News

The Sony Xperia 1 III is your ultimate all-in-one smartphone

World’s first 4K 120Hz smartphone display, Alpha-grade cameras, world-class audio and gaming experience

Published

April 14, 2021

Vincenz

Image by GadgetMatch

Sony is a leader both in entertainment and hardware technologies — whether it’s the Sony Alpha, PlayStation, and even their audio products. But with LG’s sudden exit from the mobile division, people were speculating that Sony suffer the same fate. But today, Sony has debunked all those rumors and announced the Xperia 1 III.

A typical 2021 flagship

Just like other flagships released this year, the Xperia 1 III isn’t a stranger to power-packed hardware. It rocks the latest Snapdragon 888 processor with 5G support and Adreno 660 graphics. It also boasts 12GB of RAM and comes in either 256GB or 512GB storage options.

Image by GadgetMatch

While the 4,500mAh battery may sound small nowadays, Sony’s Adaptive Charging technology gives you the best of power and performance. They’re also promising a 3-year longer lifespan battery compared to conventional smartphone batteries.

It also supports Qi wireless charging and has IP65-68 water/dust resistance just like its predecessor.

First 4K 120Hz smartphone display

Image by GadgetMatch

Sony’s Xperia line are the only smartphones that have 4K displays. This year, they made it even better as the Xperia 1 III boasts 120Hz refresh rate with 4K resolution — a first in any smartphone today.

Other than that, it supports 120fps games and has 240Hz touch scanning rate for better game input and less lag.

With its 6.5-inch 21:9 OLED HDR display, expect stunning colors and contrast — especially with the help of their X1 Mobile HDR Remaster technology that’s only found among high-end Sony BRAVIA TVs.

Serious photography on a smartphone

Image by GadgetMatch

Just like its predecessor, the Xperia 1 III has triple 12-megapixel cameras for its wide (f/1.7), ultra-wide (f/2.2), and telephoto (f/2.3-2.8) lenses, plus an extra 3D iToF Sensor. But another first in this list is Sony’s variable telephoto lens that supports 70-105mm focal length (equivalent to 2.9x and 4.4x zoom) that can zoom up to 300mm (12.5x) digitally. Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra has two different lenses for different focal lengths.

Other than that, it’s also the world’s first smartphone that’s capable of shooting 20fps burst mode and has the new Real-time Tracking technology that can focus on moving subjects while shooting. It’s different from the existing Real-time Eye AF that only focuses on human’s eyes. You won’t run out of autofocus coverage areas as it covers 247 AF points (70% of the frame).

Image by GadgetMatch

Sony hasn’t omitted the dedicated shutter button to make the experience similar to its existing alpha lineup. Speaking of, ZEISS T* coating (found on most Sony alpha lenses) is still here despite ZEISS having to share that same lens coating on the new vivo X60 Pro+. This is helpful for reducing glare and reflections when shooting.

Professional cinematography on the go

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For amateur and professional filmmakers, this smartphone is also capable of shooting Hollywood-style films. There’s a new Intelligent wind filter that reduces wind and outdoor noise when shooting in forests or fields.

It supports 4K HDR between the regular 24fps (frames per second) or up to 120fps slow motion that can even go slower of up to 5 times. For a more professional look and feel, there’s the Cinematography Pro app where you can manually adjust controls based on your shooting scenario. It also has built-in 8-look color filters for on-the-spot color grading.

The ultimate device for audiophiles

Long-live audiophiles! Sony still has the 3.5mm audio jack, making it the flagship smartphone that’s capable of doing so.

There’s an AI-based DSEE Ultimate sound optimization technology that’s capable of producing hi-res audio even when playing compressed audio files. This goes hand-in-hand with Sony’s Hi-Res audio support (whether wired or wireless) as well as support for LDAC.

For a more immersive audiovisual experience, there’s Dolby Atmos, 360 Spatial Sound, and 360 Reality Audio also found on high-end Sony headphones such as the WH-1000XM4.

Pricing and Availability

The Xperia 1 III comes in three shades: Frosted Black, Frosted Gray, and Frosted Purple. Singapore will only have the black and purple options.

Pricing wasn’t revealed by Sony during its live announcement but it will be available in early summer (or third quarter) of 2021 in countries where the Xperia line is readily available.

Stay tuned for more pricing updates.

News

Smart showcases cloud gaming platform in partnership with Blacknut

Play over 1,000 titles straight on your smartphones

Published

August 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Philippines mobile service provider Smart showcased the country’s first cloud gaming platform in partnership with Blacknut at the recent Philippine GameDev Expo (PGDX) 2026.

As the event’s main presenter, Smart highlighted its collaboration with the cloud gaming subscription service. Together with its value-packed Power All offers, the network provider is highlighting what the future of gaming can look like.

Smart and TNT subscribers can conveniently access Blacknut Cloud Gaming through a dedicated site. Here, they can play more than 1,000 premium console and PC-quality games on their smartphones.

That’s without the need for expensive gaming hardware or lengthy downloads. Weekly subscriptions start at just PhP 145 and can be conveniently charged to prepaid load following a simple OTP verification process.

To make the experience better, Smart also has Power All offers, which provide generous open-access data for today’s digital lifestyles. There’s a package for cloud and mobile gaming, streaming, content sharing, and productivity.

Gaming

Ghost of Yotei gets a story expansion in October

The Complete Edition comes with the expansion and a roguelike mode.

Published

August 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Ghost of Yotei is a classic RPG experience set in the same universe as its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. In my opinion, Atsu’s journey of revenge feels a lot more fun than Jin’s battle to save his homeland. If you’re in the same boat, Ghost of Yotei is coming back on October 1 with brand-new content.

Without delving too much into spoiler territory, Ghost of Yotei has a conclusive ending. Rather than shoehorning a forced epilogue, Echoes of Sekigahara, the title of the upcoming story expansion, explores Atsu’s past.

As with Tsushima’s expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara features a new map with new enemies, weapons, and collectibles. It will be set in two different time periods.

Besides the story expansion, the upcoming update also has a new mode called Most Wanted, which Sucker Punch Production describes as their “spin on a roguelike.” The mode explores Atsu’s experience as a headhunter, feeding her with bounties and earnable perks.

The two new content expansions will come with in the upcoming Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition. The new edition, coming on October 1, will also come with the co-op Legends mode. It also has a few perks and customization options. The edition will sell for US$ 70.

If you already have the base edition, you can grab an upgrade for only US$ 15. If you don’t want to pay for the upgrade, the game is still getting a few minor tweaks.

News

HONOR isn’t taking the Robot Phone global — yet

The hardware is ready. The AI isn’t.

Published

August 13, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

The HONOR Robot Phone may have officially launched, but don’t expect this version to immediately make its way to global markets.

HONOR told media in Shenzhen that it currently has no plans to bring the current Robot Phone outside China. The main hurdle isn’t the hardware. It’s the phone’s AI experience, which is currently optimized for the Chinese market.

HONOR believes a future generation of the Robot Phone would be better positioned for a true global rollout once its AI experience is ready for markets outside China.

That doesn’t mean HONOR is abandoning the idea. Quite the opposite.

More than a phone with a moving camera

The Robot Phone is HONOR’s attempt to introduce a new idea to the smartphone market. It combines a smartphone with a 4DoF mechanical gimbal, allowing its camera to physically move.

Its AI features take that concept further. YOYO Robot Mode can use voice commands, gestures, and AI tracking to control the camera. It can also automatically pan and tilt to keep a person in frame during vlogs, livestreams, and video calls.

The phone also brings selected elements of ARRI Image Science and professional cinema workflows to its camera system. Its 200MP gimbal main camera supports 10-bit ARRI LogC3 recording, while ARRI Wide Gamut 3 and ARRI Looks give creators more control over their footage.

But HONOR isn’t treating the Robot Phone primarily as a volume-driving product.

The company says its bigger goal is to introduce a new concept to the smartphone market and see what kind of effect it can have.

That makes the Robot Phone an interesting experiment for HONOR. The hardware is already here. The company now wants to learn what happens when a smartphone can physically move, respond to its surroundings, and use AI to help operate itself.

For now, though, China is where that experiment begins.