Sony Xperia 5 III 6.1" 120Hz FHD+ HDR OLED 128GB GSM Smartphone

2025-03-22T20:00:00

Brought this 3 years ago great phone only issue I had was the loudspeaker went out. Seems to be a short once in a blue moon it comes back on all crackling telling me it's a short.

Fast d.

Originally posted at

2022-09-24T20:00:00

I really liked the Xperia 5 III for the few days I had it. It's very light and slim. The camera is remarkable! The graphics and processor were wonderful. However, the phone is very narrow.....way too narrow (across). It's almost half the size than any phone I've seen! I compared it to my Motorola phone as well as my daughter's OnePlus and my granddaughters iPhone. It's nowhere near the length as those phones. With it being so narrow, I felt that everything was squeezed in, which made viewing things difficult for me. If Sony where to make the phones wider, then I would definitely buy it because all other aspects of the phone were great.

ReeRia

Originally posted at

2022-08-26T20:00:00

I'm really torn on this one... for years I've been a diehard Pixel user, but I couldn't follow the move to the new Tensor SoC. I spent a loooot of time shopping around and I could not decide where to go. At the end of the day, I chose this phone because it's a Sony phone... I've owned several Sony products over the years, and I've always been satisfied -- Sony is one of the few brand names I trust. But this is why it's upsetting.... I love the actual device -- audio quality is slightly above average phones, the camera is amazing (I mean, it's a Sony camera....), and Sony hit the mark dead on with the Xperia 5 III regarding screen-size/pocket-friendly ratio. The thing is, though, there's no shortage of quality hardware on the smartphone market. For a device like a smartphone, a multi-purpose computer for your pocket, quality software can make mediocre hardware seem great, and quality hardware is pointless with mediocre software. The Xperia 5 III runs a pretty bland version of Android, not far from AOSP. Most of the major departures from straight AOSP, it seems, are in fact Google apps (messaging, dialer, calendar, files, etc).... Other than the pre-installed system bloatware, that is (admittedly, I am a huge fan of the Photography Pro). The OS seems just kinda subtly buggy, and for some reason my bluetooth is always delayed by 5 seconds. But the thing that gets me all riled up more than anything, is my Android 12 smartphone is running an Android 11 vendor image. I'm not going to go into ALL the details about HALs and ramdisks and permissions changes came along with Android 12, but it just makes sense that we'd want the same versions of software available on each of the partitions (audio HAL -> v7 on system, v6 on vendor).

lunalsmojo

Originally posted at

2022-08-18T20:00:00

I had protected my phone with a protective phone cover. However, my phone screen cracked on a minor collision against an opening door even though the phone had a gorilla 6 glass which was supposed to be shatter proof.

KKMaha

Originally posted at

2022-07-21T20:00:00

I just bought this two days ago. I was looking for a good camera phone for a while now. For the price and customization of photos and videos, it's more than worth it. You might not have the megapixels as some other phones, but you don't really need that if you have great software behind the cameras. This makes a world of difference when taking photos and video. There are phones with 108-megapixel cameras but if you don't have the right software behind the powerful camera, it is worthless. Sony does know how to make great regular cameras. So, I was really happy to see some of that tech and software make it into the phone. It will take a little for me to get used to because it's a smaller phone than I have had for the past 6 years (I tend to keep phones for a while. My last phone was the HP elite x3 windows phone). It's almost the same length but about a 1/2 inch smaller in width. It does fit in my hand well since it is a little smaller. So that's a good thing. The display is gorgeous on it. I really do feel like it's a little handheld TV. I still have a lot to explore with this phone and I am excited to do so.

Flockig

Originally posted at

2022-06-27T20:00:00

If your look for a good phone but don't know what to get well the sony Xperia 5 iii has you cover, it's not only sleek but it is a very powerful machine. It has a 6.1 0led display with 120 hz and comes packed with a snap dragon 888. It can play lots of game including Wii games if you know how to get them. This phone has an amazing camera that you can literally create beautiful photos, also the camera is not just an ordinary camera it copies the alpha cameras that Sony has made you have different setting that you can mess with and it also has cinema pro that lets you create amazing video or short movies if you like. This phone has been amazing for me and if your good at using DSLR cameras this phone is for you. This is no promotion this all my very own opinion. Thx Sony for making a beautiful phone

gta54354

Originally posted at

2022-06-07T20:00:00

Bought this to replace the X/Z 2 Compact, which was my favorite phone that I've ever had. This current phone has strange proportions (oddly tall) so I would recommend seeing it in person before you buy it. Two main issues: all of the buttons, including the finger sensor are on the side where you try to grip the phone. I accidentally unlock the phone more than I would like to. Also, the swipe-down shortcuts are frequently activated in my pocket, while locked. I'll take my phone out sometimes and the flashlight will be going and Bluetooth will have been turned on. That's really frustrating.

XperiaReview

Originally posted at

2022-05-26T20:00:00

Sony phones are some of the few that still have the 3.5mm headphone jack and a flat screen while still performing competitively with apple and Samsung. No bloatware, super fast screen, and the 5 iii fits so nicely in my pocket that I can still play guitar without having to take it out. There's minimal photo processing, so photos don't look as crisp out of the box, but that's good if you're trying to take selfies that don't make your face look 20 years older than it is.

Brandonhabanero

Originally posted at

2022-05-19T09:46:00

Coming from an XZ2 compact, this doesn't feel as nice to hold. While the taller screen is arguably nice for split screen use, the height and flat body make it harder to hold. It is also as slippery as others have mentioned. If I'm not careful and put it on the edge of my bed without a case it starts to slide off it. The camera is also fun to play w but the auto/default mode isn't actually very good (when compared to my friend's phone) for the times you don't want to fiddle w settings. Also, for anyone like me coming from an older model, note that you need to swipe up to get to the screen showing all apps

ANGELA T.

2022-05-15T20:00:00

I admit I am loyal to Sony products. From TVs, surround sound systems, Blu-rays, and DVDs. speakers and phones, all Sony! So I am so far happy with my purchase. Works well with the 5g currently in my area and I like to quality of photos!

EmmAni

Originally posted at

2022-03-23T14:03:09

There's a lot to like about this phone, but the biggest let down is the button layout. The side-mounted scanner makes it too easy to unlock the phone unintentionally, but the fact that it's recessed makes it hard to find when needed (same with the Google Assistant button). I appreciate that the power and Google Assistant buttons are flush to provide room to mount the phone when using as a camera, but a different arrangement with better button texture's needed. Minor complaints include a very slippery glass back, display brightness being barely good enough for outdoor use, a potato selfie cam, a dim flashlight, and including some bloatware. Otherwise, the phone's great. The software extras are useful (e.g. battery care, side sense, pop-up view). I also like the camera app, hardware button, & manual controls. Plus, this is the only premium phone with a headphone jack & SD card slot that's easy enough to use one-handed. That alone makes it worthwhile if those things matter to you.

Gregory L.

2022-01-27T16:33:57

I prefer my Android phones to be narrow enough to use with one hand while out and about. I also strongly prefer a headphone jack both for wired headphone convenience and to use as a mic input when creating videos. And I also want reliable build quality, good battery life, and at least 256 GB of storage or 128 plus and SD card slot. After a lot of research, I eliminated the Zenfone 8 because of past problems with Asus being confirmed with this the Zenfone 8's ramdump problems, as well as its so-so battery life and lack of Verizon support. I also eliminated the Google Pixel 5a because it didn't have enough storage. That left me with the only phone that fit all my needs: the Sony Xperia 5 III. And after around 2 weeks of use, I'm not disappointed. There's a lot this phone does right. The rear cameras are very good. They don't have great computational photography chops so you won't get night shots that look like day. But between the excellent manual controls and good sensors, you'll be set. Plus, the photos are very natural looking and not over-processed -- a look that's harder to get on other phones. And the hardware camera button's great. The aspect ratio makes the phone easy to use with one hand while also making multitasking a breeze. Both of these are made even more useful by well-thought-out software. Side Sense is surprisingly well designed and makes the phone much easier to use with one hand and allows me to navigate between apps with ease. Pop-up bubbles are a great multitasking feature that not all phones have, either. The phone's battery care mode is also extremely useful, has good UX features (e.g. a notification to let you know it's activated and the ability to deactivate in one press in case you do want a full charge), and will increase the longevity of the phone. Toolless access to the SD card/SIM slot is also a nice perk. So is the notification light. Battery life has been very good, but not outstanding. It can last me almost a full day of light-to-moderate use starting at an 80% charge (because I use Battery Care pretty regularly). There are a few downsides to the phone worth mentioning: -The light on the back of the phone is surprisingly dim when used as a flashlight -While the rear cameras are very good, the selfie cam is a potato -The screen is a little too bright at minimum brightness (making it mildly uncomfortable to read in a very dark room) and a little too dim at maximum autobrightness (it can still be seen in direct sunlight, but not as clearly as other phones) -It really is slippery -- I saw reviewers mention this, but it didn't sink in until I used it. It slides around easily on desks and blankets, and even makes it a little hard to hold. A skin or case is recommended -I'd rather have a plastic body over a glass one. That'd make it less slippery and much less fragile. I know people think glass feels "more premium" but a phone won't look premium if its back shatters after a drop -The power button and Google Assistant buttons are hard to find without looking since they're recessed. I understand the reasoning -- since all the buttons are on one side, there'd be no place to hold the phone in you hand or on a mount without pushing buttons -- but the solution should have been to put some buttons on the left side of the phone rather than stacking all of them on the right and making them harder to find by feel. Fortunately, this is solvable in part by getting a good case (I got one from Caseology), which will guide your finger to unlock your phone and make the Google Assistant button easier to find by raising it. If I need to mount the phone on a tripod, I just take it out of the case. -There's some crapware preinstalled on it (e.g. Facebook) that can only be disabled, not uninstalled (at least without more effort than it should take). While there aren't that many uninstallalble crapware apps, even one is too many on a $1000 phone. While not perfect, this is still a great phone that's worth the price because of its genuinely useful, yet minimal, software features (side sense, battery care, multitasking stuff), very good hardware, and because there's little on the market like it. If you're looking for a one-handable, powerful phone with good cameras, a headphone jack, and pretty good battery life, this is your phone.

Stevie