life is noticeably better. I chose not to use the 120hz mode to make the battery last even longer and with heavy use, I can still get through the day with no top ups and may not even get hit by the 15% warning before bed. If I had to be critical, I liked having a rear finger print scanner so I could unlock it with either index finger. Now I have to use my right thumb. Another issue with the tall/narrow profile is the keyboard is narrower. Prepare for thumb cramps if you type a ton. For one handed use, it’s good and bad. Your horizontal reach is good, but for buttons at the far top or bottom, they’re not even harder to reach. One issue I had early on was overheating. It never did overheat, but day 1, I was scrolling TikTok and the back got very hot in a short amount of time. Scared, I looked at other reviews and saw some complaints about overheating in pro photo mode and streaming video. I’m not sure why this is, but as I’ve used the phone more, it’s seemed to fix itself. There are some minor quirks like that to be aware of, but none have been a red flag yet. I’d like to say Sony is ahead of their time, or maybe not. But I respect them for making a decision and sticking to it for 4 generations of this phone now. It fits a niche, in a good way. As someone that’s been a fan of Playstation, Sony Headphones, Sony Cameras, and other premium electronics, they really did take what they learned from all their other categories and integrate it here. The build quality is also very nice. The matte back finish looks and feels awesome. I’m deciding not to buy a case this time and will see how it holds up to drops. I feel like it’s sturdy enough to be fine. I hate ruining the aesthetics and form of a phone with a case. Anyways, I think the phone is worth the buy. Especially if you can get an open box on here for close to what I paid ($830).
Shin-ing Tsai –
Great item, well wrapped and wellingness of helping customer for their concerned. More than willing purchase with them next time.