Sony Xperia 1 III vs. vivo X30 Pro: A Detailed Flagship Face-Off
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Sony Xperia 1 III emerges as the superior choice, thanks to its significantly more powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset and exceptional display. While the vivo X30 Pro offers good value, its Exynos 980 struggles to compete in demanding tasks, and its charging is slower. However, budget-conscious users may find the X30 Pro adequate for everyday use.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | vivo X30 Pro | Sony Xperia 1 III |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66 - Europe |
| 5G bands | 41, 78 SA/NSA | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - Europe |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G (3.6+ Gbps DL) | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA | SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA (specific) | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, December. Released 2019, December | 2021, April 14 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2021, August 25 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 158.5 x 74.1 x 8.8 mm (6.24 x 2.92 x 0.35 in) | 165 x 71 x 8.2 mm (6.50 x 2.80 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 198.5 g (7.02 oz) | 186 g / 187.1 g (mmWave) (6.56 oz) |
| - | IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) | 1644 x 3840 pixels, 21:9 ratio (~643 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.44 inches, 100.1 cm2 (~85.3% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 98.6 cm2 (~84.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED, HDR, 800 nits (typ) | OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020 |
| - | Runs at 1096 x 2560 pixels except for select use cases | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A77 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex A55) | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| Chipset | Exynos 980 (8 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP5 | Adreno 660 |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), Funtouch 10.0 | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| UFS 2.1 | UFS 3.X | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR, eye tracking |
| Quad | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF 13 MP, f/3.0, 135mm (periscope telephoto), 1/4.0", PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 32 MP, f/2.0, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.8", 0.8µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom 8 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm | - |
| Single | - | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm |
| Triple | - | 12 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.3, 70mm (telephoto), f/2.8, 105mm (telephoto), 1/2.9", dual pixel PDAF, 3x/4.4x optical zoom, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 124˚, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/2.6", dual pixel PDAF 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60/120fps HDR, 1080p@30/60/120fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | Yes |
| 35mm jack | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 24-bit/192kHz audio Dynamic vibration system | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | FM radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C, OTG | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG, video output |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass |
| - | Native Sony Alpha camera support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 33W wired | 30W wired, PD, 50% in 30 min Wireless Reverse wireless |
| Type | 4350 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Peach, Light Blue | Frosted Black, Frosted Gray, Frosted Purple |
| Models | V1938T | XQBC62/V, XQBC52V.UKCX, SO-51B, SOG03, A101SO, XQ-BC62, XQ-BC72, XQ-BC52, XQ-BC01, XQ-BC11, XQ-BC21, XQ-BC72 |
| Price | About 600 EUR | € 505.26 / $ 903.43 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 82h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -26.5 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 607423 (v8) GeekBench: 3515 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
vivo X30 Pro
- More affordable price point
- Sleek and modern design
- Decent camera for everyday use
- Less powerful Exynos 980 chipset
- Slower charging speeds
- Display likely less vibrant than Xperia 1 III
Sony Xperia 1 III
- Flagship Snapdragon 888 performance
- Brighter and more accurate display
- Faster charging with wireless options
- Higher price tag
- May be overkill for basic users
- Potentially larger and heavier build
Display Comparison
The Sony Xperia 1 III boasts a superior display experience. Its measured 620 nits of peak brightness significantly outshines what we'd expect from the X30 Pro, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While both have an 'infinite' contrast ratio (typical for OLED), the Xperia 1 III's panel is likely to offer more accurate color reproduction and potentially a higher refresh rate (though not specified in the data). The X30 Pro's display, while adequate, will likely feel less vibrant and immersive in comparison.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are marketed with strong camera capabilities, but the Xperia 1 III likely holds a significant advantage. While both are listed as having 'Photo / Video' capabilities, the Xperia 1 III benefits from Sony’s renowned image processing expertise and likely incorporates a larger sensor and more advanced features. The X30 Pro’s camera system, while capable, is likely to be more reliant on software processing to compensate for hardware limitations. The absence of specific sensor details for either phone makes a precise comparison difficult, but Sony’s history suggests a more sophisticated camera system.
Performance
The performance gap is substantial. The Sony Xperia 1 III’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm) is a flagship-tier chipset, featuring a Cortex-X1 prime core clocked at 2.84 GHz. This architecture, built on a 5nm process, delivers significantly higher CPU and GPU performance compared to the vivo X30 Pro’s Exynos 980 (8nm). The Exynos 980, while capable, uses older Cortex-A77 cores and a less efficient manufacturing process. This translates to slower app loading times, less responsive multitasking, and lower frame rates in demanding games on the X30 Pro. The Snapdragon 888 also benefits from a more advanced GPU, crucial for graphically intensive applications.
Battery Life
Both phones achieve an endurance rating of 82 hours, suggesting similar real-world battery life despite differing internal capacities (not specified). However, the Xperia 1 III offers faster charging at 30W with Power Delivery (PD) and the ability to reach 50% charge in 30 minutes, alongside wireless and reverse wireless charging options. The X30 Pro’s 33W wired charging is slower, and lacks the versatility of the Xperia 1 III’s charging ecosystem. The Snapdragon 888’s 5nm efficiency may also contribute to comparable battery life despite potentially higher power draw during peak usage.
Buying Guide
Buy the vivo X30 Pro if you prioritize affordability and a balanced feature set for everyday tasks like social media, browsing, and casual gaming. You'll appreciate its sleek design and decent camera capabilities without breaking the bank. Buy the Sony Xperia 1 III if you demand top-tier performance for gaming and content creation, a professional-grade camera system with advanced video features, and a stunning display with exceptional brightness and color accuracy. This is the phone for power users and multimedia enthusiasts.