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

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...

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...

Astonishing camera offering ; Colour-accurate 4K display ; 21:9 aspect ratio is a delight

Very, very expensive ; 120Hz only available at FHD resolution ; Poor battery life

The Sony Xperia 1 III’s poor stamina is hugely disappointing because it’s otherwise a truly exceptional handset. Mostly unblemished in every other area, and truly exceptional in others, the Xperia 1 III is a solid indication that Sony absolutely knows...

Photos and videos are wonderful ; Autofocus is brilliant ; Cinema Pro app is a delight to use ; 4K display looks incredible indoors

The price is too damn high ; Poor battery life ; 4K display hard to see outdoors ; Selfie camera is average ; Multiple custom Sony apps are buggy or poorly organized

Astonishing display ; Ultra-speedy camera ; No-compromise feature list

Pro camera modes may be lost on novice snappers ; Seriously premium price

More multi-division Sony greatness, with a seriously impressive screen and pro-level camera abilities. Photo novices might find it difficult to master, but no rival has such comprehensive out-of-the-box ability