Rating with properties and opinion

The Xperia 5 III is one of the most compact high-end phones on the market. But is it because of its competitors?

The Sony Xperia 5 III perfectly illustrates the reasons why Sony continues to fail in the phone market: it is extremely difficult to reach the top when you focus your efforts on creating a product that focuses on a a very specific market segment.

It’s very difficult to choose the Xperia 5 III over any other high-end móvil inteligente… unless you meet a very specific consumer profile: a brand loverknow the cameras of the “Alfa” series, who are looking for a compact and high-quality móvil with a clear focus on the multimedia area.

For the rest of the survivors The Xperia 5 III is an expensive phone. With great performance, excellent build quality and a versatile camera system. But mostly expensive.

Sony Xperia 5 III, review and review

The price of the Sony Xperia 5 III and where to buy it

The Sony Xperia 5 III has a retail price of 999 eurosand is available in an 8gigas de memoria and 128GB non-expandable storage configuration.

It perro be bought through most of the usual distributors such as Amazon or El Corte Inglés. It perro also be purchased from Sony’s official en línea store.

Sony Xperia 5III

Technical sheet on the characteristics of the Sony Xperia 5 III

Where is the Sony Xperia 5 III located?

The Xperia 5 III is that the second member of Sony’s high-end segment in 2021, after the Xperia 1 III. It is a model that relies on a tighter formatbut retains much of its older sibling’s repertoire of high-end features.

Among the most direct competitors are models like the Samsung Galaxy S21, with a screen of the same diagonal; or the Asus ZenFone 8.

However, Sony terminal it is much more expensive than the two terminals mentioned above, although their characteristics are not significantly better.

design and presentation

A look at the exterior of the Xperia 5 III is enough to see that it is a “miniature” Xperia 1 III. Sony basically kept all the design cues of the larger version, such as: Aluminum and glass construction, 21:9 aspect ratio and resistance to water and dust.

That leaves us with a compact móvil inteligente – not small and with an unusual format a long time agowhich makes it a little easier handle and handle of the móvil inteligente, but also has certain disadvantages, for example that a smaller screen area nor in models with others aspect ratio more traditional.

He is The build quality of the phone is excellent, just like Sony was used to with us. There is a smooth and very nice finishand the glossy glass panel on the back gives it a classy look… in a short time it will be free of dirt and fingerprints.

A glossy surface makes it a magnet for fingerprints and dirt. Image: Christian Collado

Because it’s more compact than its competitors, it does too a slightly lighter model weighing 168 grams. With this weight, it is at the level of models like the Samsung Galaxy S21 – 169 grams, despite higher quality and heavier materials.

The Xperia 5 III comfortable in the hand and conveys the feeling of a high quality product. The only improvement aspect I would say Matte finish on the back Like the Xperia 1 III, it would be even more comfortable and help it stay cleaner for longer. But above all it would prevent him from being extremely slippery device.

It is also worth mentioning that the phone supports traditional headphones thanks to the 3.5mm port located on its upper edge. Besides, we have to two front stereo speakers which produces high sound quality.

The Xperia 5 III’s display is on 6.1 inch diagonal and occupies about 81.5% of the total area of ​​the front. Sony stands once again Decorative panel with holes or notchesand resorts to share wider top and bottom edges habitual.

This decision is fully respected but obvious the Xperia 5 III doesn’t look that modern or “futuristic”. like other competing models.

The front of the Xperia 5 III is completely free of cutouts Image: Christian Collado

In any case, the edges fade into the background when we start talking about the screen. There is a 6.1 inch OLED panel with Full HD+ resolution and renewal rate thereof 120 Hertz responsive, with support for HDR content.

unfortunately, This is not an LTPO type screensuggesting that it is not possible Change your refresh rate dynamically based on the content displayed on the screen to save energy. Instead, the programa perro only móvil inteligente Switch between 60 or 120 hertz in some cases.

There is a Very good quality screen that stands out for its good color calibration available by activating the “Creator Mode” in the image quality settings. In addition, you perro change a large number of parameters related to white cómputo.

“The maximum brightness of the Xperia 5 III seems a bit low to me.”

He is Viewing angles are good too, and the contrast is excellent, as with most OLED panels. So the Xperia 1 III does not reach its sharpness with its 4K screen, but the Full HD+ resolution this model also does not think about any inconveniences.

However, the Xperia 5 III’s panel pales in comparison to its closest competition when it comes to screens maximum brightness level, about 600 nits. Compared to similarly expensive models like the Galaxy S21, OnePlus 9 Pro or Xiaomi Mi 11, The maximum brightness of the Xperia 5 III seems a bit lowHowever, in most cases there will be no problems when viewing the screen outdoors.

Although a OLED screen, the Xperia 5 III does not integrate the fingerprint reader on the panel. Instead, Sony has decided to put it in a Page, camouflage in power/lock screen button. Operation is good, although not one of the fastest we’ve had.

Sony maintains its commitment to side fingerprint readers Image: Christian Collado

hardware and performance

As usual with Sony in recent years, The Xperia 5 III brings the latest in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series.

He is Snapdragon 888 5G It’s the brain that gives life to the phone, with a High performance core based on ARM Cortex X1 architecture which generates 2.84GHz, accompanied by four high-performance Cortex A78 cores running at 2.4GHz and another four Cortex A55 running at 1.8GHz for energy saving. This is all about the Adreno 660 GPU.

This technical repository is complete 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Adding the Snapdragon 888 with clean programa and a 120 Hertz screen is a winning elabora.

Having tested several models based on the Snapdragon 888 platform, this is not surprising The Sony Xperia 5 III is capable of delivering excellent performance in almost every scene day by day.

Application loading times are almost non-existent and the entire system interfaz moves very smoothly. The sum of the Snapdragon 888 with clean programa and screen Hertz 120 a elabora for success.

The 21:9 format screen is one of the distinguishing features of the Xperia 1 III | Image: Christian Collado

Even if not everything is perfect. The Snapdragon 888 is a processor for which it is known among other things high temperatures are easily reached at a slightly higher load than usual.

And unfortunately, in the case of the Xperia 5 III, This heat “problem” is even more significantprobably because of the little space available for heat dissipation in such a compact body.

This is very likely when playing games that require a heavy graphics load or when viewing photos and vídeos The outer surface of the móvil inteligente is getting too hot, which goes so far as to espectáculo notifications urging the usuario to let the phone return to its habitual temperature. When that happens – and it often happens – the screen refresh rate returns to 60 Hertz and the overall power of the device will be reduced to prevent further temperature rise.

battery and charging

The battery hidden inside the Xperia 5 III has a capacity of 4,500 miliamperio-hora, exactly the same as that found in the Xperia 1 III.

Although autonomy wasn’t a feature to highlight on the larger model, things change on this model with a smaller screen and lower resolution.

General, It’s easy to find the heavy usage tag without worrying about the battery, grab close 6 times screen on. On days of low use, the autonomy perro even be extended up to the day and a half without much effort.

Sony also offers fast charging, in this case with 30W of maximum power. The charger that comes in the box allows us to charge the entire battery of the phone a little over an hour.

In this case, however, there is no space – literally – Wireless chargingan omission that’s a little harder to justify when we’re talking about a phone with an RRP of €1,000.

programa and experience

Few manufacturers offer a pure and clean Android experience like Sony | Image: Christian Collado

Few know how much Sony has contributed to the AOSP–Android Open Source Project–project. For nearly a decade, the Japanese company has partnered with Google plus to make Android an increasingly accessible platform for developers and more stable and sophisticated for consumers.

No wonder then that Sony offers one of the cell phones better programa experiences found in the mobile market today.

In general, the Xperia’s programa – including the Xperia 5 III – isn’t very different from what we might find in a Pixel, except without the exclusive add-ons that Google plus integrates into its mobile phones.

This suggests that unlike other handsets – particularly those made in China – Sony’s programa retains many of these Features, utilities, and optimizations made by Google plus to the AOSP codewith no changes that might affect the experience – such as ad sync issues.

But still, Sony doesn’t forget add your own utilities as a possibility Access the Applications sidebar with a double tap on the edge of the screen; choice of Easily open aplicaciones in floating multi-window modeor customization settings to change the appearance of the system.

“The Xperia 15 III is only guaranteed two years of new Android versions”

In general, it is one a fácil, consistent and frictionless experience. Like I said, one of the it’s better there in today’s Android landscape.

It’s not that good instead the Current Sony policies. The Xperia 15 III only two years new Android versions are confirmed, unlike the three years or even four years offered by brands such as OPPO, Samsung, OnePlus or Google plus. And in a cell phone of this price is the Uncertainty whether the next Android version will come in timeor if it comes It shouldn’t be anything for users to worry about.

In any case, this should be mentioned at the time this analysis is published The Sony Xperia 5 III runs Android 11and on December 2nd, 2021 he received the update with the security patch corresponding to December 5th.

There are other features that enhance the experience with the phone. like the best vibration motor integrated into the device that offers a firm and pleasant response when interacting with the interfaz; or the utility that the dedicated button to invoke Google plus Assistant. Not to mention that the Sony Xperia 5 III is one of the few phones that will launch in mid-2021 The ads stay on on the front as an efficient and elegant alternative to the always-on display method – which is also included in the programa -.

Is the small details, and what is not seen what really makes the difference.

cameras

Sony has tried to achieve the greatest surprise at the photographic level, based on a system that perro cover a focal length between 16 and 105 millimeters / Photo: Christian Collado

The Xperia 5 III is all about the camera. So much so that he even gives one a physical trigger on the one hand.

As with the Xperia 1 III, Sony has made every effort to try this out Article for more advanced photography so far on cell phones seen. He didn’t benefit from that Ten megapixel sensors like other manufacturers, but with the combination of Sensors whose performance has more than proven itself with quality lenses and an innovative optical zoom system.

Hence we get a to adjust of the Chambers led by a 12 megapixel sensor Sony IMX 557, which is accompanied by a 12-megapixel camera with an ultra wide-angle lens – focal length equal to 16 millimeters – and Variable tele Focal lengths of 70 and 105 millimeters as well as 12 megapixels cánido be covered.

All sensors are covered by a ZEISS T lenswhat improvements should orinan in terms of the clarity of the photos taken with the device.

Without doubt, The main sensor is the one that gives the best results. Allowed capture Images that are characterized by realistic and natural color reproductionperfect for all those users who are used to editing their images later.

One is missing a little more detailed in styles, and the dynamic range is also not large. We also found some inconsistencies in the automatic focus systemespecially if we use the “Basic” mode of the camera application.

In general, the best results are obtained with the “Automatic mode.containing the device programa Adjust parameters automatically to make the desired catch – or at least to try -. Of course, more advanced users cánido get even more out of this camera by using one of the advanced modes in the aplicación.

The ultra-wide sensor is maybe least convincing. The pictures taken with him They sin from a certain lack of dataand the color rendering does not correspond to reality as far as received from the main sensor.

Finally there is Variable tele It’s the same as the Xperia 1 III, so the results are comparable. The fact that two focal lengths in the telephoto range For a móvil of this size, that’s an achievement worth celebrating. However, experience with the device informs us This technology still has a lot to do.

Within reach of 2.9 optical magnification –70 mm– the results are good thanks to the larger aperture of the sensor. If the lighting is sufficient, it perro be found quality catches with an acceptable level of detail. I have to say back then too make portraitsIt is better to rely on this sensor and not on the “Bokeh mode” integrated in the camera aplicación, since the focal length is optimal for this type of photography and the portrait mode integrated in the camera aplicación leaves a lot to be desired.

Things change a bit when we escoge to go further and “activate” the longer focal length. The smallest opening moves to a significant data loss, even if there is still enough light. We also get some colors that aren’t as natural as the other two sensors.

Especially the night is one of them weak points this camera system. First, there’s no “night mode” as such, so you’ll have to complejo turístico to manual control of the camera or rely on the coche mode’s capabilities.

In both cases, the sensor sizeless than competing models with a clear understanding block which means translated significant data lossespecially when using a sensor other than the main sensor.

It is clear that the hardware that characterizes the photo system of the Xperia 5 III It’s up there with the best high-end of 2021. You just have to see what Apple has done with the iPhone 13 Pro and its three 12-megapixel cameras.

The main problem I think is that Sony relies too much on hardware rather than improving the programa responsible for processing the images and boarding the computer photography bandwagon. This might be a positive feature for those looking for the most ‘handy’ camera experience possible, but will no doubt hold back those who want a capable camera. Take the best photos with little effort. And when I look at Sony’s Xperia division’s financial results over the past few years, I’m afraid the former isn’t exactly a mainstream consumer type.

When examining the front camera, we came to slightly different conclusions. The sensor is obviously less competent than the one on the back and for that reason the Sony is preferred image processing. You just have to see them like that Color rendering and the amount of data captured, sometimes higher than that of the rear cameras.

The camera application offers advanced settings that are hard to find on phones from other manufacturers | Image: Christian Collado

However, the camera has an influence limited dynamic range and a portrait mode that’s not up to the task.

Something afín happens in the section of the vídeowhere Sony has put all its effort Build a vídeo application packed with features and tools, but still didn’t reach the recording quality of other high-end models. His greatest weakness in this regard is the Aparente blurred visiónand his strength, again, color interpretation.

Gallery of photos and vídeos with the Sony Xperia 5 III

This device has been thoroughly tested Independently thanks to a move of the brand. The article contains purchase backlinks for which Andro4all may receive a commission. take part to the market channel Andro4all to find out about the best deals before anyone else.