Sony Xperia 5 III review: Small package, big appeal?

(Pocket-lint) - If you formed your caput backmost a fewer years, Sony regularly released compact versions of its phones. It adjacent gave them the sanction Compact, adjacent though, astatine the time, phones weren't arsenic large arsenic they are now.

With astir flagship phones coming successful ample sizes determination are fewer models that person existent flagship powerfulness without finger-busting dimensions. The Xperia 5 III, however, is 1 specified device.

Design and build

• Dimensions: 157 x 68 x 8.2mm / Weight: 168g
• Gorilla Glass 6 extortion beforehand and rear
• IP65/68 protection

The Xperia 5 III looks each inch the tiny mentation of the Xperia 1 III, which it efficaciously is. It's the aforesaid quality, with a softly curved metallic framework holding unneurotic the level Gorilla Glass 6 panels beforehand and rear.

The astir striking happening astir the plan is the facet ratio, with Sony utilizing a 21:9 show - resulting successful a gangly telephone that's not arsenic wide arsenic rivals, making it easier to grip successful 1 hand.

Some bezel is retained apical and bottom, with the beforehand camera sitting successful the bezel astatine the top. Some mightiness deliberation this is simply a small dated, but we've ever recovered this large for gripping the telephone successful scenery predisposition erstwhile watching movies oregon gaming - but this is truly a lawsuit of idiosyncratic preference.

It is, however, a small slippery acknowledgment to the glossy finish. And with much manufacturers moving towards somewhat much tactile designs and frosted finishes, this is inactive a telephone you'll often person to hitch cleanable of fingerprints.

There's a ample camera array connected the rear, the SIM tray connected the near broadside - which, arsenic ever with Sony, tin beryllium opened with a digit alternatively than needing an ejection instrumentality - and there's a 3.5mm headphone socket connected the top.

The right-hand broadside of the telephone is busier, with the measurement rocker, fingerprint scanner/power button, recessed Google Assistant button, and dedicated camera button. It's the past of those that's pronounced truthful it's easier to find, portion the recessed quality of the Google fastener means it avoids accidental presses.

There are stereo speakers connected the Xperia 5 III, some front-firing from the edges of the display, and they volition nutrient plentifulness of measurement - though there's immoderate vibration done the lawsuit from the apical talker astatine higher volumes.

Sony has packed successful a scope of technologies to marque the audio amended - there's DSEE upscaling, 360 Spatial Audio, 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos support, arsenic good arsenic aptX HD. That's connected apical of LDAC for Hi-Res audio.

Sony has its Dynamic Vibration strategy that volition vibrate on with assorted media types utilizing the haptic motors. It's designed to marque contented much immersive, but we've ever recovered it a small strange, having your telephone buzzing erstwhile you're watching a movie oregon listening to music.

As is agelong contented for Sony Xperia devices, there's h2o protection, which comes successful astatine IP65/68 level, truthful there's thing to interest astir if it gets wet.

Overall the prime of this handset is great. It's a convenient size and 1 of a fewer devices offering powerfulness astatine a smaller size, the notable alternate being the Asus Zenfone 8. As we said of that phone, it makes a large telephone for those who privation thing much pocketable - it's an perfect telephone for taking retired hiking oregon cycling, for example, erstwhile you don't privation a monolithic bulge successful your pocket.

Display

• 6.1-inch OLED panel
  • 2520 x 1080 solution (449ppi)
  • High dynamic scope (HDR)
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • 21:9 facet ratio

As we mentioned, the astir distinctive happening astir Sony's phones is the 21:9 display. This helps them basal isolated from astir others - and portion the Xperia 1 III is tremendous with its 6.5-inch 4K display, the Xperia 5 III is overmuch much manageable.

It offers a 2520 x 1080 resolution, which is perfectly fitting for a instrumentality this size, resulting successful a bully and crisp 449ppi crossed this phone's 6.1-inch diagonal display.

It's an OLED panel, meaning affluent colour and vibrancy, with Sony offering its Creator Mode designed to propulsion it backmost to much earthy colours - but astir users volition apt similar the Standard Mode, which has a small much pop.

There's the enactment to person car Creator Mode too, which volition use this much earthy rendering successful due apps, similar Netflix. There's a flimsy quality successful the colour tone, with Creator Mode being a small warmer and little saturated.

There's besides the enactment for video representation enhancement - this is thing Xperia devices person offered for a agelong clip - which draws connected Sony's well-established acquisition successful the TV market. Again, you tin crook each these options connected oregon disconnected and find the settings that enactment champion for you crossed your instrumentality to suit your preference.

It supports 120Hz accelerated refresh, too, but there's nary fancy adaptive options here: it's either 120Hz, oregon you crook the diagnostic disconnected and instrumentality to 60Hz.

There's small to criticise astir the display, though we bash person to regularly propulsion the brightness up to get the champion from it. It tends to dim down a little, and with this tiny tweak things look a batch much lively. The Xperia lacks the highest brightness of a rival similar the Samsung Galaxy S21 - truthful successful nonstop sunshine you mightiness find it not truthful proficient.

Content adapts to the show readily capable - thing that Android is present precise bully astatine - but there's nary avoiding that the champion acquisition comes from autochthonal 21:9 content. There are tons of movies retired there, but astatine the aforesaid clip this smaller show doesn't rather person the wow origin of the Xperia 1 III erstwhile it comes to watching them due to the fact that it's that small much compact.

Hardware and performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, 8GB RAM
• 128GB storage, microSD (up to 1TB)
• 4500mAh, 30W charging

As a flagship telephone it's nary astonishment to observe that the Xperia 5 III comes packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G. That matches astir of the flagship phones of 2021 and, arsenic you'd expect, it skips on beauteous solidly - delivering an fantabulous experience.

There's nary occupation with handling much intensive games oregon apps and we've recovered it to tally smoothly done agelong sessions of PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile. The telephone tin lukewarm a little, but we didn't find this to beryllium rather arsenic atrocious arsenic the Zenfone 8 nether akin conditions.

The pairing of power, that large show and the talker show does marque the Xperia 5 III a bully telephone for gaming, though the size mightiness permission immoderate feeling that it's a small crowded erstwhile it comes to on-screen controls.

Performance volition driblet a small during agelong sessions and we recovered immoderate intermittent unresponsiveness from the edges of the display, meaning that immoderate touches weren't registered - but lone towards the edges of the display.

There's nary wireless charging connected the Xperia 5 III, but determination is simply a 30W charger successful the box. That makes the Xperia thing of a rarity. Many manufacturers are leaving chargers retired oregon shipping low-power chargers - but this offers decent charging speeds.

Sure, it's not the fastest-charging telephone retired there, but Sony's attack is each astir artillery health, wanting radical to complaint their phones successful a dilatory and controlled mode to sphere that battery. The telephone volition larn your charging patterns and negociate the complaint based connected usage patterns, truthful if you plug successful overnight, it volition trickle complaint done to 7am oregon whenever you get up, alternatively than moving up to afloat capableness arsenic accelerated arsenic it tin (you tin crook this disconnected if you prefer, based connected your ain habits).

The artillery capableness is beauteous bully considering that this is simply a compact device. The endurance volition spot it past done an mean time and implicit the weeks we've been investigating the Xperia 5 III, we've ne'er been acrophobic astir whether the artillery volition last.

It's besides worthy mentioning that the Xperia 5 III inactive supports microSD, truthful offers enlargement of retention if you privation to transportation much with you - connected apical of the 128GB modular onboard.

The side-mounted fingerprint scanner sits successful the powerfulness fastener arsenic we've seen connected devices from Sony for immoderate time. It's accelerated to recognise and unlock, arsenic agelong arsenic your digit is cleanable and dry, but it is prone to mendacious detection too, truthful it's not uncommon to propulsion it from your pouch to find a connection connected the show saying that determination has been excessively galore failed attempts to unlock it, leaving you to usage a passcode instead.

Cameras

• Triple camera system:
  • Main (24mm): 12-megapixel, 1/1.7in sensor size, f/1.7 aperture
  • Telephoto (70mm & 105mm): 12MP, 1/2.9in, f/2.3 & f/2.8
  • Ultrawide (16mm): 12MP, 1/2.5in, f/2.2
• Front camera: 8MP, 1/4in, f/2.0

The camera connected the rear of the Xperia 5 III is fundamentally the aforesaid arsenic that connected the Xperia 1 III, the lone existent quality is that the Xperia 5 lacks the time-of-flight sensor. We can't, manus connected heart, accidental that makes a immense quality to the experience.

Sony's attack to cameras successful caller years has been to prime connected features of its fantabulous Alpha cameras and bring immoderate of that acquisition across. You'll find that things are a small much method successful the Photo Pro and Cinema Pro apps offered, which sets Sony astatine likelihood with astir different smartphones.

From the Photo Pro app there's a basal mode, but it tin past grow the app into manual controls conscionable similar you'd get connected a camera, with manual, programme, shutter and representation callback (the past of which is wherever you tin prevention settings for speedy access).

Xperia fans person told america they similar this attack arsenic it means that those who recognize photography person thing that's a small much earthy for them, alternatively than it each being wrapped into an AI acquisition wherever you conscionable poke the button.

Indeed, Sony doesn't connection a representation mode, alternatively offering entree to "bokeh" done the camera app. This is good if you cognize wherever to look, but it's unusual that this is lone offered connected the rear cameras - connected the beforehand camera you person to prime a antithetic mode called "portrait selfie" which not lone caters for bokeh, but wants to set the signifier of your look and a full batch more.

That juxtaposition seems astatine likelihood with the photography way pitched by the rear cameras - wherefore not connection the aforesaid acquisition some beforehand and back?

The beforehand camera isn't hugely breathtaking either. The representation selfie mode isn't precise bully astatine borderline detection, usually leaving a wide set astir your head, and low-light show is mode down the contention too.

The bokeh enactment connected the rear camera is simply a small better, but needs a reasonably precise region from the taxable to enactment properly. As with different phones it's utilizing extent mapping and it truly likes a chiseled quality betwixt the taxable and the inheritance for it to work.

Like the Xperia 1 III, the Xperia 5 III offers immoderate large features, similar burst shooting astatine 20fps, which volition capable your assemblage with frightening speed, but is particularly bully for shooting animals successful question truthful you tin past prime the cleanable image. There are besides focusing modes with tons of power options, including look and oculus AF to marque definite radical are ever successful focus.

In bully airy the Xperia 5 III volition springiness you immoderate fantabulous images. The precocious dynamic scope (HDR) strategy is absorbing arsenic it tin instrumentality a small portion to equilibrium retired the representation - and often you tin ticker the entity determination from overexposed to superb blue, truthful beryllium definite to springiness the camera clip to settee earlier you instrumentality that representation (for discourse it's worthy noting that the likes of Samsung oregon the Google don't instrumentality truthful agelong to springiness you the champion result).

The constitution of lenses remains absorbing too. Sony refers to them arsenic 24mm, 16mm, 70mm and 105mm - the archetypal 3 communal premier lenses that astir enthusiast photographers volition person successful their kit bag. That equates to 1x, 0.7x, 2.9x and 4.4x successful the app - which is connection that smartphone users are much apt to beryllium acquainted with.

Like the Xperia 1 III there's an absorbing technological solution here, with that 70 and 105mm lens sitting successful the aforesaid periscope portion connected the back. This has a moving conception to let these 2 optical focal lengths, whereas different smartphones conscionable connection 1 optical zoom length.

You tin past zoom from 4.4x up to 12.5x with a pinch. In the settings there's different item which is the enactment for integer zoom oregon super-resolution zoom, the second utilizing AI to effort to cleanable up the results. It's not connected by default arsenic it takes longer to process and save.

Not that you'll truly notice. Using the AI super-resolution zoom gives noticeably sharper results erstwhile there's item to beryllium processed - much noticeable erstwhile you're zooming successful connected close-up subjects alternatively than thing precise distant - truthful we'd urge turning it connected for astir shots wherever you privation to spell beyond 4.4x, but carnivore successful caput that artificial sharpening tin distort images successful their ain mode too. There's a mates of images beneath to amusement the benignant of quality you'll get.

The zoom is bully and it's large to person 4.4x optical zoom, giving sharper results than you'd get without, accepting that the narrower aperture means it's somewhat little susceptible than the 2.9x, and volition besides suffer immoderate opposition successful processing.

Frustratingly you tin lone zoom wrong each lens, you can't pinch to determination beyond the scope of that lens. We'd overmuch alternatively beryllium capable to pinch done the full scope - it makes casual usage overmuch easier, with less taps.

Where the Sony doesn't fare truthful good is successful low-light conditions. Although it volition instrumentality longer exposures to compensate, it can't vie with the benignant of nighttime shooting that you'll get connected different flagships. Sony's comeback mightiness beryllium that determination are afloat manual options instead, but erstwhile you've enactment successful the effort of utilizing a tripod and each the remainder of it, you mightiness arsenic good usage an existent camera.

Ultimately, we're blessed with the results that we've got from the Xperia 5 III. In the main it's a broad camera offering with plentifulness of options. While camera fans mightiness find plentifulness to prosecute with, those looking for a point-and-shoot acquisition mightiness find they get a amended acquisition elsewhere.

Software

• Android 11 astatine launch
• Some bloatware

Sony's bundle offering connected its Xperia devices has travel afloat circle, present being beauteous adjacent to banal Android. That's a affirmative constituent arsenic Sony is mostly pushing Google services alternatively than different options oregon duplication - and that makes for a cleaner experience.

But you request to wage attraction during setup, due to the fact that Sony truly wants to load your telephone with different apps and services. Some of these are from Sony itself, but the bulk you tin opt retired of astatine setup truthful they are ne'er installed.

Some you can't debar - Facebook, LinkedIn, Sony's ain Music app, a Tidal proceedings - but we're besides often reminded that Sony wants to instal its ain News Suite, which we regularly deny.

One of the affirmative additions is Game enhancer. Like the gaming mode of galore devices, this is designed to marque the gaming acquisition amended and allows you to customise what happens wrong each game. If you're utilizing motion navigation you mightiness find it constricted arsenic you tin artifact those navigation swipes unless you prosecute the full contention diagnostic acceptable - which past means nary interruptions astatine all, you're conscionable focused connected playing the game.

Overall it's a creaseless acquisition and there's small to kick about, but that Sony doesn't look to beryllium hugely assertive with updates - and there's nary telling erstwhile Android 12 mightiness get connected this phone.

Writing by Chris Hall. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 19 October 2021.