The new Sony Xperia 1 III is the world's first phone with a 4K 120Hz OLED display

Humza

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In brief: Sony's latest refresh to the Xperia lineup includes the new flagship Xperia 1 Mark III, the similarly-specced but smaller Xperia 5 Mark III, and the mid-tier Xperia 10 Mark III. There's no word yet on pricing or availability for these models, but they're expected to launch sometime this summer.

The new Xperia phones might be difficult to tell apart from their predecessors since they carry the same tall and narrow form factor with an almost identical aesthetic. However, they now pack beefier internals, including 5G-capable Qualcomm chips across all three models, more RAM, bigger batteries, and are powered by Android 11.

The main highlight is Sony's new flagship Xperia 1 III, which is the world's first phone to combine a 4K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate on its 6.5-inch 21:9 screen. Sony has previously (and needlessly) offered such high-resolutions on the Xperia 1 and Mark 2 before, but doubling the refresh rate this time around should make for an actual, noticeable difference to the viewing experience.

Unlike the power-efficient Full HD+ 120Hz variable refresh rate displays on rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S21, Sony's 4K panel is fixed at 120Hz, which should make for some interesting screen-on time and battery life figures. Sony has increased the capacity by 500mAh over the Mark 2 for a 4,500mAh unit on this phone and added 30W fast charging that'll juice it up to 50 percent in 30 minutes. There's now also support for reverse wireless charging.

The Mark 3 also packs a revised triple-camera system, now featuring a new variable periscope-style telephoto lens that can shift between 70mm-105mm focal lengths without losing focus. The phone's built-in Photography Pro and Cinematography Pro apps have also been revised to take advantage of the new hardware.

Both the Xperia 1 III and the Xperia 5 III are powered by Qualcomm's 888 SoC and offer 8GB RAM with either 128GB or 256GB of microSD expandable storage. The flagship Mark 3 also has a 12GB/512GB version. Apart from the smaller 6.1-inch 120Hz OLED on the Xperia 5 III, both phones carry nearly identical specs, including the same triple-cameras, 4,500mAh batteries, 3.5mm jacks with Hi-res audio support, USB-C 3.1, side-mounted fingerprint scanners, and IP65/IP68 dust and water resistance.

Lastly, there's the mid-tier Xperia 10 III, which is powered by Qualcomm's 5G-capable 690 SoC and comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of microSD expandable storage. Its 6.0-inch FHD+ OLED display has a standard 60Hz refresh rate and uses a lesser-spec triple-camera setup on the rear. Like its siblings, it also packs a 4,500mAh battery and other niceties like dust/water resistance and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Sony has not revealed the prices or availability dates of these Xperias, but this info can be expected closer to their launch window in the summers. Like Samsung with its Galaxy S21 series, Sony needs to bring down prices for these Xperias if it wants them to sell well, even if it's targeting a niche audience with the Xperia 1 III or a wider one with the Xperia 5 III and Xperia 10 III.

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We still do not have any decent 4K monitor with 120Hz and proper HDR, so getting such thing on the phone seems silly. I want to upgrade my 32" 4K 60Hz monitor with HDR 400 to a similar size, but with 120Hz and HDR 1000+. However, such things still do not exist.
 
Ok, sounds decent Sony, cheers for that.

But seriously, what the hell is that naming convention? Why is the flagship 1, smaller flagship 5 and the mid tier 10? and then adding mark I, ii, iii, that's just dumb man.

Why can't it just be the Xperia 1, 1s (s for small) and 1c (c for cheaper)

Honestly, tech companies these days and their stupid-*** naming conventions
 
Ok, sounds decent Sony, cheers for that.

But seriously, what the hell is that naming convention? Why is the flagship 1, smaller flagship 5 and the mid tier 10? and then adding mark I, ii, iii, that's just dumb man.

Why can't it just be the Xperia 1, 1s (s for small) and 1c (c for cheaper)

Honestly, tech companies these days and their stupid-*** naming conventions

Actually the mark I,ii,iii naming convention is a very smart way of telling the consumer that the shell (basic phone format) is pretty much identical to the previous version but with better internals.

It's just like their digital camera naming scheme.
 
Adding 500mAh to the battery doesn't seem like its going to be enough to even out the battery drain from running 120hz full time. I wonder why they didn't give the option so you can switch to 60 when you want to conserve battery.
 
We still do not have any decent 4K monitor with 120Hz and proper HDR, so getting such thing on the phone seems silly. I want to upgrade my 32" 4K 60Hz monitor with HDR 400 to a similar size, but with 120Hz and HDR 1000+. However, such things still do not exist.
Me too. I am fed up with waiting for a 4K monitor with those characteristics. I cannot return to 2K or 1K again, sorry :-(
 
4K on a cell phone. Seems pointless as you'll be charging constantly even with any medium usage. Even 1080 can be resource intensive. I do understand the 720p screen still hanging around.
 
Me too. I am fed up with waiting for a 4K monitor with those characteristics. I cannot return to 2K or 1K again, sorry :-(

I used to run 32" 4K 60Hz monitor for 2 years and I also thought I could not go back..... but then the crazy thing happened, I stopped playing my PC for 4 weeks, after that I ordered a 32" 1400p monitor but with 165Hz panel and now the image is "good again" :p
 
If prices are the same as last year's, I think once again 10's cameras leave lot to desire. Otherwise the line-up is strong if not outstanding, but the prices today are just so darn high. I really like the look of 1 in purple and 5 in green - Sony so often nails the looks. Phone should remind you of a technical tool like it is at the same time carrying some elegance.

If you have the cash, I wouldn't hesitate. Only the 10 might be a let down in some areas, but we'll see.
What would truly break the bank though would be a compact model. I so wish some manufacturer would still please this large audience left in the cold.
 
Me too. I am fed up with waiting for a 4K monitor with those characteristics. I cannot return to 2K or 1K again, sorry :-(
Hey, Asus has just launched a new 4K monitor which could be the holy grail of people like me. I need to check the price:
4K ASUS ROG Swift PG32 UQX Game Monitor (google it)
 
Sony, saying you have a nice screen and a nice camera does not sell a phone in world where people look at compressed photos in a worse resolution screen.

It has been years since I had screen or camera envy.
 
It's sony mobile y'all. years ago they came up with "world's first 4K screen on a phone" but they locked it to 1080p unless you're playing relevant 4K video. wouldn't be surprised if they locked it into 1080p120 again this time.








 
Adding 500mAh to the battery doesn't seem like its going to be enough to even out the battery drain from running 120hz full time. I wonder why they didn't give the option so you can switch to 60 when you want to conserve battery.

It has VRR, meaning, display doesn't show new picture all the time but only when there is something new to show. This will actually give more battery life, not less. In theory.
 
Ok, sounds decent Sony, cheers for that.

But seriously, what the hell is that naming convention? Why is the flagship 1, smaller flagship 5 and the mid tier 10? and then adding mark I, ii, iii, that's just dumb man.

Why can't it just be the Xperia 1, 1s (s for small) and 1c (c for cheaper)

Honestly, tech companies these days and their stupid-*** naming conventions

Because not everyone (like Samsung) wants to be Apple's little b**tch and follow their every move
 
Because not everyone (like Samsung) wants to be Apple's little b**tch and follow their every move

Apple didn't invent sequential naming system. Though to be fair:
1) Not many tech companies knows what it is
2) They would had patented if they could, and claim it is life changing at the same time
3) Samsung would definitely copy it
 
As 4K holds up pretty well to about an 80" screen, is there really any point to this?. I mean beyond being able to say you sell 4k phones. After all, on a phone, 4K is about 800 ppi. :confused:
 
Ok, sounds decent Sony, cheers for that.

But seriously, what the hell is that naming convention? Why is the flagship 1, smaller flagship 5 and the mid tier 10? and then adding mark I, ii, iii, that's just dumb man.

Why can't it just be the Xperia 1, 1s (s for small) and 1c (c for cheaper)

Honestly, tech companies these days and their stupid-*** naming conventions
Waiting for my Sony Xperia 3.14159
 
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