Hi Android Studio, Android is basically a software that allows your hardware to function. Android OS gives you access to many applications, including Google's own creation. This allows you to search information on the web, play music and videos, check your location on the map, take a photo using the camera and a lot more besides.
Android is a mobile operating system that is found on many modern devices, the most popular being the smartphone. On top of that you will also find the Android Tablet, the streaming TV and other portable gadgets.
Without Android, all this will not be possible.
Sony Xperia 5 III review, Android Device Manager requires two things before you can find the phone. The device must have a remote location enabled, that you find in Google Android Device Manager settings > > remotely found this device (make sure the box is ticked), and need to have access to the location as well. That's in settings Google > location. If this setting is off, then the Device Manager will not be able to find the device.
Check out our guide on how to set up your Android Sony Xperia 5 III review for an idea of what you'll need to do to get started. One of your first tasks will be to create a Google account (or sign in to an existing one). This gives you the email functionality and also provides a good way to back up your contacts, keep your files online and so on.
Android Device Manager works for tablets as well, but if you have multiple user accounts, the only tablet '' owner '' can enable features of Android Device Manager (or turn it off again).
Highly customizable Android phones, so they can be changed according Your needs and personal tastes. For example, you can set your own wallpapers, themes and launchers, Sony Xperia 5 III review that completely change the look of Your device interface. You can download new applications to do all sorts of things like check Facebook and Twitter feeds, manage your bank account, order a pizza and game play.
Read:
How to get started with Android
In fact, you can synchronize your personal information in all types of Android devices. This includes your favourite web sites, calendar entries and purchased apps. This is all supported seamlessly, background Sony Xperia 5 III review
The advantage of this is that if you lose your mobile phone Sony Xperia 5 III review All numbers and your important data will be saved. The next time you get an Android phone (or other device) and sign in with your Google account, all your contacts and your number will be displayed in the address book on your new phone immediately. There is no need to transfer them up or back them up somewhere else.
Introduction
Announced way back in April, the Xperia 5 III is finally here with us, though you will need to wait several more weeks until you can score one yourself. Such is the reality of chips supply amidst a pandemic. While anticipating the small-ish Sony to hit the shelves, you'd be wise to sift through the following pages to get an idea of the things it does right and the ones that will need to wait for Mark 4 to address.
For the third year in a row, the smaller Xperia 5 model tries to keep up with the true flagship, the Xperia 1, in terms of hardware - not something you necessarily get from the other makers. Most prominently, the 5 Mark 3 gets the 1 Mark 3's camera system, including the dual focal length telephoto - on a Galaxy or an iPhone it's only the Ultra or the Max that get the ultimate cameras, the others make do with lesser bits. Sure, the ToF module didn't make it on the 5 III, but that's not a loss we'd be lamenting.
Most fields in the side-by-side specs comparison look the same too, so let's go over the few differences beyond the obvious size and weight. For one, the Xperia 5 III uses Gorilla Glass 6 for the protection of the display, as opposed to the Victus on the 1 III. It's also not a 4K resolution display - that remains an Xperia 1 exclusive, but the 1080p resolution is plenty for the 6.1-inch diagonal, and you get the 120Hz refresh rate and HDR support.
Xperia 5 III (left) next to Xperia 1 III
If you must have 12GB of RAM, you'll need to look at the Xperia 1 III because the 5 III only comes with 8GB, and storage options are 128GB and 256GB (256GB and 512GB on the bigger model). And then comes the one principal difference that might bug some - there's no wireless charging on the Xperia 5 III, while the 1 III does have that covered.
The rest of the specs are the same between the two sizes of high-end Xperias. That includes core components like the top-tier Snapdragon 888 chipset and secondary stuff like the stereo speakers, headphone jack, and microSD slot, plus the external monitor functionality. Somewhat unusually, the smaller phone even has the same battery capacity.
Sony Xperia 5 III specs at a glance:
Body: 157.0x68.0x8.2mm, 168g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame; IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm.
Video capture:Rear camera: 4K@24/25/30/60/120fps HDR, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS.
Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 30W, 50% in 30 min (advertised), USB Power Delivery.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; 3.5mm jack; Native Sony Alpha camera support.
Sony Xperia 5 III unboxing
There are no surprises with the presentation - the Xperia 5 III arrives in the typical understated white box Sony's been shipping for a few years. The contents aren't extraordinary either - other than the phone, we received the 30-watt USB PowerDelivery adapter (XQZ-UC1 Sony calls it) and a USB-C cable to go with it. Just note that retail units may differ in terms of bundled accessories, and there could be a regional variation on top of that.
Design
We won't hold it against you if you can't tell the Xperia 5 III apart from the Mark 2 - it takes more than a casual glance to spot the differences. And if you've read here before that this is simply Sony's way of doing design, that's because we've written than on numerous occasions.
Xperia 5 II (left) next to Xperia 5 III
The one thing that makes the new-gen Xperia 5 recognizable from the previous one is the rectangular-ish opening for the periscope lens - Mark 2 has a conventional circular one. That's hardly a design decision, but more of a form following function type of outcome.
Xperia 5 III on top, 5 II below
That's in contrast with the Xperia 1 III, which does switch things up a bit, coming from the 1 II. Hardly a dramatic change, the move to a matte back panel does make the new phone look and feel different than the old one. No such thing on the 5.
That's a good place to mention that Sony is sticking with the rounded frame on the Xperia 5 III, while the 1 adopted flat sides from Mark 2 on. Perhaps a flat design here would have made for a more consistent look between the two models, but if the back is different within the same generation, they might as well keep the frame different too.
Glossy Xperia 5 III (left) next to matte Xperia 1 III
The back of the Xperia 5 III is made of Gorilla Glass 6, same as the 1 III's, even if they're finished differently. The frame, too, is aluminum on both handsets.
Similarly, both feature an IP65/IP68 rating, so your Xperia should be fine with submersion up to 1.5m, as well as water jets if your phone was to encounter water jets for whatever reason.
The front of the phone is protected by Gorilla Glass 6 too, and that's one area where the 5 III is trailing the 1 III - the bigger phone has Gorilla Glass Victus.
GG6 on the front of the Xperia 5 III (left), Victus on the 1 III
The 6.1-inch display of the 5 III has been carried over from the previous generation, and the face you'll be looking at on a daily basis is no different either. You get symmetrical bezels top and bottom - hardly minimal, but... acceptable, let's call them. Official specs list the Mark 3 as being 1mm shorter than Mark 2, but it's not something you can see in real life.
The space above the display is home to a lot of functional bits. That includes the selfie camera, earpiece (itself also the left channel loudspeaker), ambient light and proximity sensors, and even an RGB status/notification LED.
The bottom bezel doesn't have all that much going for it in terms of hardware, but the front-firing bottom speaker and the symmetry argument do make its size well warranted.
Front-firing bottom speaker • Earpiece and a bunch of other things up top
The control layout on the Xperia 5 III is the same as on the 5 II, and that's one area where the 1 III played catch up this year. The 5 III has a lot of buttons - top to bottom, there's the volume rocker, power button/fingerprint reader, Google Assistant key, and two-stage shutter release button.
The fingerprint reader comes with the usual caveat for a side-mounted unit - you may be activating it inadvertently with any skin that touches it while handling the phone, so when you finally attempt to use it, you will frequently find its unsuccessful attempt limit maxed out. Sony doesn't offer an option to require a press to engage the reader instead, so you have no way of circumventing the issue.
That perk aside, the sensor worked very well, and it unlocked quickly and reliably without discriminating between the left index finger and right thumb. The location of the button/sensor is also equally convenient for either digit.
The tour of the frame continues with the card slot on the left - a classic Sony no-pin-required tray that you pry out with a fingernail.
The Xperia 5 III we reviewed has dual nano-SIM support, and the second slot can alternatively be used for a microSD card, but you can't have all three inside at the same time. A single SIM variant of the phone also exists.
With the bottom being free from loudspeaker duty, it's only home to the USB-C port and the primary mic.
The top, on the other hand, features another mic and the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Card slot on the left • USB-C port and a mic on the bottom • Another mic and 3.5mm jack up top
One of the Xperia 5 III's main claims to fame is its relatively compact size - it measures 157x68x8.2mm. While that's no Xperia Compact like we had a few years ago, it's 3mm narrower than a Galaxy S21 5G and that makes it easier to reach across with your thumb, though the height of the 5 III (5mm taller than the Galaxy) means there's no way you'll be accessing the top without using your other hand or applying finger gymnastics of some sort.
The Zenfone 8, meanwhile, is as narrow as an Xperia 5 III and even shorter than a Galaxy S21 5G, so if you're eyeing the Xperia for its perceived pocketability, perhaps a look at the Zenfone is a good idea.
Mark 3 uses Mark 2's display
The Xperia 5 III is equipped with the same display as the 5 II before it - that is, we can't be certain it's the same SKU, but the specs are identical. It's a 6.1-inch OLED panel with a 1080x2560px resolution in a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz maximum refresh rate.
The 4K resolution remains reserved for the 1 series, and that's perfectly understandable. The 449ppi pixel density on the 5 III is easily excellent - it's more or less the same as on the Zenfone 8 (446ppi) and slightly higher than the Galaxy S21 5G (421ppi), while the iPhone 12 Pro has a handful of extra pixels making for a 460ppi number.
Where the Xperia can't quite compete with those is maximum brightness. The highest number we squeezed out of it was 590nits, which is the value you can get while in Creator mode and in select whitelisted apps like Google Photos or web browsers. It's a bit lower than last year's model, and a couple dozen nits lower still than the Xperia 1 III, but 590 is really about as good as 620.
A convoluted logic will determine the maximum brightness you'll be able to get at any given moment, and that depends on image quality mode (Creator/Standard and then some sub-settings), the app being used, and the available ambient light (if you have the Adaptive brightness enabled). It's not inconceivable that there are other variables as well.
Display test
100% brightness
Black,cd/m2
White,cd/m2
Contrast ratio
Sony Xperia 5 II
0
336
∞
Sony Xperia 5 II (Max Auto, Creator mode)
0
600
∞
Sony Xperia 5 III
0
327
∞
Sony Xperia 5 III (Max Auto, Creator mode)
0
590
∞
Sony Xperia 1 III
0
354
∞
Sony Xperia 1 III (Max Auto, Creator mode)
0
620
∞
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
0
416
∞
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Max Auto)
0
856
∞
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
0
802
∞
Asus Zenfone 8
0
440
∞
Asus Zenfone 8 (Max Auto)
0
800
∞
Xiaomi Mi 11
0
498
∞
Xiaomi Mi 11 (Max Auto)
0
926
∞
OnePlus 9 Pro
0
525
∞
OnePlus 9 Pro (Max Auto)
0.038
871
22921:1
vivo X60 Pro+
0
477
∞
vivo X60 Pro+ (Max Auto)
0
816
∞
We already mentioned the two main color modes and they are the same as they've been on Sonys for several years. Creator and Standard modes can be found under the 'Image quality' menu item in the display settings, while further 'White balance' adjustment options get their own menu and include Warm/Medium/Cool presets, as well as RGB sliders for extra granular tweaking.
In Creator mode, we were able to get excellent accuracy for our sRGB test swatches by switching to the D61 setting for white point - the average dE2000 was 0.8. The Warm preset was almost as accurate - average dE2000 of 1.2. The default white balance setting when in Creator mode was Medium, and that had a purple tint as well as colors that were more off-target than the custom presets.
Standard mode, again with the white point set to the D61 position, gave us an average dE2000 of 2.2, and that's not too shabby.
The out-of-the-box setting is Standard mode with the white balance set to Cool, and that's got a very noticeable blue shift.
Display settings
Naturally, the display of the Xperia 5 III is HDR capable, and we got HDR streams from popular sources like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube.
Sony's refresh rate handling is unified across all (three) phones that have 120Hz screens, and on the Xperia 5 III, we observed the same behavior as on the 1 III and last year's 5 II. A single toggle in settings enables the 120Hz mode, and you'd be getting that refresh rate pretty much across the board with little to no activity-based or app-based switching. Notable exceptions include the camera viewfinder and Google Maps that force 60Hz mode, as does video playback in Google Photos (but not in the streaming video platforms mentioned above). Such a non-adaptive approach is a bit behind competing implementations and potentially more taxing on the battery, though the savings achieved with the adaptive alternatives on competing phones are hard to quantify.
As for games, from the Game Enhancer utility settings, you can switch the refresh rate for the display to 120Hz for titles that can go above 60fps - it's at 60Hz by default. You can also force it to 120Hz regardless of whether you know for a fact that the game itself supports a higher frame rate - just to be sure. That's done on a per-game basis and is buried several levels in the Game Enhancer, so it's not the most intuitive implementation, but the option is available.
Sony Xperia 5 III battery life
The Xperia 5 III is powered by a 4,500mAh battery, the same capacity as the Xperia 1 III, which is always good news for a phone with a smaller (and lower-res) display.
On top of that, the 5 Mark 3 gets a 500mAh increase over the 5 Mark 2's capacity, which was already quite the marathon runner. Comparisons outside the Xperia lineup paint a nice picture for the 5 III as well - key rivals like the Galaxy S21 and the Zenfone 8 come with smaller 4,000mAh cells.
Indeed, the Xperia 5 III doesn't disappoint. We clocked nearly 22 hours in our standard offline video playback test (run at 60Hz refresh rate) and 12:37h in the Wi-Fi web browsing test (that one at 120Hz). Neither the Galaxy S21 5G, nor the Zenfone 8 can match the video playback endurance, while in web browsing, the Xperia is tied with the Zenfone, the Galaxy outlasting them by over an hour.
On a voice call, the Xperia 5 III was good for 24 hours - a couple more than the Zenfone, but 7 hours short of what we got on the Galaxy. Standby battery draw was average in the grand scheme of things but good for the latest top-tier Snapdragon.
Ultimately, the Xperia 5 III posted an Endurance rating of 100h.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage - check out our all-time battery test results chart.
Charging speed
The Xperia 5 III ships with the company's 30W USB PowerDelivery adapter, the same one we got with the Xperia 1 III. The 5 III showed 49% in the battery indicator at the 30-minute mark, and a charge to 100% took 1:50h - virtually the same results we got out of the Xperia 1 III.
Sony has always insisted on preserving battery health in the long run - they mention your Xperia 5 III's battery will remain healthy even after 3 years of use, so the modest results for charging speed aren't remotely surprising. However, if you prioritize speed over long-term capacity preservation, you'd clash with the Xperia 5 III's charging practices.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
Oppo Find X3 Pro 100%
OnePlus 9 Pro 99%
vivo X60 Pro+ 84%
Asus Zenfone 8 60%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro 59%
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (25W PD) 55%
Sony Xperia 1 III 50%
Sony Xperia 5 III 49%
Sony Xperia 5 II 45%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
Oppo Find X3 Pro 0:28h
OnePlus 9 Pro 0:32h
vivo X60 Pro+ 0:42h
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (25W PD) 1:13h
Asus Zenfone 8 1:28h
Apple iPhone 12 Pro 1:30h
Sony Xperia 5 II 1:49h
Sony Xperia 1 III 1:50h
Sony Xperia 5 III 1:50h
Unlike the 1 III, the Xperia 5 III does not support wireless charging. Neither does the Zenfone 8, but the Galaxy S21 and the iPhone 12 (Pro) do, so there are alternatives if the feature is important to you.
Speaker test
The Xperia 5 III uses the classic Sony speaker setup with symmetrical drivers top and bottom, both firing forward, with the top one also serving earpiece duty. Another Sony peculiarity is that the earpiece is always the left channel in the stereo pair, and the phone won't switch channels if you're holding the phone in landscape the other way around - the location of the hardware buttons defines a correct way up.
Bottom speaker • Earpiece is always left channel
The Xperia posted a Good score for loudness in our test, the same as the bigger 1 III - and with a nearly identical numerical result, too. Compact competitors like the Galaxy S21 5G and the Asus Zenfone 8 are in the same loudness ballpark, though the iPhone 12 Pro is measurably louder.
Potential rivals pack more punch in the low end, where the Xperia 5 III lacks presence. The Zenfone, in particular, outshines the 5 III when it comes to bass, and the iPhone is boomier too. Vocals out of the Sony do sound nice and clear.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Android 11, Xperia style
The Xperia 5 III boots Android 11, and as is customary for Sonys, the user interface has a very stock feel. Underneath that, there are a fair bit of in-house touches that add extra functionality.
Starting with some of the basics, there's an Always-on display feature (AOD) with a limited set of customization options. The lockscreen is basic too, with a clock (that you can customize), a shortcut to the camera and another one for Google Assistant (a bit redundant when there's a hardware key for that already).
Lockscreen • Always on display
The homescreen, too, is as standard as they come. The Google feed is the leftmost pane, but you can disable it if it's not your thing. The quick toggles/notification area is Google's stock too. With this version of Android, you get Notification history and the Bubbles shortcuts as part of the Conversations features - both available on the Xperia, unlike some more heavily customized UIs.
This brings us to one of the Sony exclusives, already available on the previous generation, the Multi-window switch. Split-screen multi-window implementation is one of the bits Google changes most often, but the current one has stuck for a couple of years, and it's a really clunky one, so Sony intervened.
You access the Multi-window switch from the task switcher or from the dedicated shortcut icon on the homescreen, and you get sort of like two stacked task switcher rolodexes with your currently opened apps to pick one for the top half and one for the bottom half of the screen. The rightmost pane in each half lets you launch another app, not just pick from the already running ones.
The phone remembers three previously used pairs so you can access them directly, though we couldn't find a way to save custom app pair presets. It's worth mentioning that the window split can be done in almost any arbitrary ratio, not just 50/50.
Task switcher • Multi-window switcher
Side sense is another of the in-house Sony features. A bar shortcut on either side of the phone opens up a menu of shortcuts to apps and features, most of them user-configurable. The 21:9 multi-window pairs can be customized here, but they don't go into the three pair shortcuts in the regular task switcher. A new addition to the menu is a widget to control the Sony headphones app - handy if you have those.
Side sense
There's a fairly standard set of gestures for call handling, as well as a one-handed mode and smart backlight control. It's in this menu that you'll find the navigation options with the two basic types available - gestures or a navbar.
Gesture settings
Missing on the midrange Xperia 10 III, but available on the 1 III, Sony's Game Enhancer is part of the 5 III's software package as well. It's a comprehensive utility for dealing with games, and comprises of two interfaces - a game hub/launcher, and an overlay you pull out from the side while in a game.
Performance profiles (or Game Mode) can be set on a per-game basis, and it's in here that you get to set the screen refresh rate and lock it at 120Hz regardless of whether the game supports it (though, obviously, it would make sense on the games that do). Additional sliders let you select Touch response speed and touch tracking accuracy.
H.S. power control is the setting that deals with power management, and it won't charge the battery but will only essentially provide just enough power to meet your current power consumption to avoid unnecessary heat generation - H.S. stands for Heat Suppression.
The Focus settings is an array of toggles that let you disable pesky notifications, turn off adaptive brightness, disable the camera button and the side sense functionality - or limit distractions in other words.
There are also screenshot and video capture features.
Game Enhancer
Synthetic benchmarks
The Xperia 5 III, just like the 1 III, is equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. That means top-tier performance under both CPU and GPU intense tasks, as well as 5G connectivity from the SD888's built-in modem. Unlike the 1 III and its 12GB of RAM, the 5 III comes with 8GB - while more has to be better, enough can be enough. Two storage versions are available - 128GB and 256GB and we have the base version for review.
The Xperia 5 III posted more or less expected results throughout the benchmarks we ran. In GeekBench, it ranked around the middle of the pack of SD888 devices we have in the database, though the differences between these are small enough to be irrelevant.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
vivo X60 Pro+ 3749
Asus ROG Phone 5 3710
OnePlus 9 Pro 3636
Asus Zenfone 8 3604
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 3582
Sony Xperia 5 III 3549
Sony Xperia 1 III 3515
Xiaomi Mi 11 3489
Oppo Find X3 Pro 3316
Sony Xperia 5 II 3301
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 3244
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 3238
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
vivo X60 Pro+ 1143
Sony Xperia 1 III 1130
OnePlus 9 Pro 1126
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 1124
Asus Zenfone 8 1118
Sony Xperia 5 III 1117
Asus ROG Phone 5 1110
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 1109
Xiaomi Mi 11 1085
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 1032
Oppo Find X3 Pro 926
Sony Xperia 5 II 890
There was more of a gap in Antutu 9, where the Xperia 5 III scored lower than what its hardware is capable of and lower than the already unremarkable score of the Xperia 1 III. The Zenfone 8 puts out better numbers here, but then the Galaxy S21 5G (in Exynos trim) is even lower than the Xperia.
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
vivo X60 Pro+ 836826
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 804626
Asus Zenfone 8 799738
Sony Xperia 1 III 749132
Sony Xperia 5 III 708394
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 650829
In graphics benchmarks, the Xperia is about on par with the Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos), and a bit behind the Zenfone 8, mostly in onscreen tests. For what it's worth, the 5 III often inches ahead of the 1 III - a frame per second here, a frame per second there. It's not a gap worth talking about, but it's enough to prove the 5 is no worse than 1.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
Asus ROG Phone 5 122
OnePlus 9 Pro 119
vivo X60 Pro+ 119
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 118
Asus Zenfone 8 117
Sony Xperia 5 III 113
Oppo Find X3 Pro 113
Sony Xperia 1 III 111
Xiaomi Mi 11 111
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 109
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 97
Sony Xperia 5 II 86
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
Asus Zenfone 8 105
vivo X60 Pro+ 105
Asus ROG Phone 5 103
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 95
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 93
Sony Xperia 5 III 92
Sony Xperia 1 III 91
Sony Xperia 5 II 71
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 58
Xiaomi Mi 11 57
OnePlus 9 Pro 57
Oppo Find X3 Pro 55
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
Asus ROG Phone 5 71
vivo X60 Pro+ 71
OnePlus 9 Pro 70
Oppo Find X3 Pro 70
Sony Xperia 5 III 69
Asus Zenfone 8 69
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 69
Sony Xperia 1 III 68
Xiaomi Mi 11 67
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 66
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 60
Sony Xperia 5 II 51
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
vivo X60 Pro+ 62
Asus Zenfone 8 61
Asus ROG Phone 5 59
Sony Xperia 1 III 54
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 54
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 54
Sony Xperia 5 III 53
Sony Xperia 5 II 41
OnePlus 9 Pro 36
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 33
Xiaomi Mi 11 33
Oppo Find X3 Pro 33
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
Asus Zenfone 8 45
vivo X60 Pro+ 44
Asus ROG Phone 5 43
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 41
Sony Xperia 5 III 29
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 29
OnePlus 9 Pro 27
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 25
Sony Xperia 1 III 24
Xiaomi Mi 11 24
Sony Xperia 5 II 23
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
vivo X60 Pro+ 43
Asus Zenfone 8 41
Asus ROG Phone 5 40
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 39
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 38
Sony Xperia 5 III 37
Sony Xperia 1 III 36
Sony Xperia 5 II 28
OnePlus 9 Pro 24
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 23
Xiaomi Mi 11 22
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
Asus ROG Phone 5 32
OnePlus 9 Pro 31
vivo X60 Pro+ 31
Asus Zenfone 8 30
Sony Xperia 5 III 29
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 29
Sony Xperia 1 III 28
Xiaomi Mi 11 28
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 25
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 14
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
OnePlus 9 Pro 28
Asus ROG Phone 5 28
vivo X60 Pro+ 28
Sony Xperia 5 III 27
Sony Xperia 1 III 27
Asus Zenfone 8 27
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 27
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 25
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 25
Xiaomi Mi 11 25
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
Sony Xperia 1 III 5807
Asus ROG Phone 5 5744
Sony Xperia 5 III 5742
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G 5714
OnePlus 9 Pro 5701
vivo X60 Pro+ 5695
Xiaomi Mi 11 5673
Asus Zenfone 8 5666
Oppo Find X3 Pro 5653
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) 5547
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 5412
As we observed on the 1 III, the Xperia 5 III has a tendency to throttle the CPU speeds under load and does so quickly and significantly. Passively cooled modern high-end smartphones typically throttle a lot, so the Xperia isn't alone in this, but we'd say it's a worse offender than most. For comparison, the Zenfone 8's stability score in the 3D Mark Wild Life stress test is 85%, while the Xperia's is 55% - not great.
CPU throttling test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test
Posting the good benchmark numbers expected from its hardware, the Xperia 5 III also behaves predictably when it comes to heat management and struggles to put out its otherwise top-tier performance for very long. Others can beat it by a little in this benchmark or that one, but if you're looking for sustained performance, the Xperia loses by a lot.
ToF may be missing, but the dual focal length periscope is here
The Xperia 5 III shares the camera system with the bigger Xperia 1 III - for the most part, that is. It uses the same image capture modules as its big brother, but is missing the time-of-flight module.
That setup includes the unique dual focal length telephoto - the periscope lens can switch between 70mm and 105mm equivalents, or 2.9x and 4.4x zoom magnifications from the main camera's 24mm. The aperture changes from f/2.3 at the 70mm setting to f/2.8 at the long end, and that's not half bad for a smartphone periscope tele. Optical stabilization is also available. The sensor behind all this is Sony's own IMX 663 - a 12MP 1/2.9" imager with Dual PDAF.
The other two cameras are very familiar - they've been around since the Xperia 1 II. The primary one uses a type 1/1.7" Sony IMX 557 sensor - smaller than competing efforts like the Galaxy S21 Ultra (1/1.33") or the Mi 11 Ultra (1/1.12"), but Sony touts its imager of choice to be much faster to read than these larger Quad Bayer and Nonapixel designs thus enabling the Xperia to do 20fps bursts. It's got a 12MP resolution, and each pixel is 1.8µm big. This camera has a stabilized 24mm equivalent lens with an f/1.7 aperture.
The ultrawide employs another Sony sensor, the IMX363 - a type 1/2.55" unit with 1.4µm pixels. The lens has a 16mm equivalent focal length and an f/2.2 aperture and features autofocus.
The 8MP selfie camera is a bit long in the tooth. It's the only one to use a Samsung sensor, the S5K4H7. The lens has a 24mm equivalent focal length and an f/2.0 aperture but lacks autofocus, sadly.
Photography Pro
The camera app on the Xperia 5 III is Sony's new Photography Pro. Essentially, it merges the functionality of the previous regular camera app with the advanced Photography Pro app and takes the name of the latter.
Basic mode is the heir of the old app and likely where you'll spend most of your time. It's been reworked, and the changes are for the better. The controls for (implied) white balance and exposure compensation, bokeh mode, drive mode, flash and aspect ratio have been moved immediately next to the shutter release. With the zoom selector already here, you can just about operate all functions with a single thumb without having to use your other hand.
Meanwhile, the zoom selector itself now uses numerical values instead of the tree designation of the old app - it's hard to convey the difference between 2.9x and 4.4x in pictograms.
At the opposite end of the viewfinder, and for these you'll need your other hand, you'll find a More button, a shortcut to Google Lens, a Menu button to access the (rather lengthy) Settings menu, and the button that lets you switch between this Basic mode/app and its Pro alter ego.
Basic UI
When in the Pro section of Photography Pro, you get an Auto mode, as well as the classic Program, Shutter priority and Manual modes, plus a Memory Recall option where you can store a pre-set state of settings to be able to come back to quickly.
The Photo Pro interface is reminiscent of that of a dedicated Sony Alpha camera, only adapted for smartphone use. On the right, you get to change photographic settings like focus mode and area, white balance and ISO, but it's exposure compensation that's apparently the most important control since it gets about a third of the screen area.
One thing we complained about last year's Photography Pro app was the lack of a touch-based way to engage the shutter release. The dedicated mechanical button is the default way, and the volume rocker is also an option, but that's that. Unfortunately, it's much the same situation here. If you like the Photography Pro interface, but you're not too keen on having to squeeze the phone to take a picture, you're out of luck.
Another somewhat annoying bit is that you need your left hand to switch cameras/zoom levels in this UI mode. We get that serious photographers use serious cameras with both hands, but it's unwise to directly apply that logic to smartphones, which have entirely different use cases.
Pro UI
We covered Photography Pro in-depth last year in the Xperia 1 II review and you can head over there for more details - it's essentially unchanged.
One new development this year, which is shared between both the Basic and the Pro modes, is the inclusion of Sony's Real-time Tracking autofocus. Available on all three cameras, it lets you tap on your subject in the viewfinder, and the phone will track it as it moves inside the frame. It's the industry standard for autofocus on standalone mirrorless cameras, and it's nice to see it make it to smartphones.
Real-time Tracking now also works in conjunction with the shutter release button. Half-pressing the button will engage continuous AF and keep the subject focused on top of tracking it.
Mind you, if you're used to tapping on the screen to acquire focus and/or bias exposure for that point, you'd need to go into the menu and change the respective setting. It's otherwise set to Object tracking in both Basic and Pro modes.
Real-time tracking comes in addition to human and animal eye AF, another feature Sony pioneered on standalone cameras. It was introduced on last year's Xperia flagships, and there's something really satisfying in seeing the small green rectangle lock onto your subject's eye.
External Monitor app on the Xperia Pro with the A7S III
The Xperia 5 III, just like the 1 III, can be used as an external monitor for a compatible dedicated camera. To get that to work, you need to go into the Connection preferences menu and enable External monitor, at which point the app icon will show up in your app drawer. You can then connect any camera that adheres to the UVC standard via USB-C (or as it turned out, any compatible hardware - we used a Nintendo Switch on the 1 III).
External Monitor waiting for connection
Cinema Pro
If video capture is more up your alley than stills, there's another Pro app for you - Cinema Pro. This app has been around for a while, and the version we have on our Xperia 5 III review unit appears for all intents and purposes identical to what we had on the Xperia 1 II, where we examined its functionality in more detail.
We'll just mention in passing that it offers additional resolutions and frame rates to the ones available in the Basic app's video mode, has proprietary color profiles, lets you select shutter speed by shutter angle (like the pros do), and has some of the nicest tools for manual focus racking (on a smartphone).
Cinema Pro UI
Daylight image quality
Having already reviewed the Xperia 1 III, we knew what to expect from the 5 III in terms of image quality. Indeed, daylight shots from the main camera of the 5 III are essentially identical to the ones we get out of the 1 III, and they are very good. The level of detail is comparable to other 12MP cameras on the market, but Sony's detail is better - it looks more organic and less processed than what you'd see on a Galaxy, for instance. There's also hardly any noise to speak of.
Global image quality attributes like color rendition and dynamic range are hard to fault either. Colors have just the right amount of saturation to look pleasing without going overboard, and white balance was always accurate. Dynamic range is excellent, even though if it were up to us, the shadows could use some brightening up.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x)
Here's a quick comparison with the Xperia 1 III.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x): Xperia 5 III • Xperia 1 III
The ultrawide camera, too, leaves little to be desired. Sharpness and detail are very good, while noise remains minimal. Dynamic range is excellent, and colors are perfectly matched to the ones from the main camera, making for consistently likable results.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
And once again, here's a comparison between the two Xperias.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x): Xperia 5 III • Xperia 1 III
It's the telephoto camera that presented us with a bit of a surprise. The Xperia 5 III captured sharper images than the 1 III, at both focal lengths, leading us to question how representative our Xperia 1 III review unit was for the product as a whole. While we'll be looking into it and trying to secure another 1 III to re-examine its telephoto performance, let's look at some of the 5 III's zoom shots.
The 5 III's photos capture fine textures at 2.9x zoom and have good edge definition and micro-contrast. The pixelation we mentioned when talking about the 1 III is present, and there us some noise too, but neither is a dealbreaker. Once more, we can praise the wide dynamic range and the vibrant colors.
Daylight samples, telephoto camera (2.9x, 70mm)
The comparison below clearly shows the Xperia 5 III is superior to the 1 III unit we had for review.
Daylight samples, telephoto camera (2.9x): Xperia 5 III • Xperia 1 III
The 4.4x setting doesn't change much in terms of image quality, and the Xperia 5 III delivers good zoomed-in shots. Sharpness is on point, there's plenty of fine detail, and micro-contrast is high once again.
Daylight samples, telephoto cam (4.4x, 105mm)
We can't really say those things about the Xperia 1 III's images we shot side by side with the 5 III.
Daylight samples, telephoto camera (4.4x): Xperia 5 III • Xperia 1 III
It's worth pointing out that we had no issues with focusing on the Xperia 5 III's tele, too, an area where the 1 III wasn't all too dependable.
Low-light image quality
In low light, the Xperia 5 III generally maintains that parity with the 1 III that we saw in daylight, but there are a few subtle differences.
The 5 III does capture sharp and detailed shots and balances that with noise reduction nicely. There's nothing to complain about color reproduction as we're seeing accurate colors and no loss in saturation. Again, we'd probably prefer better-developed shadows, but purist will argue that the Xperia's rendition is more true to life.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x)
There were occasional situations where the two phones would produce different photos, like the blown out highlights in the 5 III's shot of the first scene below versus the more controlled rendition of the 1 III, or the over 1EV brighter exposure of the 5 III in the second scene. These weren't really representative of any trend that differentiates the two, so we'd call this a fluke.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x): Xperia 5 III • Xperia 1 III
The ultrawide camera of the 5 III captures sharp and detailed images too and maintains color saturation well. We wouldn't say we're fans of its tonal development, however, and we'd like to see a boost in the shadows - they're too dark as it is.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
We observed little to no difference between the output of the ultrawide cameras of the Xperia 5 III and the 1 III.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x): Xperia 5 III • Xperia 1 III
The telephoto camera doesn't do a great job with darker scenes, where it struggles to collect enough light for a usable picture. In better lit scenes, however, it can take nicely sharp and detailed shots while keeping noise at manageable levels. Dynamic range is relatively good, though we'd generally prefer brighter exposures or at least lift the shadows a healthy bit, even if that would make noise there a little more visible.
Low-light samples, telephoto camera (2.9x, 70mm)
At the 4.4x zoom level, picking up light get even tougher, so you better have well-lit facades if you want good pictures. When that is the case, the Xperia can get nicely sharp images with plenty of detail and good noise levels. You already know where we stand on the Xperia's exposure approach.
Low-light samples, telephoto cam (4.4x, 105mm)
Once you're done with the real-world samples, head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the Sony Xperia 5 III stacks up against the competition.
Sony Xperia 5 III against the Galaxy S21 5G and the Zenfone 8 in our Photo compare tool
Portrait mode
The Xperia 5 III has bokeh mode available on the main camera, as well as on both zoom levels of the telephoto. The main camera gets the highest quality images with excellent detail and blunder-free subject separation. The lack of full-on HDR processing makes backlit scenes less than ideal though, even if the bias for subject exposure is appreciated (and logical).
Portrait samples (1x, 24mm)
That's also the case with the telephoto camera - dynamic range isn't as strong a suit of Xperia portraits, but correct subject exposure is. Subject detection remains very good on this camera as well, and here it builds on top of the naturally superior perspective afforded by the longer lens.
Pixel-peeping reveals that sharpness is no match for the main camera, but both at 2.9x and 4.4x levels, it's easily good enough in the context of zoomed-in portraits - that's simply not something that a lot of phones even o in the first place.
Portrait samples (2.9x, 70mm)
Portrait samples (4.4x, 105mm)
Selfies
We have no reason to go ecstatic about the Xperia 5 III's selfie camera - it's a simple fixed-focus 8MP unit. Even so, it takes fairly decent images in daylight, with good dynamic range and pleasing colors. Detail is satisfactory, considering the resolution.
Selfie samples
We have fewer nice words to say about selfie portraits, where the lack of HDR processing can wipe out the highlights in backlit scenes. Subject detection is generally iffy too and err in both directions - it can miss blurring bits of background and also render parts of the subject as out of focus.
Selfie samples, Portrait mode
Video recording
The Xperia 5 III's video recording capabilities are identical to those of the Xperia 1 III. With the Basic app, it tops out at 4K30 for all three rear cameras, with 1080p60 also an option if you're into high frame rates.
Using the Cinema Pro app, you can unlock a host of other frame rates on the main camera - you get 4K at 24, 25, 30, 60, and 120fps, though that's not the full 16:9 UHD type of 4K, but 21:9 3840x1644px instead. As expected from the Pro app, you'd need to have a better understanding of video capture parameters and workflow, so you likely won't be shooting casual 4K60 clips using the Camera Pro app.
The Basic camera app captures solid 4K footage. It has excellent dynamic range, and colors are again just the right amount of saturated. As we saw on the 1 III, however, detail isn't quite up to scratch - while not bad in isolation, competitors will have it beat when it comes to recorded fine textures.
The ultrawide camera, on the other hand, is looking better against the competition in terms of detail, though it still can't rival the best (that would be the Mi 11 Ultra even though that monster isn't directly competing with the smallish Xperia). Dynamic range is respectable, and colors look good too.
As for the telephoto camera, what we observed in stills we're seeing now in video as well - our Xperia 5 III shoots sharper clips than the 1 III we had. We're getting good detail at 2.9x and well defined edges and textures. We had no complaints about color and dynamic range on the 1 III, and that is also the case with the 5 III's 2.9x zoom capture. Compared against the Galaxy S21, the Xperia would win easily.
Zoom in to the 4.4x level, and the 5 III continues the strong performance. Still not quite a match for the best of the best, it does compare decently to them, and it's easily leading in the compact class where such a long zoom range is hard to come by.
Camera shake from walking and hand-holding is thoroughly ironed out by the Xperia 5 III's video stabilization on the main camera. It also showed no issues with panning.
The ultrawide camera, too, will deliver very stable footage, with smooth pans.
The telephoto isn't as impressive, and at both zoom levels, it lets some shake make it to the recorded video. It's certainly an improvement over unstabilized footage, but it's not as rock-solid as the 5x capture of the Mi 11 Ultra. Then again, there aren't obvious competitors that outdo the Xperia in this respect either.
Here's a glimpse of how the Sony Xperia 5 III compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.
Sony Xperia 5 III against the Galaxy S21 5G and the Zenfone 8 in our Video compare tool
Competition
The Xperia 5 III is a rather unique proposition that requires some careful framing for us to pinpoint its correct competitors. The way we see it, if you're looking at the 5 III instead of the 1 III, you must be fond of the form factor in the first place because in most other respects, the two phones are the same.
Hardly a compact in the same sense that old Sony Compacts were, the Xperia 5 III is still some of the most phone you can get in this much volume and weight. So it's only natural that you'd be weighing its Pros and Cons against other easily pocketable alternatives.
Starting off with Samsung's smallest from the top shelf, the Galaxy S21 5G can be had for a lot less than the $1000/€1000/£900 that Sony is asking for the Xperia 5 III - it's a few months old by now. The Galaxy has the better display, longer battery life and faster charging, plus it can charge wirelessly. The Xperia, meanwhile, has more zoom on its rear cameras, and old-school goodies like a headphone jack and a memory card slot.
Some things are hard to quantify and will have to come down to personal preference - the specifics of image quality, the Galaxy's under-display fingerprint sensor vs. the Xperia's side mounted one, One UI vs. the stock-ish interface of the Sony. We can see the 5 III winning this battle for some buyers, particularly if the price drops down the line or there's a pair of premium headphones bundled to offset the difference.
There's going to be a lot to offset against the Zenfone 8, which can be had for as little as €600. The Xperia can flex its rear camera at the Asus, sure, and the slightly better battery life and microSD slot could make a small difference to some. But if you're not that big on zooming in, the Zenfone's camera will serve you well, while everything else is probably as good or better on the Asus than on the Sony. Plus - money in your pocket.
We have to mention one alternative here, even though it's not available in Xperia's key markets - the vivo X60 Pro+. Essentially the only other reasonably sized phone with as much zoom capability as the Xperia 5 III, it also has a gimbal-stabilized ultrawide camera. Add to that a superior display and way quicker charging, and the vivo could be the right person's preferred choice - if, that is, they can their hands on one. The Xperia does have a lot going for it, of course - IP rating, stereo speakers, memory expansion, 3.5mm jack - it's hard to argue with those. But if the camera/volume ratio is what counts, the vivo makes a strong case for itself.
An iPhone 12 Pro can be found on virtually all markets, of which the some markets you can buy an Xperia are a subset (#logic). Marginally more expensive than the 5 III for a base 128GB version, the iPhone will take up even less space in your pocket than the Sony, though it's still somehow 21g heavier. Ignoring the different things on each side of the OS divide, overall, the Xperia has the better battery life while its optical zooming capability is an obvious advantage. On the other hand, the iPhone wins for display quality, and it has wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G • Asus Zenfone 8 • vivo X60 Pro+ • Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Verdict
We've fallen into a pattern with Xperia 1s and 5s - for the third time now, we're liking the smaller phone better than its supposedly superior bigger sibling. There's actually a pretty straightforward explanation for this - context.
The Xperia 1 III takes on the absolute finest on the market and is priced accordingly, but fails to shine. Meanwhile, the Xperia 5 III is positioned lower, costs a fair bit less, and is, well... smaller, but is missing very little from that higher-end model, making it a much more unique proposition than what the 1 III can ever hope to be.
So if you're looking for a high-end Sony, the Xperia 5 III is the sensible choice over the 1 III. But, more importantly, the 5 III is hard to beat by any reasonably-sized outside competition either. And by that, we mean there's no match for the completeness of its spec sheet and more or less its actual overall performance.
Now, there are a couple of issues for the 5 III - price and availability. It's more expensive at launch than any of the direct rivals we have in mind for it, and that launch is happening way too late - in September, after an April announcement. If you can wait until then, and then maybe wait some more for its price to drop a little, the Xperia 5 III might just make all the sense.
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