Sony Xperia 1 III vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Comparison

Sony Xperia 1 III vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Does the latest Sony Xperia 1 III performs better than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? Which one offers the best value for price? These two high-end flagship smartphones have extreme specifications. However, through this specs comparison, you’ll get to know which one is better for your needs.
Below are the key specs:

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra key Specs
• 6.8″ QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display (120Hz)
• 12/16GB RAM
• 128/256/512 GB storage
• 108+10+10+12MP rear cameras
• 40 MP selfie
• Snapdragon 888 5G
• Android 11
• 5000mAh battery

Sony Xperia 1 III Key Specs
• 6.5″ 4K AMOLED display (120Hz)
• 12GB RAM
• 256/512 GB storage
• 12+12+12MP+TOF 3D rear cameras
• 8 MP selfie
• Snapdragon 888
• Android 11
• 4500mAh battery

Price

Both devices are expensive and that’s because they are high-end flagship smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 12GB RAM + 128 GB internal storage, starts at $999. And to purchase the 256GB or 512 GB storage variant, you’ll add $100 more.

Sony Xperia 1 III on the other hand, will cost you even higher. The 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage variant is priced about $1,249. There is also a 12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage variant that will cost you even more than expected. However, the Sony Xperia 1 III is the only one here with an option for extra microsSD.

Overall, the Sony Xperia 1 III is more expensive than the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s. But is it worth it?

Camera

Sony Xperia 1 III has quad rear cameras. 12MP primary camera + 12MP ultrawide lens + 12MP telephoto and a TOF 3D. While the front facing camera is just an 8 MP lens.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s camera on the other hand, looks good both on specs sheet and in real life experience.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 108MP primary camera is top notch. And it has a better zoom capabilities too (10x optical zoom). Its Night photography is excellent. However, the Sony Xperia 1 III ultrawide camera has more details than that of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

And for those who are interested in selfie camera pictures, Galaxy S21 Ultra has a better selfie camera of these two.

Sony Xperia 1 III vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Display

Under this segment of comparison, both smartphones have A+ point. The Sony Xperia 1 III is more compactable. It has 6.5″-inch 4K OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate enabled. While the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has 6.8″ Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate.

My candid advice here would be, don’t make your choice by evaluating the displays since the differences are marginal.

Chipset/Processor | Gaming | 5G

Galaxy S21 Ultra and Sony Xperia 1 III are 5G smartphones. They are powered by the same chipset (Snapdragon 888). If you are a gamer and heavy user, you are in for a good buy. So anyone you purchase out of these two, be certain of a top notch performance.

Software

These two devices run Android 11 out of the box. And it is certain that these two smartphones will keep on getting major software updates for the next three years. Although I enjoyed using the Samsung’s skin software more (OneUI 3.1)

Sony Xperia 1 III vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Battery

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s battery lasts longer than that of Sony Xperia 1 III. The main reason is because of the 4K display on the Sony Xperia 1 III that drains maximum battery + it has just 4500mAh battery capacity. Unlike the Galaxy S21 Ultra with 5000mAh battery capacity.

Sony Xperia 1 III vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Conclusion

These days, it is almost hard to tell which high-end flagship is better than the other. Reason is because, tech companies now go real hard to make their premium smartphones look so good.

Sony Xperia 1 III has the best display quality here (4K + 120Hz). However, when it comes to camera quality and battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is better.

If I’m to score the value of these two smartphones by percentage, I’d score the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (55%). While the Sony Xperia 1 III gets (45%).