The price is reasonable though it has almost the same specifications as the ultra-high spec smartphone "Xperia 1 III"!Gameplay on Sony's new smartphone "Xperia 5 III"

Introducing feature reviews by professional gamers

In mid-November 2021, Sony will release the new smartphone "Xperia 5 III". This terminal is a premium smartphone that has almost the same functions as the flagship model "Xperia 1 III" released this summer, but at a low price, attracting attention from users who want to get a rich experience at a reasonable price. ing.

The aforementioned "Xperia 1 III" is also attracting attention as a smartphone specializing in games, and possesses the performance and functions that are said to be "advantageous just by using it." The "Xperia 5 III", which has almost the same specifications as that, is also expected to have high performance in the game scene, but what about the actual situation? Will there be any difference due to the small differences in specifications?

I was able to borrow the latest smartphone "Xperia 5 III", so let's review the game-specific functions while paying attention to such points. We will use the app "CoD: Mobile" for reviews.

In addition to the review, this article specializes in games for professional gamer LaFius (Team SCRAZ "CoD: Mobile" division, reading: Raffias) who actually uses "Xperia 1 III" in the game scene. I was asked to talk about the usefulness of many functions, so let me introduce them as well.

[La Fius]

Belongs to the CALL OF DUTY MOBILE section of the professional team SCARZ. SMG weapons among the 6 members He is good at and is entrusted with an important position to open the front line. In Call of Duty®: Mobile World Championship 2021, he won the championship as SCARZ and won the 1st place in Japan.

The main differences between the "Xperia 5 III" borrowed for this review and the "Xperia 1 III" used by LaFius are as follows.

・ Installed only on 3D iToF sensor Xperia 1 III

・ Size Xperia 1 III: Approx. 71 mm x 165 mm x Approx. 8.2 mm (approx. 188 g) Xperia 5 III: Approx. 68 mm x 157 mm x Approx. 8.2 mm (approx. 168 g)

・ Display resolution Xperia 1 III: 4K display (approx. 6.5 inch / organic EL) Xperia 5 III: FHD + display (approx. 6.1 inch / organic EL)

・ RAM / ROM memory (1 III: 12 / 256GB 5 III: 8 / 128GB) Xperia 1 III: 12GB (RAM) / 256GB (ROM) Xperia 5 III: 8GB (RAM) / 128GB (ROM)

⇒ Click here for the Xperia 1 III official website ⇒ Click here for the Xperia 5 III official website

The "Xperia 5 III" is equipped with a system called "Game Enhancer" following the "Xperia 1 III". The game enhancer is an original system that allows you to customize not only the performance of the terminal but also the display function and sound function to a form specialized for the game, and adjusts the game play environment according to the user.

The system has many functions, but first let's check the image quality and display functions that make the most difference.

▲ The game enhancer can be called and set during the game.

First of all, I would like to talk about a function called low gamma razor that adjusts the gamma value of the display and draws brightly in the dark. Just saying, "You will be able to draw brightly in the dark," will help you understand how useful it is, especially for FPS users.

Normally, it is difficult to see enemies and objects on a dark stage or on a dark map, which may cause you to fall behind in the game. But with the Rogue Gamma Razor, you'll be able to see the shadows of enemies in the dark, and you'll be less likely to lag behind in battle.

* Since the screenshot does not reflect the settings of the low gamma razor, the actual machine is taken directly.

▲ If you use the preview function, you can adjust the settings while checking the actual game screen.

The next thing to check is the refresh rate setting that can be set in the game mode. The refresh rate is the frequency with which the screen is updated per second, and the higher this value, the smoother the image will be drawn. Generally, 60Hz (screen update 60 times per second) is the basic setting value, but this is not a high value in the game scene. Of course, if you're on a regular basis, you won't find this inconvenient.

However, in the game, it is not uncommon for the enemy to make violent movements and to move the player's point of view significantly accordingly. Under such circumstances, afterimages may remain on the screen or the screen may flicker at 60Hz.

With "Xperia 1 III" and "Xperia 5 III", such a problem can be solved. With the game enhancer settings, it demonstrates drawing performance that can only be achieved with an expensive gaming monitor for PCs with a maximum of 240Hz.

▲ The detailed refresh rate setting screen can be confirmed by selecting a custom setting from the game mode in the game enhancer.

When I played "CoD: Mobile", I strongly felt the benefits. Since the afterimage of the enemy does not flicker, visibility is improved and it is easier to match the aim, and of course, the eyes are less tired. In particular, the improvement in visibility is great, and even casual players can clearly feel the difference. However, unfortunately, this difference cannot be conveyed by images or videos, so when the terminal is lined up in the store, I would like you to actually feel it in your hand.

There is one more factor to keep in mind when reviewing display issues. It's the size of the display itself. The "Xperia 5 III" is about 68mm x about 157mm x about 8.2mm, which is not too big and fits comfortably in your hand, but its characteristic aspect ratio is its aspect ratio. The display with an aspect ratio of 21: 9 makes you feel its potential when you hold it horizontally.

It will be possible to secure a horizontally longer viewing angle than a general display, so the amount of information will simply increase. Of course, you can't get this benefit unless you have a game that supports this aspect ratio, but fortunately, CoD: Mobile supports drawing on this wide display, compared to when playing on other devices. I was able to secure a wide viewing angle.

▲ The red frame in the image is the display size of 16: 9. You can see that the drawing range is clearly different.

Even in situations where you would normally feel that an enemy is approaching from outside the screen, this wide display will fit into what happened on the screen. This advantage is great.

[Image quality & display review by professional gamer LaFius]

I'm using the "Xperia 1 III" for games, and I'm happy with the image quality settings and display features of the Game Enhancer! Especially, I am very satisfied with the good touch response and the high refresh rate.

I used to use a certain high-spec tablet device for games, but I experienced the good touch response and high refresh rate of "Xperia 1 III", and I was surprised that there was such a difference. is.

I often use a submachine gun called SMG in "CoD: Mobile", so the reflection speed is the most important thing. The "Xperia 1 III" has a good response that meets my needs, and the high refresh rate makes it easy to see without any afterimage even if the enemy moves violently at a short distance, so the existence of the "Xperia 1 III" I feel that it is a weapon.

The 21: 9 wide display is also attractive. In "CoD: Mobile", you use five fingers to operate, but when you try to operate with five fingers on a normal smartphone, the screen is hidden by your fingers and you can not see the important part. .. However, with this wide display, you can secure an area where you can place your finger while securing an area to see, so play is not hindered.

Since the tablet just stretches the image, there were times when I could hide what I wanted to see with my finger. I was surprised that the playing experience changed so much just by expanding the screen horizontally.

We also utilize the low gamma razor and white balance settings. By the way, in "CoD: Mobile", the low gamma razor level is set to 1 and the white balance is set to 7500. It's easy to see in dark places, but it doesn't blow out in bright places, so it's my personal favorite setting, so if you're playing "CoD: Mobile" on a device equipped with a game enhancer, please give it a try.

Next, I would like to pay attention to the functions related to sound. The game enhancer is equipped with an audio equalizer, which allows you to raise or lower the volume of a specific range.

Since I have little knowledge about sound and experience in setting, I tried to touch this function by groping, but it is true that adjusting the volume of a specific range made it easier to hear gunshots and footsteps. In addition, it is now possible to capture sounds that are not noticed in normal play, so if you dig deeper, it may have a big impact on your play performance.

As you can see, the audio equalizer is also a noteworthy feature, but what I personally want to talk about is the existence of the earphone jack. Earphone jacks, which tend to be abolished in recent terminals due to the widespread distribution of wireless technology, are implemented in the "Xperia 5 III" and "Xperia 1 III".

There are many wireless earphones with low delay in the market, but there is a clear difference when compared to wired connection. And in the game, this difference can be a source of fatal mistakes. Especially in battle games, of course, in action games and rhythm games, sound is very important, so if you play these, you want to output audio by wire as much as possible. The "Xperia 1 III" and "Xperia 5 III" meet this need.

The game enhancer also has a feature that optimizes the sound balance during voice chat, but this is difficult to review individually. So, I asked LaFius about this when he actually used this function as a team, so please refer to that.

[Review of sound system by professional gamer LaFius]

Audio equalizers have great potential. With proper settings, you will be able to hear the firing and footsteps more clearly. I wasn't used to the new sound quality settings yet, so I didn't use this feature in the qualifying I attended the other day because I was too used to the default sound quality. However, I think there is a good chance that this function will give us an advantage, so I would like to proceed with further research.

In terms of sound, the presence of earphone jacks is still significant. The amount of information that sound has in "CoD: Mobile" is very large, but if there is even a slight delay, the value of the information that sound has will diminish at once. If the reaction is delayed due to the delay, it can be the cause of defeat at worst. I've used a variety of wireless earphones that are touted as highly functional, but no matter how good they are, wireless lag will occur. From that experience, I thought wireless was out of the question if I wanted to win the game, so I'm really grateful to have a wired jack like this.

Optimizing the sound balance during voice chat (VC) is a function that is beneficial to the VC listener, so I do not notice the goodness from the person using Xperia, but it is very popular within the team. It is a function. As I mentioned earlier, sound is also important information for "CoD: Mobile", but information sharing from the team is even more important than that. All of our team members are using "Xperia 1 III", so we can make smooth cooperation without hearing the voice muffled. The balance between the game volume and the voice volume is also good, so I feel that it is a very convenient function while being sober.

In addition to video and sound, there are other features that Game Enhancer should pay attention to. It's a recording system called RT record.

This is not a normal recording system, but it can record up to 30 seconds back from the time you start RT record. If you use the default features of the Android OS and always play games with recording turned on, your device's performance may slow down, but with this feature you don't have to worry about that. It's a great feature for anyone who uses games as a communication tool.

▲ In recording, not only game sounds but also player voices can be recorded.

I also appreciate the function called focus setting. This controls the movement of the OS during the game, and it is possible to turn off notifications and release memory. These are also very convenient settings, but what I personally want to pay attention to is "disable [automatic brightness adjustment]".

The latest smartphone terminals automatically adjust the brightness of the display according to the environment. It's a great feature in terms of battery power savings and eye stress reduction, but it can also jam gameplay. For example, when a sensor that detects the brightness of the surroundings is touched, the terminal may mistakenly think that the room is dark and suddenly darken the display.

If this happens, the play will be affected. However, if you turn on the "Disable [Auto Brightness]" setting, you will not be exposed to such stress. It's a useful feature for gamers that wasn't likely.

The point that I would like to pay attention to is the good touch response that professional gamer LaFius talks about. Among the settings through the game enhancer, there is an item that can adjust the reaction speed after touching. As with the image quality settings, you can customize the settings in detail while checking the settings, so you can actually touch the game and search for your favorite settings.

In addition, although it will be a function outside the frame of the game enhancer, I would like to pick up and introduce a unique system called HS power control. To briefly introduce this, even if you play the game while charging, the battery will not have much heat.

I think everyone has experience playing games while charging. At this time, the battery inputs and outputs electric power at the same time, so that a load is applied and heat is inevitably generated. However, HS Power Control uses the power input from the adapter to process the game without going through the battery. This reduces the heat generated by the battery, making it harder for the device to retain heat. I feel that the deterioration of the battery can be prevented.

[Review of other features by professional gamer LaFius]

I also use RT records a lot. It's nice to be able to easily make clips! Also, I think that being released from the sickness of "I wanted to record this moment!" Has a positive effect on my mentality (laughs).

Since I use "Xperia 1 III" as a dedicated game terminal, I'm not worried about notifications coming, but I open the memory with the touch of a button and turn off the notification and automatic brightness adjustment function. I think it's very convenient to give me. After all, the notifications while playing the game in a concentrated manner are only jams (laughs).

Also, because I am a professional gamer, I often play games for a long time, so basically I usually play while charging, but thanks to HS power control, the terminal gets hot. It's also a nice point that it's hard to hold. I think that is also user-friendly because you can continue playing without sweating.

I have briefly described the performance of the "Xperia 5 III" and the impressions of actually using it, but overall, it can be said that this is a smartphone for gamers. Actually, there are many notable points such as camera function so that it can meet other needs, but I felt that it was designed to face gamers to the extent that it can be said to be "for gamers".

I tried to compare it with the "Xperia 1 III", but I couldn't feel any difference other than the display size. I have confirmed the information that "the memory (RAM) of" Xperia 1 III "is 12GB, while the memory (RAM) of" Xperia 5 III "is 8GB", but at least I played "CoD: Mobile". As far as I can tell, I haven't experienced a clear difference.

As long as you can't feel the difference when you play "CoD: Mobile", which has a rich visual expression, you won't feel any inconvenience in other games. The main difference between "Xperia 1 III" and "Xperia 5 III" other than memory (RAM) is only the camera function, so if you want to stick to the camera function, "Xperia 1 III" , If you are not particular about the camera function, it seems better to choose "Xperia 5 III".

[Summary by professional gamer LaFius]

I think the "Xperia 1 III" and the "Xperia 5 III" with the same specifications are exactly "smartphones specialized in games".

I especially like the good touch response and high refresh rate I mentioned at the beginning of the game enhancer, but I feel that these two really have a big positive impact on play. I think it's really big that you can get the response and visibility that even the tablet, which is said to have the highest specs at present, did not come true.

Even casual players can feel the difference between these two points, so it's a smartphone that I definitely recommend to those who are particular about winning!

A campaign for those who have purchased such "Xperia 5 III" "Extremely like with Xperia ™! Experience coupon gift campaign" is being held, so let me introduce this at the end.

The "Extremely Favorite with Xperia ™! Experience Coupon Present Campaign" is "CoD: Mobile" that was used for this review for all those who purchased the target products such as "Xperia 5 III" and applied for this campaign. In-game points (5,000 yen worth), a 3-month free coupon for the music distribution service "Amazon Music Unlimited", and a 2-month free coupon for the subscription app "Adobe Lightroom" that allows professional-level photo processing will be presented. thing.

It is a campaign that you can apply for regardless of the carrier you have a contract with, so be sure to apply when you make a purchase!

⇒ Click here for the Xperia 1 III official website ⇒ Click here for the Xperia 5 III official website

Photo: Chisato Oka