Announced in April, the Xperia 1 III is Sony’s latest flagship phone. Sony puts a lot of emphasis on the device’s imaging capabilities but with a Snapdragon 888 chipset, 6.5-inch 4K OLED display and 12GB of RAM the Xperia offers top-end specs all around. Content creators will also appreciate the microSD slot that can deal with cards of up to 1TB in capacity, as well as the dedicated shutter button.
The rear camera uses a 12 MP sensor in the primary module, next to a 12 MP ultra-wide with a 16mm equivalent focal length. The tele module uses a fairly unique design that allows the phone to switch between a 70 and 105mm lens with f/2.3 and f/2.8 apertures, respectively. In video mode, you can record clips in 4K resolution and a range of frame rates from 24fps for a cinema-like look all the way up to 120fps for slow-motion effects. Let’s see how the Sony Xperia 1 III fared in our DXOMARK Camera tests.
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 12 MP 1/1,7″ sensor, 24mm equivalent f/1.7-aperture lens
- Ultra-wide: 12 MP 1/2.5″ sensor, 16mm equivalent f/2.2-aperture
- Tele: 12 MP 1/2.9″ sensor, 70/105mm equivalent, f/2.3/2.8-aperture
- LED-flash
- Video: 4K at 24/30/60/120 fps
About DXOMARK Camera tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 3000 test images and more than 2.5 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. This article is designed to highlight the most important results of our testing. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera test protocol, click here. More details on how we score smartphone cameras are available here.
Test summary
Sony Xperia 1 III
115
camera
79
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (111)
92
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (107)
92
Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
Best: Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (109)
89
Xiaomi Mi 11
Best: Xiaomi Mi 11 (111)
89
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (102)
58
Best: Google Pixel 6 (77)
48
Huawei Mate 40 Pro+
Best: Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ (82)
60
Huawei P50 Pro
Best: Huawei P50 Pro (80)
50
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (80)
87
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (140)
40
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (58)
78
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (118)
90
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (107)
77
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (109)
78
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
Best: Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) (99)
87
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (105)
82
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Best: Oppo Find X2 Pro (94)
95
Vivo X70 Pro+
Best: Vivo X70 Pro+ (103)
Position in Global Ranking

68
th
5. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
137
10. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
133
14. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
131
14. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
131
14. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
131
21. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
130
29. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
126
29. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
126
29. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
126
33. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
124
33. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
124
36. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
123
41. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
121
41. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
121
43. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Exynos)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Exynos)
120
43. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
120
52. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon)
119
52. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
119
55. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
118
55. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Exynos)
118
60. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
117
64. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Exynos)
116
64. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
116
64. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
116
68. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Exynos)
115
75. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Snapdragon)
112
86. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
109
86. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
109
88. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+
108
95. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
106
98. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
105
98. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
105
98. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
105
108. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
103
111. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
102
111. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
102
116. Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
95
118. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
92
120. Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
89
121. Samsung Galaxy A71 5G
88
121. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
88
123. Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
87
Position in Ultra-Premium Ranking

43
rd
5. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
137
10. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
133
13. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
131
13. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
131
19. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
130
25. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
126
25. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
126
28. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
124
28. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
124
31. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
123
33. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
121
34. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
120
34. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Exynos)
120
34. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Exynos)
120
37. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon)
119
39. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
117
41. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Exynos)
116
41. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
116
44. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Snapdragon)
112
48. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
109
48. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
109
Pros
- Good exposure on primary camera
- Consistent white balance across consecutive shots
- Preview image close to final capture
- Smooth exposure transitions and nice color in bright light video
- Low noise in bright light and indoor video
Cons
- Limited dynamic range results in highlight clipping in photo and video
- Slight noise in all conditions
- Autofocus failures and inconsistencies across consecutive shots and in video
- Lack of fine detail
- Fusion artifacts
- Inconsistent exposure on ultra-wide camera, underexposure on medium and long range tele shots
- Inaccurate skin tones in indoor and low light videos
- Noise and lack of detail in low light video
With a DXOMARK Camera score of 115, the Sony Xperia 1 III places itself in the lower ranks of all the Ultra Premium devices we have tested, but thanks to a better tele zoom, the Xperia 1 III is a slight improvement over its predecessor, the Xperia 1 II.
If there’s not too much contrast in the scene, the Xperia 1 III captures images with a fairly wide dynamic range and nice colors.
Photos captured with the Sony show natural color and are well exposed, but a lack of dynamic range means that in high-contrast scenes highlight areas are often clipped. The autofocus performed well in the lab, but we found it to be slightly inconsistent across consecutive shots, with instabilities and some AF failures.
Sony Xperia 1 III, crop: strong fusion artifacts
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Snapdragon)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Snapdragon), crop: no fusion artifacts
The level of detail is generally low compared to its flagship rivals, with very fine detail being lost. A slight luminance noise is noticeable in most conditions as well and fusion artifacts can result in blurry areas in the frame.
Texture comparison: The Xperia 1 III’s texture levels are noticeably lower than on the S21 Ultra.
In bokeh mode, depth estimation is mostly accurate, but some errors can be visible under closer inspection. Detail is pretty good and spotlights in the background are rendered nicely.
Sony Xperia 1 III, bokeh mode
Sony Xperia 1 III, crop: spotlights in the background are nicely shapes with good contrast
The preview image on the display is very close to the final capture in terms of exposure and dynamic range, giving you a good idea of what to expect when you press the shutter button.
Sony Xperia 1 III, preview image is usually close to final capture in default mode
Sony Xperia 1 III, capture
When using the Sony’s tele zoom, our testers often observed underexposed images at medium and long-range settings. On the ultra-wide camera, exposure can be unstable across consecutive shots when shooting in bright light or under typical indoor light conditions.
Sony Xperia 1 III, long range tele
Sony Xperia 1 III, crop: underexposure
Video clips recorded on the Sony Sony Xperia 1 III are nicely exposed in bright light but, like for stills, dynamic range is fairly limited. Color rendering is quite accurate in bright light, but color casts make an appearance in indoor and low-light videos. Skin tones especially are rendered inaccurately in dim conditions. Compared to other flagship phones, the video autofocus is more unstable and detail is lost in indoor and low-light recordings.
Sony Xperia 1 III, acceptable exposure level but limited dynamic range, AF instabilities, acceptable texture and low noise, color cast on skin tones
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon),
accurate target exposure and rather extended dynamic range, AF instabilities, accurate color rendering, acceptable texture with visible noise
In this video comparison to the predecessor Xperia 1 II we can see that the new model’s stabilization has improved. Both camera motion and frameshifts are more noticeable on the Xperia 1 II than on the III. On the other hand the Xperia II does a better job in terms of autofocus. The sample clip from the new phone shows several instances of refocusing.
Sony Xperia 1 III, good stabilization but autofocus instabilities
Sony Xperia 1 II, less effective stabilization but more stable autofocus
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