Sony Xperia 1 III

No notch and cutout leaves screen uninterrupted ; Narrow body is great most of the time ; Features ditched elsewhere like SD card, headphone jack included

Screen doesn’t get bright enough outdoors ; Tall display can make certain things feel cramped ; Low-light and zoom photography isn’t that great for something that costs this much

Minimalistic, technical-looking design, high-end build, IP65/IP68 rating.

The screen auto switches to 4K only in certain limited cases; doesn't get very bright either.

Ultimately, the Xperia 1 III is not a bad phone. But it's a phone that takes a special type of person to appreciate. We certainly can't recommend it to anyone who isn't a brand loyalist, and maybe even those folks could be better off exploring...

Detailed, natural screen ; Class-leading sound ; Excellent all-rounder

Unique design

Sony is on a roll and the Xperia 1 III is another brilliant all-rounder that excels at music and video

Great battery life Incredible display 3.5mm headphone jack

Tricky to handle, for some No in-screen fingerprint sensor Expensive

The Sony Xperia 1 III isn’t for everyone, but for those who enjoy Sony’s Android phones, or who want a top-tier smartphone with a versatile camera, a beautiful screen and strong battery life, this is a great choice. It’s expensive, and its design means...

Good, high-res OLED 120Hz panel ; Lots of manual photo and video controls ; Sophisticated, minimalist design

Short time frame for security update support ; Expensive ; Seriously, it’s $1,300

The Sony Xperia 1 III offers a good 6.5-inch OLED with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 888 processor, and three rear cameras including a zoom lens with two focal lengths. It’s a very good high-end device, but it’s too costly to recommend.

Beautiful 21:9 120Hz OLED display ; Excellent cameras ; Hi-Res audio with 3.5mm jack ; Camera shutter button

Premium price ; 4K isn’t noticeable ; Long footprint is not for everyone

Great design ; Good display ; 3.5mm headphone socket and microSD card slot ; Plenty of power ; Good battery life

Camera substitutes complexity for performance ; Fingerprint scanner prone to accidental detections ; Display brightness could be better ; High price

This could be all the phone that many will need, with a great display, plenty of power and useful features like the headphone socket and expandable storage. But the camera is complicated by Sony's attempt to make it more 'pro', missing the mark hit by...

Great build quality ; Waterproofing ; Good display ; MicroSD card slot ; 3.5mm headphone socket

Mono speaker ; Display brightness ; Weak front camera ; Camera low-light performance ; Price

This mid-ranger offers good build quality and waterproofing - which is a rarity at this level. But while it offers three proper cameras on the back, the overall camera performance isn't great. There's plenty of power for a mid-range device, but it's...

Superb performance ; Best-in-class audio ; Versatile cameras ; Gorgeous display

Underwhelming longevity ; Display could be brighter ; Prone to heat build-up ; Price

The Xperia 1 III is an oddball flagship, sporting a host of genuinely impressive world-firsts, but missteps in the fundamentals mean only Sony die-hards should pick this up over more mainstream alternatives.

– Nice notchless screen and handy physical features

– The screen lacks brightness and photography problems persist

The Sony Xperia 1 III is without a doubt the brand’s best smartphone yet, being truly feature-packed. Everything you could want is here according to the specs sheet, but there remains a couple of issues when using this phone day-to-day, including an...