Sony Xperia 10 III review

Sony has so far announced three smartphones in 2021, of which only the Xperia 10 III available at the time of writing. The top model, the Xperia 1 III, and the compact top model, the Xperia 5 III, will go on sale later this month. The Sony Xperia 10 III is the cheapest device of the three. This mid-range has 5G, a water-resistant design with a 21:9 screen ratio, a triple camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a large battery with support for 30W fast charging.

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The Xperia 10 III (also known as Xperia 10 Mark 3 / M3) is available for a suggested retail price of €430. The smartphone is equipped with various functions that can also be found in the more expensive models. But how does this mid-range mobile phone perform in practice and does the device deliver a good price/quality ratio? Sebastien Marien has advantages AndroidWorld written an extensive review in which all the pluses and minuses of this Sony smartphone be addressed.

Sony Xperia 10 III a compact and waterproof smartphone

The Android 11 smartphone is equipped with a relatively small 6.0-inch OLED display with a Full HD+ resolution and a 21:9 screen ratio. The screen edges are still quite large, compared to other phone models in 2021.

Thanks to its elongated ratio, this smartphone should lend itself perfectly to entertainment purposes, from watching movies to playing mobile games. However, in practice this is not always the case. Finally, many videos are shown in 16:9 ratio, which means that large black bars can be seen on both sides.

The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6, the same applies to the back of the device. Normally, this screen protector is often used in more expensive phone models. For Sony, however, solidity is an important theme. This is also apparent from the IP68 rating, which is also not an average for phones in this price range. It is striking that the frame is made of plastic, instead of high-quality aluminum.

However, this is certainly not the biggest drawback of this smartphone. Sebastien reports in his Sony Xperia 10 III review: “The biggest downside is without a doubt the performance. If you use this phone, you have the feeling that it is a budget device. Sometimes navigating through the interface just isn’t as smooth as you’d expect, and the same goes for loading in apps and switching between apps.” A Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset has been chosen, with support for 5G. There is 6GB RAM and 128GB storage memory available.

Although the triple-camera configuration (12MP wide-angle camera, 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 8MP telephoto camera) has remained the same as the Xperia 10 II launched last year, this camera system does deliver beautiful images. The details in evening shots have also been improved. Also worth mentioning is the telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom – a feature not often found in mid-range phones.

Sebastien reports about the battery in his Sony 10 III review: “Sony’s phone has a much larger 4500 mAh battery compared to the 3600 mAh battery of its predecessor. However, this time the device is smaller in size and only 0.1 mm thicker. I am very satisfied with the battery life of this Sony smartphone. I usually end the day with about 40 percent. The Sony Xperia 10 III does a lot better than most phones.”

As for the fast charging functionality, the Xperia 10 III offers support for 30W fast charging. That is of course a big plus, but a cheaper, slower charger is included as standard. It is an 18W model.

All in all, Sony manages to put a unique phone on the market with the Xperia 10 III, which distinguishes itself from the competition on several points. Nevertheless, no major steps forward have been made, especially the budget processor and the 21:9 screen will not appeal to everyone.

Possible alternatives to this smartphone are the Samsung Galaxy A52 / A72, from Xiaomi Mi 11i, from Oppo Find X3 Lite. Soon the OnePlus Nord 2 expected, also an interesting middle class smartphone.

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