Very good review!!! You really understand the features and settings most reviewers don't even know about. I've had Xperias for years and it's the only line I'm interested in
Thanks!!! pity that they are not selling in that many market still or if they do, they have high pricing and slow launches. i have a suspicion that a lot of it is down to optimising their mobile business so that they don't lose money. and since i think their mobile division actually did well last year, it seems to be working for them. so at least for now, i'm just happy that they are not walking down the same path LG did. 😭
@@axhng yeah! Atleast they're good rn. I wonder how much would it cost for them to sell Xperia through their audio / electronics range. That would make things much easier for them.
Phenomenal review! I'm not a big fan of how other reviewers just go over the specs and loading times for apps. I love how your review went over your experience using this phone. The little things like how the 21:9 ratio makes it easier to see comments on RUclips is actually a huge plus. I'm a pretty big mobile gamer, so you going over the contrast settings and sound settings to improve gameplay was great. I actually pulled the trigger and bought this device because there was a bundle with TWS earbuds, so if there's anyone considering buying this phone, wait for it to be offered as a bundle!
I have a galaxy s10 that I was looking to upgraded from and Xperia 5 iii is the only one that made sense. I was so disappointed that in the 3 years since the s10 release that most big name manufacturers don't include both a headphone jack or expandable memory. Now that HTC is pretty much out of the flagship game and LG gave up entirely, the options are even fewer.
Xperia 5 III has everything right - fully featured small phone with everything that larger flagships from others lack, including headphone jack, expendable memory, no hole punch full screen, full IP rating, dedicated camera button that works like a camera button etc. The only thing is the late to market. Sony needs to launch their products faster. And perhaps the screen should be a bit brighter. At this point I'm holding on to xperia 1 II and see what the IV series bring this year.
@@XstonedmonkeyzX yes that's how it works, with a soft stop to focus, and a harder press to take or maintain a series of snaps. Very useful for pre focusing continuous action shots with the focus tracking locked on the subject, very similar to alpha cameras. By your emoji it looks like you don't quite understand how a camera button works.
@@HSNG10 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Jeeeeeesus Christ you just made my week!! If you only knew what I actually do and work for, you'd yourself even laugh at how ignorant that comment of "not knowing how a camera works" was hahahaha. But hey, "judging by that dumb ending of yours", looks like you can't take a joke. I OBVIOUSLY understood what you meant. I just though it was funny how it was worded out. But that reply was even better so thank you! Keep on living life being the life/fun of the party 🤙🤣😎
Good review. I relied on it and just ordered mine. Yours is the only one I found reviewing this phone in our hot, sunny little island. Hoping the phone will hold up well in our climate.
Superb video review. informative and really well made. I still have and use my Sony Xperia Z1 (though after 7 years of constant use, it has held up really well, but is about to be put into retirement shortly) and Sony Xperia XZ Premium (Chrome). I am very keen on purchasing the Sony Xperia 5 III. I am definitely impressed with it. Thanks again for a great review.
I have the Xperia 1 mark ii. It's been a brilliant phone. But totally agree with you about their launches for Xperia. They seriously need to improve. Though in all fairness the Xperia Pro I was announced in November and they had it out being shipped to those who pre ordered by early December. They finally did it right. Hopefully this is a new standard they intend to follow.
Wow this is a pretty detailed, clean and concise review. That said I've been a Sony Fan for quite sometime back during their Xperia Z1 days, this phone was in my considerations but ultimately the awkwardly long aspect ratio, ridiculously high price tag ($1500), and the inability to shoot 4K 120fps in anything but that main wide angle lens pushed me away from the decision. I don't really play mobile games, most of my phone usage would be on youtube, so I'll benefit less with that long aspect ratio (16:9 videos will utilize less screen).
Thanks! Yeah, this seems to be a really niche aspect ratio, and actually just niche phone overall. It's only because I ended up liking that aspect ratio, some of the software features (battery care), and some of the camera features that I ended up deciding to keep it instead of going back to another phone. And it's only because I sideloaded the Video Pro app, if not I might not have liked the video output as much from the Cinema Pro app. So it's definitely not something that I feel like will be suitable for most folks, and the price (and very limited availability) makes it hard to tell people to just "give it a try". But for a niche group of ppl with specific needs and use cases, it's a pretty nice phone. Now just have to hope that Sony will keep working on their phones (adding more pro features like 120fps on all lenses perhaps), and try to perhaps target a wider audience with their future releases. Since they are not exactly bleeding money anymore (unlike LG), they can probably just play the long game for now. :D
@@axhng I like the battery care feature as well. Does anybody know if any other brand/phone has such a feature to just charge to 80%? My old LG phone does optimized charging (I guess slower, at night) but it is just some automatic algorithm... wrong very often; and it charges to 100%
I like all your point. I'm a 5iii user and agreed most of it. My fav feature is photo pro, game enhancer, audio and display for video..I got gift xb700 when purchased via pre order so Im so satisfied.. I'm glad to have this hone..looking forward for their next xperia
Any issue regarding overheating? I want to buy this phone but my only concern if can handle high graphic games like genshin impact? Thanks for replying
@@sepdioenriquez702 its 888sp..so the heat suppression is obvious when playin heavy games like GI. But i always put my phone on charge and set to HS mode. and it settle😄. To me this model is good but im a bit regret for not choosing the 1iii. playing games with this small phone is a lil bit difficult. Overall this phone can support games like CoD, meaning dun worry about heavy games. just download it and you'll surprise with its smoothness and fast..
I wish Sony would come back to Canadian carriers again. This is the model I would like. Although the LG V60 speakers and DAC are unmatched this at least has an SD card slot .
You can now get it for 670 Euro here in Denmark (5000 DKK), and it comes with the Sony WH-1000XM3. I'm really thinking about buying this phone right now. Let alone the price with all the features is truly amazing.
thanks! Happy new year to you too!! true compact is probably more like the iPhone 12/13 mini, though after spending a couple of months with one, I've found that it's a bit too small for me these days since my needs have changed a little. 😂
i had sony compact phones and switched to the smallest Note.. the note10 w/c is a tiny bit bigger than s10 and i find its size manageable without a case. i'm hoping the s22 will be a bit smaller than the s10 and squarish in design. 🖖
not sure if you'll get used to that, but I sort of did. 😂 I use my phone in bed more than I probably should, and I've seen that on a lot of phones with OLED screens. Nowadays my brain sort of just ignores it unless i go looking for it specifically. 😂
One issue with Sony is the relatively high price and rarity of deals, especially in some regions. Compare this with Samsung for example. Would love to go back to a Sony but the offers with Samsung are very attractive. They've always been quality products though, and the product engineers do value aspects such as battery life etc Geat video thanks.
Thanks!!! totally agree man. i mentioned it being more expensive than the S21 in the video here in SG, but if you don't mind a bigger phone and shop around a little, even the S21 Ultra is cheaper than the 5 iii at the time when I ordered the phone. 😂 I think someone mentioned during their previous financial report that the high price was part of the strategy to keep their mobile business from losing too much money, and it seems to be working since i think they actually turned a profit? So i don't think that will be changing anytime soon sadly. I guess it's better this than going the way of LG and exiting the business altogether. maybe one day when their mobile business is more profitable, they'll be able to be more competitive with their pricing again. 🤞
the latest statement i remember seeing from them said 2 years of updates. so yeah, that's not great. their speed and duration of the support is vastly poorer than other brands like Samsung for example. My Note10, a phone from 2019, got Android 12 before the 5 iii (last i checked it still doesn't have 12 here in SG). Since the Note10 came with android 9, that's the 3rd major android update already, and it will still be getting security updates going forward since samsung promised 4 years of updates for the phone. Pretty sure they will keep their promise since even my Note8 which wasn't promised to have that much software support received 4 years of security patches with the last one being in august 2021. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sony definitely need to improve here.
Very informative review! 👍 How well does the camera app perform when you launch it? I have the Xperia 10 III and it's camera app stutters a lot when I launch it by double pressing the power button. It takes about 5 sec before I can use take photos properly. I also sideloaded the Google Camera app to get a bit nicer looking photos, but the video recording doesn't work sometimes. We've had some price cuts for the Xperia 5 III here in Finland and for a limited time the price is 699 € (999 € normally) so I'm thinking about upgrading 😁
thanks! it's not the fastest I've seen if we're talking about a cold start by using a shortcut button when screen if off. but it still does take a bit of time since the shortcut button is holding the camera shutter. 😂 but once the app opens, I can start taking photos almost immediately though.
I'm strongly considering this phone. Is overheating really not a big issue? I've read a lot of negative reviews about how it throttles a lot. SD 888 supposedly runs very hot. I'd personally get the 5 II instead but it's co fusingly more expensive than the 5 III.
I think it depends on usage. I didn't find it as hot as other phones with SD888 or exynos 2100 actually. But I'm guessing that it does indeed throttle quite heavily in order for it to not run too hot. Another reason might be because the screen doesn't really go as bright too when outdoors especially, which is another component that generates a ton of heat. So if performance is of utmost importance (like playing long period genshin impact at high settings), this might not be the best option. I think the best I've seen for those usage is still phones from RedMagic with active cooling fan. Sd888 is a pretty power hungry chip and does run warmer than older sd865/870 and even dimensity 1200 chips. But well like you mentioned, prices doesn't make as much sense too. I was considering just getting a used 5ii for testing too, but I ended up buying 5iii because it's newer and only slightly more expensive at the time that I purchased it. If not SD865 is probably a more reliable chip overall in terms of power efficiency. Anyway, it also looks like the SD8 gen 1 is even more power hungry and runs even hotter than 888. There are rumours that Qualcomm might switch to TSMC for manufacturing, which might help, but not sure what Sony will be using for their newer phones, so hard to recommend waiting too. 😂
My only two gripes with the Xperia line even with the new 1 & 5 series is that one, the selfie camera is still quite aweful compared to some mid range smartphones. I'd prefer it if they at least bump up the resolution or implement better automatic processing then what they have now. Kind of a let down to see such great camera experience crippled by a weak front camera. It's been 3 generations now and it's still bad. Could've at least stick the XZ2 Premium's front cameras and call it a day. Secondly, the speakers are still not loud enough compared to even the Poco X3 Pro's. I use my speakers more than other audio peripherals and I do wish it can add another 5 decibels or implement it side ways. Not that the front facing is bad, it's just limited with slits like that. Otherwise, a tad louder would be nice. I have a somewhat strong feeling they'll go punch holes this year but gosh I hope they don't. So many websites I went through doesn't support punch holes since they treat it like a notch. But the top improvements I'd like to see in both series this year is a better front facing camera in both photos and videos, Night Mode or an optional Auto mode and, the Google button to be remappable, most importantly OIS on zoom to stabilise that variable telephotos.
totally agree with the points mentioned. The selfie camera is kind of bad compared to even mid range phones, or much older flagship devices. Not just resolution, but also processing. something a bit wider angle for video will be nice too. Speakers are decent, but definitely not the best i've heard by a long shot. not sure if it's same for the 1iii but the 5iii has more noticeable vibrations on the back panel too. haptics is also the same with a bit more vibration there, giving it a looser feel instead of the tighter and more precise haptics that so many other flagship phone offers. i have no preference whether they go for a hole punch or not, but it might be able to make the phone a little shorter, which some folks might prefer. And of course like you mentioned, dedication night mode, or a more computational processing heavy style of auto mode would be nice too. Also perhaps for their next flagship device, a longer telephoto would be nice. the variable lens is interesting for sure, but i feel like it introduces too many moving parts, and i've seen variation in terms of performance likely due to the complexity. For example, in gsmarena's 5iii review, they mention their telephoto lens was sharp whereas the 1iii wasn't. Mine is sharp at 2.9X, but at 4.4X it's slightly less sharp on the right side of the shot (more obvious in portrait orientation), but overall still looks sharper than their 1iii shots. I feel like just going for a more traditional approach with a 5X periscope lens like on the note20 ultra would have been perfectly fine, and then just have the main sensor do digital zoom plus AI enhancements for anything in between. Oh, for a phone that has so many "pro" camera features, it's mind boggling why they don't have focus peaking. Even my old s10e or LG V50 had that feature built-in. Oh and considering the amount of phones they have, and how little they're tweaking android, software updates should be faster. Samsung does more customisation and features add-on, and they were able to push out android 12 to much older devices like the S10 series before Sony could update their latest devices. (still on android 11 here and update hasn't been pushed out) They have nice devices and nice ideas for their phones, but i think they could definitely use a bit more polish in some areas. hopefully 2022 is the year!
Pricing of this last year device doesn't work for me at all. I will be missing 3D Faca unlock and wireless charging and I don't need headphone jack or microSD card slot.
Does this phone has 4k60 fps recording with stabilization ? How about quality filming in dark ? 30 or 120fps is not necessary for me. Cant find clear information about this.
Hi alex! May I know if you recorded in 4K120FPS, when you transfer it to PC, will it show as 120FPS or it will auto convert to 30fps and become slow-mo?
i don't use the Cinema Pro app that much, but IIRC, it depends on the settings. if the project FPS is set at 30FPS, when you set the FPS at 120, it will still end up being a 30FPS output in the end. I use the Video Pro app mainly which is more straightforward. when i shoot at 4K120fps, it outputs as 120fps.
The illustration is from the light novel, "Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party". I cropped it to fit the 5 iii here. imgur.com/a/Ts8lIPp
@@chookwangzhee1889 thanks for the info too! didn't know that since i only tested with their included charger I tend to prefer using slow charging though since i'm at my desk most of the time, and battery life is still enough for my use even with 80% limit. gotta stretch that battery health as long as possible. 😅
i hope sony makes it possible to change lenses while shooting video with the normal video app. Like you can switch between selfiecam and normale camera while making a video that would be amazing. samsung has is and seems fun and usefull
yeah, i can understand them separating that for the other more "pro" modes, but it would be useful to be able to seamlessly switch camera in regular video mode!
I also tend to like more compact phones and this one would've been worth considering for me had Sony included wireless charging. Whoever in Sony decided to release such a premium phone without wireless charging needs to find another job since they obviously don't know what they're doing! I've been charging my phones wirelessly since 2016 and will never go back to fiddling with power cables, especially when I spend $1500 on a phone!
@@chookwangzhee1889 The point of wireless charging is convenience; if I need to plug in a dongle to use it I may as well use the regular wired charger.
understandable for folks who are used to wireless charging, and for the price they're charging reasonable to be expecting more features too. I don't use wireless charging since they tend to generate more heat, but a lot of folks do. if i were to guess, there might be some considerations for removing wireless charging on the 5 iii. like smaller phone having less space for the components since the battery size was kept the same (perhaps cost saving using shared components?), and perhaps heat dissipation might be another. SD888 is known to run a bit warmer, and smaller body will mean less area to spread heat too. Combine that with wireless charging might make it too hot if someone is say watching a video while the phone is on a wireless charger. Hopefully for the next generation they'll find a way to do it so that folks who want to use that feature will be able to!
How do you use your phone while wireless charging? Also, how is carrying around a chargers the size of a plate convenient? Can the wireless charger double as a data transfer method? Does it charge faster than usb c? Is it easier to find or borrow a wireless chargers when you were out and forget yours? Doesn't the wireless charger take up WAY more space on your desk? When charging in the car, how to stick the phone on the wireless charger so it doesn't go flying off when accelerate or breaking? What about charging while the phone is in your bag of backpack? I just don't understand - how is wireless charging an essential feature? Seems more like a disaster.
the green line will probably have a chance of appearing on all phones with OLED screens, since that's just the result of screen failure. my guess is it's something related to heat damaging the display, and since a lot of the older sony phones don't have great thermals, and the 5iii is using the hot SD888, my guess is that it'll have a higher chance of getting green lines too.
i think Sony mentioned having 2 years of updates? it's definitely still behind what other brands like OPPO, vivo is promising, and way behind what Samsung is offering though. Not to mention despite having a lot less phones to support, and their software being more bare bones, they are pretty slow when it comes to updates. My Galaxy Note10 got the Android 12 update before the Xperia 5 iii did. so hope they can improve in this regard for sure!
no lag for me with MLBB so far, though i do feel like the recent updates to the game seems to perform worse and runs hotter. I'm seeing that on other phones I've been using too.
Sony still hits some high notes but ultimately falls flat considering the price. They keep the audio Jack but don’t have a DAC (which is odd considering their expertise in high-end audio). They include some camera features from their Alpha series but nothing truly meaningful. It’s be a knock out phone at $500-700, but for its price, it’s a no-go.
I think pricing is probably the biggest thing for the phone, at least for regular consumers. 😅 I think they probably found ways to optimise the qualcomm built-in DAC to a level they are okay with, thus decided not to add more components (or not to spend more money). It's probably less of a "best of both worlds" kind of phone with the best from each of their other divisions (camera, audio, television, gaming), but more of a jack of all trades with a dabble of influence from each of those. 😂
Sony is specializing and directing its phones to specific audience not casual every day consumer. unfortunately they're not very good at it compared to the iPhone and Samsung.
Yeah, i feel like if your needs happen to coincide with the phone, it's great. but for every day consumers, it's still a bit lacking behind. but i think they're not that far off at least. if they can just implement more computational processing for their camera, and perhaps be a bit more competitive in pricing, it will appeal to a wider target audience.
@@axhng Never thought I'd see a Tako while looking for a new phone! I hope Ina is enjoying her time and relaxing with more sleep! I've been watching her past streams and still feeling as comfy as ever~ I've been saving for the Redmagic 7s Pro for a long time, yet have only gotten a little over 1/5 of the high price...so, I've been considering cheaper alternatives - I mainly use my phone for Genshin/Honkai/PJSekai, pretty demanding games, as well as watching Ina, Watame, Mumei, and others! - and seeing the Xperia 5 III and Oppo Reno8 pro, I thought maybe those would fit me. The chipset/ram is an obvious downgrade, but how much does it actually impact on performance? I'm not too sure Maybe, you could give some advice, or comparison? I don't actually mind so much on FPS, anything that doesn't dip below 30FPS is great for me. Though I'm a bit worried that these two alternatives do throttle quite a bit, and show visible lag on the highest graphic settings (I enjoy immersing myself in the world of Genshin, so high graphics always!) (In other words, is there a close-performing phone to the 7S Pro, that falls within a ~3/4 price point?) Thank you!
sorry for the late reply! YT notifications sometimes just show a number but don't actually point to new replies to comments. haha yeah, feels like it's been forever, but it's great that the Priestess is taking a well deserved break! 🐙 for phones wise, 7S Pro is probably still the best phone i've tried for Genshin, though that's mostly because of the cooling fan. 5 iii is probably no go since it's SD888 and that chipset is very restricted by heat. reno8 Pro has a decent chipset, but the global version is throttling Genshin for some reason. oneplus ace/10R with the same chip actually perform quite well at like medium graphics, though high will still be a bit too much for the phone. But if it's 30FPS and high graphics (instead highest), maybe it could still do decently well. OnePlus Ace Pro with SD8+ Gen 1 might run genshin better when paired with an external cooler, though that's for the Chinese firmware. They seem to be throttling genshin for some reason on the global 10T. so... options are a little limited still for now. OR, there is actually another option which isn't a phone, which is to get an iPad mini 6 instead of upgrading your phone. if you can find a good deal for the 256GB version to fit the games you want, it will run those really well, and then also give you a bigger screen for watching livestream. that's what i've personally switched to at least these days since it runs genshin better than even the RedMagic 7s Pro (while being cheaper). even at high graphics, it doesn't run nearly as warm, and the "high" graphics on the mini 6 actually already has better graphics than the "highest" graphics settings on redmagic 7s pro. The bigger screen makes the game more enjoyable too imo. Plus, iOS/iPadOS has controller support for Genshin and i feel like the game runs smoother when playing with a controller actually. So that's now my go to device for Genshin. it's still small enough to fit in a small bag on the go too. 😂 BUT, if it has to be a phone, might be better to just wait a bit if possible? with Dimensity 9200 having been just announced and the SD8 Gen 2 probably not far behind, we'll start to see new devices with those chips in maybe a month or 2? so far early tests for the 9200 looks quite promising at least. :)
Xperia 5 model Always start sell in September are Myself bought a green Xperia 5 March III to myself and my mother are a great phone ❤️ Xperia1 March IV and 10 March IV are go to buy in Sweden let those out here So Are if want one buy from EU country are International model JUST Sony do not See US as very important BEACOUSE not have a huge market in US are here got that are also Sony Mobile Do Profit so no more crap about Not sell like iphone or Samsung so must be Less good are like Say Lamborghini are A Bad Car BEACOUSE Ford Focus Better for sell more Cars are Just Realy Stupid Argument 🤣
hi friend, i just want to check with you, is this xperia 5 ii or 5 iii suitable elagato hd 60+ video capture card ? as i need to use it for streamlab obs ? please advice
hmmm. i'm not familiar with capture cards and streaming unfortunately, so can't say for sure. though specs and features wise, it might be okay if it's for gaming since it has charging bypass feature which will help reduce heat. but not sure how it'll actually perform though. i'm really not familiar with streaming. sorry can't be of more help. hope you'll be able to find the answer your need eventually!
![Megan Thee Stallion - Mamushi (Remix) [feat. TWICE] [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5c0_u9PsrsQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I like that you pointed out features that differentiate it from other phones. Great review! 👍
Thanks!!! :D
Very good review!!! You really understand the features and settings most reviewers don't even know about. I've had Xperias for years and it's the only line I'm interested in
Thanks!!! Really appreciate it! :D
I miss Xperia's now a days.
Still have one lying around with a dead battery.
Great review as always Alex.
Thanks!!! pity that they are not selling in that many market still or if they do, they have high pricing and slow launches. i have a suspicion that a lot of it is down to optimising their mobile business so that they don't lose money. and since i think their mobile division actually did well last year, it seems to be working for them. so at least for now, i'm just happy that they are not walking down the same path LG did. 😭
@@axhng yeah super underrated mobile company. Go team Sony!
@@axhng yeah! Atleast they're good rn.
I wonder how much would it cost for them to sell Xperia through their audio / electronics range.
That would make things much easier for them.
Phenomenal review! I'm not a big fan of how other reviewers just go over the specs and loading times for apps. I love how your review went over your experience using this phone. The little things like how the 21:9 ratio makes it easier to see comments on RUclips is actually a huge plus. I'm a pretty big mobile gamer, so you going over the contrast settings and sound settings to improve gameplay was great. I actually pulled the trigger and bought this device because there was a bundle with TWS earbuds, so if there's anyone considering buying this phone, wait for it to be offered as a bundle!
Thanks! Hope you like the phone too! :D
@@axhng Thanks!
I have a galaxy s10 that I was looking to upgraded from and Xperia 5 iii is the only one that made sense. I was so disappointed that in the 3 years since the s10 release that most big name manufacturers don't include both a headphone jack or expandable memory. Now that HTC is pretty much out of the flagship game and LG gave up entirely, the options are even fewer.
Xperia 5 III has everything right - fully featured small phone with everything that larger flagships from others lack, including headphone jack, expendable memory, no hole punch full screen, full IP rating, dedicated camera button that works like a camera button etc.
The only thing is the late to market. Sony needs to launch their products faster. And perhaps the screen should be a bit brighter. At this point I'm holding on to xperia 1 II and see what the IV series bring this year.
"dedicated camera button, that works like a camera button" 🤣🤣
@@XstonedmonkeyzX yes that's how it works, with a soft stop to focus, and a harder press to take or maintain a series of snaps. Very useful for pre focusing continuous action shots with the focus tracking locked on the subject, very similar to alpha cameras. By your emoji it looks like you don't quite understand how a camera button works.
@@HSNG10 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Jeeeeeesus Christ you just made my week!! If you only knew what I actually do and work for, you'd yourself even laugh at how ignorant that comment of "not knowing how a camera works" was hahahaha. But hey, "judging by that dumb ending of yours", looks like you can't take a joke. I OBVIOUSLY understood what you meant. I just though it was funny how it was worded out. But that reply was even better so thank you! Keep on living life being the life/fun of the party 🤙🤣😎
Really solid review. Some of what you explained is useful for 1 III owners, too, given the shared software.
Thanks!!! :)
Good review. I relied on it and just ordered mine. Yours is the only one I found reviewing this phone in our hot, sunny little island. Hoping the phone will hold up well in our climate.
Superb video review. informative and really well made.
I still have and use my Sony Xperia Z1 (though after 7 years of constant use, it has held up really well, but is about to be put into retirement shortly) and Sony Xperia XZ Premium (Chrome).
I am very keen on purchasing the Sony Xperia 5 III. I am definitely impressed with it. Thanks again for a great review.
I have the Xperia 1 mark ii. It's been a brilliant phone. But totally agree with you about their launches for Xperia. They seriously need to improve. Though in all fairness the Xperia Pro I was announced in November and they had it out being shipped to those who pre ordered by early December. They finally did it right. Hopefully this is a new standard they intend to follow.
i'll buy it just because it's sony and also headphone jack will forever be necessary
😂😂😂
Sony makes the real Multimedia phones, i hope they stay original with the headphone jack, good DAC & Auto/Pro Cameras
Wow this is a pretty detailed, clean and concise review. That said I've been a Sony Fan for quite sometime back during their Xperia Z1 days, this phone was in my considerations but ultimately the awkwardly long aspect ratio, ridiculously high price tag ($1500), and the inability to shoot 4K 120fps in anything but that main wide angle lens pushed me away from the decision. I don't really play mobile games, most of my phone usage would be on youtube, so I'll benefit less with that long aspect ratio (16:9 videos will utilize less screen).
Thanks! Yeah, this seems to be a really niche aspect ratio, and actually just niche phone overall. It's only because I ended up liking that aspect ratio, some of the software features (battery care), and some of the camera features that I ended up deciding to keep it instead of going back to another phone. And it's only because I sideloaded the Video Pro app, if not I might not have liked the video output as much from the Cinema Pro app. So it's definitely not something that I feel like will be suitable for most folks, and the price (and very limited availability) makes it hard to tell people to just "give it a try". But for a niche group of ppl with specific needs and use cases, it's a pretty nice phone. Now just have to hope that Sony will keep working on their phones (adding more pro features like 120fps on all lenses perhaps), and try to perhaps target a wider audience with their future releases. Since they are not exactly bleeding money anymore (unlike LG), they can probably just play the long game for now. :D
@@axhng I like the battery care feature as well. Does anybody know if any other brand/phone has such a feature to just charge to 80%? My old LG phone does optimized charging (I guess slower, at night) but it is just some automatic algorithm... wrong very often; and it charges to 100%
Well built, feature rich, fairly priced, what a great phone!
I like all your point. I'm a 5iii user and agreed most of it. My fav feature is photo pro, game enhancer, audio and display for video..I got gift xb700 when purchased via pre order so Im so satisfied.. I'm glad to have this hone..looking forward for their next xperia
Any issue regarding overheating? I want to buy this phone but my only concern if can handle high graphic games like genshin impact? Thanks for replying
@@sepdioenriquez702 its 888sp..so the heat suppression is obvious when playin heavy games like GI. But i always put my phone on charge and set to HS mode. and it settle😄. To me this model is good but im a bit regret for not choosing the 1iii. playing games with this small phone is a lil bit difficult. Overall this phone can support games like CoD, meaning dun worry about heavy games. just download it and you'll surprise with its smoothness and fast..
Fantastic review. Excited for mine that I've ordered.
I wish Sony would come back to Canadian carriers again. This is the model I would like. Although the LG V60 speakers and DAC are unmatched this at least has an SD card slot .
Yeah. Hoping sony will find enough success that would make them start to sell in more countries at least, and have a better launch schedule.
Superb honest review! I love this phone so much!
thanks! :D
Watching this on my Xperia 5 iii. Couldn't be more satisfied ☺️
The best review of this phone on YT
Thank you for this informative review video.
Happy New Year, Alex!
Nice review as always.
Seems like the perfect replacement for my OP7 (apart from Samsung)
Thanks! Happy new year to you too!
You can now get it for 670 Euro here in Denmark (5000 DKK), and it comes with the Sony WH-1000XM3. I'm really thinking about buying this phone right now. Let alone the price with all the features is truly amazing.
I love this review. It really shows how it stands out.
So disappointed that carriers in Canada don’t carry Sony phones anymore. They seem like great devices.
Thanks for the review
Thanks! maybe carriers aren't giving them good deals? The main carriers in singapore hasn't been carrying their phones for a while too sadly.
hahaha thanks! i got the 5ii but didnt know you can use the gaming app to make google maps use less battery. Learned this from you. thanks :D
i totally agree with your opinions about this product and generally, with the Sony's philophy (primarily with photo/video). Greetings from Italy.
Well compact these days is relatively. Let's see how compact the new Samsung Galaxy S22 will be...
Btw: Happy new year Alex!
thanks! Happy new year to you too!! true compact is probably more like the iPhone 12/13 mini, though after spending a couple of months with one, I've found that it's a bit too small for me these days since my needs have changed a little. 😂
i had sony compact phones and switched to the smallest Note.. the note10 w/c is a tiny bit bigger than s10 and i find its size manageable without a case. i'm hoping the s22 will be a bit smaller than the s10 and squarish in design. 🖖
@@sibes0633 most people are using a phone with a case. Me too.
Excellent review! Cheers!
Nice review thanks
Great review
You included everything
this is a really detailed review. annd those photos does more justice to the camera. thank you
thanks!!! :D
Not sure if because I'm new to OLED or what... When there's noticeable ghosting when scrolling at 0% brightness.
not sure if you'll get used to that, but I sort of did. 😂 I use my phone in bed more than I probably should, and I've seen that on a lot of phones with OLED screens. Nowadays my brain sort of just ignores it unless i go looking for it specifically. 😂
all the OLED screens do that on low brightness. I got used to it on my xperia 1 and doesn't bother anymore
One issue with Sony is the relatively high price and rarity of deals, especially in some regions. Compare this with Samsung for example. Would love to go back to a Sony but the offers with Samsung are very attractive. They've always been quality products though, and the product engineers do value aspects such as battery life etc
Geat video thanks.
Thanks!!! totally agree man. i mentioned it being more expensive than the S21 in the video here in SG, but if you don't mind a bigger phone and shop around a little, even the S21 Ultra is cheaper than the 5 iii at the time when I ordered the phone. 😂
I think someone mentioned during their previous financial report that the high price was part of the strategy to keep their mobile business from losing too much money, and it seems to be working since i think they actually turned a profit? So i don't think that will be changing anytime soon sadly. I guess it's better this than going the way of LG and exiting the business altogether. maybe one day when their mobile business is more profitable, they'll be able to be more competitive with their pricing again. 🤞
great review. I hope the price gets a bit better, could be my next phone.... :-)
I have the Galaxy S10E really want to get this but cant think of a good justification to upgrade!!! such a nice phone
Understandable since the price is quite high. unless it really has unique features that you like, it might be hard to justify an upgrade.
I think the S10e can still last a year. It's a champ.
Pixel 5, sony xperia 5 mark 3
What is the best camera for video shoot...
Please tell me😢
The question is how long sony will provide us with security update ? and how many android update we will get ?
the latest statement i remember seeing from them said 2 years of updates. so yeah, that's not great. their speed and duration of the support is vastly poorer than other brands like Samsung for example. My Note10, a phone from 2019, got Android 12 before the 5 iii (last i checked it still doesn't have 12 here in SG). Since the Note10 came with android 9, that's the 3rd major android update already, and it will still be getting security updates going forward since samsung promised 4 years of updates for the phone. Pretty sure they will keep their promise since even my Note8 which wasn't promised to have that much software support received 4 years of security patches with the last one being in august 2021. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sony definitely need to improve here.
The only negative points is the design and the 21:9 aspect display.. My XZ1 rooted using Arrow ROM Android 11 is the perfect phone for me
Hi Alex, i was wondering where you download the Video Pro App from
Hi there. I got it from apkmirror.com. Just have to search for "Videography pro".
@@axhng thanks! ill be getting my 5mark3 tomorrow - been looking forward to get it and install that app :)
Very nice review !!
Very informative review! 👍
How well does the camera app perform when you launch it?
I have the Xperia 10 III and it's camera app stutters a lot when I launch it by double pressing the power button.
It takes about 5 sec before I can use take photos properly.
I also sideloaded the Google Camera app to get a bit nicer looking photos, but the video recording doesn't work sometimes.
We've had some price cuts for the Xperia 5 III here in Finland and for a limited time the price is 699 € (999 € normally) so I'm thinking about upgrading 😁
thanks! it's not the fastest I've seen if we're talking about a cold start by using a shortcut button when screen if off. but it still does take a bit of time since the shortcut button is holding the camera shutter. 😂 but once the app opens, I can start taking photos almost immediately though.
Long time Mk III user here. Watching this on it.
Any heat issues like heavy gaming? I want to buy or just wait mark 4
I really like this review 👌👌👍
thanks! :)
I'm strongly considering this phone. Is overheating really not a big issue? I've read a lot of negative reviews about how it throttles a lot. SD 888 supposedly runs very hot.
I'd personally get the 5 II instead but it's co fusingly more expensive than the 5 III.
I think it depends on usage. I didn't find it as hot as other phones with SD888 or exynos 2100 actually. But I'm guessing that it does indeed throttle quite heavily in order for it to not run too hot. Another reason might be because the screen doesn't really go as bright too when outdoors especially, which is another component that generates a ton of heat. So if performance is of utmost importance (like playing long period genshin impact at high settings), this might not be the best option. I think the best I've seen for those usage is still phones from RedMagic with active cooling fan. Sd888 is a pretty power hungry chip and does run warmer than older sd865/870 and even dimensity 1200 chips.
But well like you mentioned, prices doesn't make as much sense too. I was considering just getting a used 5ii for testing too, but I ended up buying 5iii because it's newer and only slightly more expensive at the time that I purchased it. If not SD865 is probably a more reliable chip overall in terms of power efficiency. Anyway, it also looks like the SD8 gen 1 is even more power hungry and runs even hotter than 888. There are rumours that Qualcomm might switch to TSMC for manufacturing, which might help, but not sure what Sony will be using for their newer phones, so hard to recommend waiting too. 😂
@@axhng great informative response - thank you very much! I might go for 5 iii after all. I want to support Sony.
My only two gripes with the Xperia line even with the new 1 & 5 series is that one, the selfie camera is still quite aweful compared to some mid range smartphones. I'd prefer it if they at least bump up the resolution or implement better automatic processing then what they have now. Kind of a let down to see such great camera experience crippled by a weak front camera. It's been 3 generations now and it's still bad. Could've at least stick the XZ2 Premium's front cameras and call it a day.
Secondly, the speakers are still not loud enough compared to even the Poco X3 Pro's. I use my speakers more than other audio peripherals and I do wish it can add another 5 decibels or implement it side ways. Not that the front facing is bad, it's just limited with slits like that. Otherwise, a tad louder would be nice.
I have a somewhat strong feeling they'll go punch holes this year but gosh I hope they don't. So many websites I went through doesn't support punch holes since they treat it like a notch. But the top improvements I'd like to see in both series this year is a better front facing camera in both photos and videos, Night Mode or an optional Auto mode and, the Google button to be remappable, most importantly OIS on zoom to stabilise that variable telephotos.
totally agree with the points mentioned. The selfie camera is kind of bad compared to even mid range phones, or much older flagship devices. Not just resolution, but also processing. something a bit wider angle for video will be nice too.
Speakers are decent, but definitely not the best i've heard by a long shot. not sure if it's same for the 1iii but the 5iii has more noticeable vibrations on the back panel too. haptics is also the same with a bit more vibration there, giving it a looser feel instead of the tighter and more precise haptics that so many other flagship phone offers. i have no preference whether they go for a hole punch or not, but it might be able to make the phone a little shorter, which some folks might prefer. And of course like you mentioned, dedication night mode, or a more computational processing heavy style of auto mode would be nice too.
Also perhaps for their next flagship device, a longer telephoto would be nice. the variable lens is interesting for sure, but i feel like it introduces too many moving parts, and i've seen variation in terms of performance likely due to the complexity. For example, in gsmarena's 5iii review, they mention their telephoto lens was sharp whereas the 1iii wasn't. Mine is sharp at 2.9X, but at 4.4X it's slightly less sharp on the right side of the shot (more obvious in portrait orientation), but overall still looks sharper than their 1iii shots. I feel like just going for a more traditional approach with a 5X periscope lens like on the note20 ultra would have been perfectly fine, and then just have the main sensor do digital zoom plus AI enhancements for anything in between. Oh, for a phone that has so many "pro" camera features, it's mind boggling why they don't have focus peaking. Even my old s10e or LG V50 had that feature built-in.
Oh and considering the amount of phones they have, and how little they're tweaking android, software updates should be faster. Samsung does more customisation and features add-on, and they were able to push out android 12 to much older devices like the S10 series before Sony could update their latest devices. (still on android 11 here and update hasn't been pushed out)
They have nice devices and nice ideas for their phones, but i think they could definitely use a bit more polish in some areas. hopefully 2022 is the year!
@@axhng took the words right out of my mouth. Here's hoping to 2022 for Sony to fix what's broken 🥂
Pricing of this last year device doesn't work for me at all. I will be missing 3D Faca unlock and wireless charging and I don't need headphone jack or microSD card slot.
It's irony when Sony still sell their smartphones in Singapore but no longer sell their smartphones in other countries in Southeast Asia.
Likely because Singapore still has people wanting to buy xperia phones without mobile data plans.
They reintroduced the 1iii in a few asean countries like Malaysia Thailand and Vietnam
@@chookwangzhee1889 Wait, really? I thought Sony no longer sell their smartphones on those countries.
Sony sold Xperia again in 2019 in Malaysia and Singapore with Xperia Mach I series. Only XZ2 and XZ3 both released in 2018 were never sold in Malaysia
Any overheating issue? Especially during 4k recording? Thanks
Very good review. I will get one in used condition. In Europe it's arund 240 Euros which is very cheap.
Does this phone has 4k60 fps recording with stabilization ? How about quality filming in dark ? 30 or 120fps is not necessary for me. Cant find clear information about this.
Hi alex! May I know if you recorded in 4K120FPS, when you transfer it to PC, will it show as 120FPS or it will auto convert to 30fps and become slow-mo?
i don't use the Cinema Pro app that much, but IIRC, it depends on the settings. if the project FPS is set at 30FPS, when you set the FPS at 120, it will still end up being a 30FPS output in the end.
I use the Video Pro app mainly which is more straightforward. when i shoot at 4K120fps, it outputs as 120fps.
@@axhng okay thank you!
mentioning advance feature micro sd and 3.5 mm jack is common nowadays rarely see them on most flagship phones 😁
Nice explanation 😀
Sure it's the camera and video what a shooter 👏
Where's the wallpaper source? Am also using it as a daily driver
The illustration is from the light novel, "Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party".
I cropped it to fit the 5 iii here.
imgur.com/a/Ts8lIPp
@@axhng thanks. Note that the Xperia 5iii will only fast charge when connected to USB-pd, Qualcomm QC 3 seems to have no effect.
@@chookwangzhee1889 thanks for the info too! didn't know that since i only tested with their included charger I tend to prefer using slow charging though since i'm at my desk most of the time, and battery life is still enough for my use even with 80% limit. gotta stretch that battery health as long as possible. 😅
@@axhng agree, i use my old xz1 charger for longer battery health
Love the phone, but I'll stay with Mk2 Xperia 5 because of the chipset.
i hope sony makes it possible to change lenses while shooting video with the normal video app. Like you can switch between selfiecam and normale camera while making a video that would be amazing. samsung has is and seems fun and usefull
yeah, i can understand them separating that for the other more "pro" modes, but it would be useful to be able to seamlessly switch camera in regular video mode!
@@axhng yeah indeed :) in general a bit more user friendly software but for the rest im in love with sony atm :P
Can you do camera comparison with Sony vs S22 ultra vs Mi 11 ultra vs iPhone 13pro
ভাই কেমেরা জন্য sony xperia 5 mark 3 ভালো হবে নাকি sony xperia 1mark 2 ভালো হবে প্লিজ ভাই রিপ্লাই দিবেন 😊
I also tend to like more compact phones and this one would've been worth considering for me had Sony included wireless charging. Whoever in Sony decided to release such a premium phone without wireless charging needs to find another job since they obviously don't know what they're doing! I've been charging my phones wirelessly since 2016 and will never go back to fiddling with power cables, especially when I spend $1500 on a phone!
You could buy a dongle that plugs into the type c port to get wireless charging
@@chookwangzhee1889 The point of wireless charging is convenience; if I need to plug in a dongle to use it I may as well use the regular wired charger.
understandable for folks who are used to wireless charging, and for the price they're charging reasonable to be expecting more features too. I don't use wireless charging since they tend to generate more heat, but a lot of folks do.
if i were to guess, there might be some considerations for removing wireless charging on the 5 iii. like smaller phone having less space for the components since the battery size was kept the same (perhaps cost saving using shared components?), and perhaps heat dissipation might be another. SD888 is known to run a bit warmer, and smaller body will mean less area to spread heat too. Combine that with wireless charging might make it too hot if someone is say watching a video while the phone is on a wireless charger.
Hopefully for the next generation they'll find a way to do it so that folks who want to use that feature will be able to!
How do you use your phone while wireless charging? Also, how is carrying around a chargers the size of a plate convenient? Can the wireless charger double as a data transfer method? Does it charge faster than usb c? Is it easier to find or borrow a wireless chargers when you were out and forget yours? Doesn't the wireless charger take up WAY more space on your desk? When charging in the car, how to stick the phone on the wireless charger so it doesn't go flying off when accelerate or breaking? What about charging while the phone is in your bag of backpack? I just don't understand - how is wireless charging an essential feature? Seems more like a disaster.
Which brand tempered glass screen protector should i buy ? Current i having a screen protector quite thick resulting touch sensitive no good.
hmm. I'm not sure actually since I've been using a hydrogel type screen protector on it. 😂
@@axhng which brand you use for hydrogel screen protector? Btw I from sg muhaha!
How to set up double tab to open? Mine seems not working on this.
it should be under display settings IIRC?
@@axhng thx
Does it has green line problem as found in Xperia 5 ii ?
the green line will probably have a chance of appearing on all phones with OLED screens, since that's just the result of screen failure. my guess is it's something related to heat damaging the display, and since a lot of the older sony phones don't have great thermals, and the 5iii is using the hot SD888, my guess is that it'll have a higher chance of getting green lines too.
What about update plans Android 12 will be the last update it will receive which is a shame.
i think Sony mentioned having 2 years of updates? it's definitely still behind what other brands like OPPO, vivo is promising, and way behind what Samsung is offering though. Not to mention despite having a lot less phones to support, and their software being more bare bones, they are pretty slow when it comes to updates. My Galaxy Note10 got the Android 12 update before the Xperia 5 iii did. so hope they can improve in this regard for sure!
seems a very good phone for one handed use with a good battery life, better than s22, with Android OS.68 mm width. it seems almost perfect.
Do you feel any lag while playing mobile legend ?
no lag for me with MLBB so far, though i do feel like the recent updates to the game seems to perform worse and runs hotter. I'm seeing that on other phones I've been using too.
@@axhng have you try to update your device to android 12 ? Maybe it will solve the overheating issues ?
Sony still hits some high notes but ultimately falls flat considering the price. They keep the audio Jack but don’t have a DAC (which is odd considering their expertise in high-end audio).
They include some camera features from their Alpha series but nothing truly meaningful.
It’s be a knock out phone at $500-700, but for its price, it’s a no-go.
I think pricing is probably the biggest thing for the phone, at least for regular consumers. 😅 I think they probably found ways to optimise the qualcomm built-in DAC to a level they are okay with, thus decided not to add more components (or not to spend more money). It's probably less of a "best of both worlds" kind of phone with the best from each of their other divisions (camera, audio, television, gaming), but more of a jack of all trades with a dabble of influence from each of those. 😂
Agreed
Sony is specializing and directing its phones to specific audience not casual every day consumer.
unfortunately they're not very good at it compared to the iPhone and Samsung.
Yeah, i feel like if your needs happen to coincide with the phone, it's great. but for every day consumers, it's still a bit lacking behind. but i think they're not that far off at least. if they can just implement more computational processing for their camera, and perhaps be a bit more competitive in pricing, it will appeal to a wider target audience.
Top phone!
"advanced features" like a headphone jack and SD card slot 😐
Need global version rom link for xperia 5 help
All of sudden.. you makes want to own an Xperia again...just...the price...
😂😂😂
I Love it.
This phone can wireless charging ?
it doesn't support wireless charging. only the 1iii or the newer 5iv supports that.
WAH
Both of my Sony phones z5 and experia go are dead it’s unfortunate but I can’t do anything as no one repairs them
Guy, just tell me, should I get this or 1? I care about screen, don't use camera much since I'm ugly and only stay in my mom's basement.
Screen brightness is poor and definitely needs to be fixed with the addition of variable refresh rate
Did I just come across..another fellow takodachi?
Wah!
@@axhng Never thought I'd see a Tako while looking for a new phone!
I hope Ina is enjoying her time and relaxing with more sleep! I've been watching her past streams and still feeling as comfy as ever~
I've been saving for the Redmagic 7s Pro for a long time, yet have only gotten a little over 1/5 of the high price...so, I've been considering cheaper alternatives - I mainly use my phone for Genshin/Honkai/PJSekai, pretty demanding games, as well as watching Ina, Watame, Mumei, and others! - and seeing the Xperia 5 III and Oppo Reno8 pro, I thought maybe those would fit me. The chipset/ram is an obvious downgrade, but how much does it actually impact on performance? I'm not too sure
Maybe, you could give some advice, or comparison? I don't actually mind so much on FPS, anything that doesn't dip below 30FPS is great for me. Though I'm a bit worried that these two alternatives do throttle quite a bit, and show visible lag on the highest graphic settings (I enjoy immersing myself in the world of Genshin, so high graphics always!)
(In other words, is there a close-performing phone to the 7S Pro, that falls within a ~3/4 price point?)
Thank you!
sorry for the late reply! YT notifications sometimes just show a number but don't actually point to new replies to comments. haha yeah, feels like it's been forever, but it's great that the Priestess is taking a well deserved break! 🐙
for phones wise, 7S Pro is probably still the best phone i've tried for Genshin, though that's mostly because of the cooling fan. 5 iii is probably no go since it's SD888 and that chipset is very restricted by heat. reno8 Pro has a decent chipset, but the global version is throttling Genshin for some reason. oneplus ace/10R with the same chip actually perform quite well at like medium graphics, though high will still be a bit too much for the phone. But if it's 30FPS and high graphics (instead highest), maybe it could still do decently well. OnePlus Ace Pro with SD8+ Gen 1 might run genshin better when paired with an external cooler, though that's for the Chinese firmware. They seem to be throttling genshin for some reason on the global 10T. so... options are a little limited still for now.
OR, there is actually another option which isn't a phone, which is to get an iPad mini 6 instead of upgrading your phone. if you can find a good deal for the 256GB version to fit the games you want, it will run those really well, and then also give you a bigger screen for watching livestream. that's what i've personally switched to at least these days since it runs genshin better than even the RedMagic 7s Pro (while being cheaper). even at high graphics, it doesn't run nearly as warm, and the "high" graphics on the mini 6 actually already has better graphics than the "highest" graphics settings on redmagic 7s pro. The bigger screen makes the game more enjoyable too imo. Plus, iOS/iPadOS has controller support for Genshin and i feel like the game runs smoother when playing with a controller actually. So that's now my go to device for Genshin. it's still small enough to fit in a small bag on the go too. 😂
BUT, if it has to be a phone, might be better to just wait a bit if possible? with Dimensity 9200 having been just announced and the SD8 Gen 2 probably not far behind, we'll start to see new devices with those chips in maybe a month or 2? so far early tests for the 9200 looks quite promising at least. :)
@@axhng Thanks for the tips, I'll keep saving up for the meantime then! 'w'
مراجعة جيدة
🎉
Lmao Hololive English generation 2.
👎 green and pink vertical lines after 2 years
Xperia 5 model Always start sell in September are Myself bought a green Xperia 5 March III to myself and my mother are a great phone ❤️
Xperia1 March IV and 10 March IV are go to buy in Sweden let those out here So Are if want one buy from EU country are International model JUST Sony do not See US as very important BEACOUSE not have a huge market in US are here got that are also Sony Mobile Do Profit so no more crap about Not sell like iphone or Samsung so must be Less good are like Say Lamborghini are A Bad Car BEACOUSE Ford Focus Better for sell more Cars are Just Realy Stupid Argument 🤣
Sony software it looks like 10 years old Android UI version - too ugly!!!
Way too expensive not worth it
worst phones ever, fingerprint print doesn't not work most of the time
Fake news, bullshit.
hi friend, i just want to check with you, is this xperia 5 ii or 5 iii suitable elagato hd 60+ video capture card ? as i need to use it for streamlab obs ? please advice
hmmm. i'm not familiar with capture cards and streaming unfortunately, so can't say for sure. though specs and features wise, it might be okay if it's for gaming since it has charging bypass feature which will help reduce heat. but not sure how it'll actually perform though. i'm really not familiar with streaming. sorry can't be of more help. hope you'll be able to find the answer your need eventually!