Sony Xperia 5 III vs Google Pixel 6a

71 out of 100

70 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.1-inch Sony Xperia 5 III (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 888) that was released on April 14, 2021, against the Google Pixel 6a, which is powered by Google Tensor and came out 13 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Sony Xperia 5 III

The rear camera has a 4.4x optical zoom
Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 1024GB
Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
Has 33% more RAM: 8GB versus 6GB
Supports higher wattage charging (30W versus 18W)
Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port

Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 6a

Delivers 48% higher peak brightness (880 against 594 nits)
The phone is 1-year and 1-month newer
Ready for eSIM technology

Review

Evaluation of Sony Xperia 5 III and Google Pixel 6a crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	OLED	OLED
Size	6.1 inches	6.1 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2520 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	21:9	20:9
PPI	449 ppi	429 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	350 nits	500 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	600 nits	1100 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 6	Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Screen-to-body ratio	81.4%	83%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	100%	96.9%
PWM	490 Hz	240 Hz
Response time	14 ms	3 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	157 mm (6.18 inches)	152.2 mm (5.99 inches)
Width	68 mm (2.68 inches)	71.8 mm (2.83 inches)
Thickness	8.2 mm (0.32 inches)	8.9 mm (0.35 inches)
Weight	168 g (5.93 oz)	178 g (6.28 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP67
Rear material	Glass	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Green, Pink	White, Black, Green
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-button	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	Google Tensor
Max clock	2840 MHz	2800 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (2 + 2 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 3 cores at 2.42 GHz: Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78) - 1 core at 2.84 GHz: Kryo 680 Prime (Cortex-X1)	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex A55 - 2 cores at 2.25 GHz: Cortex A76 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-X1
L3 cache	4 MB	4 MB
Lithography process	5 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 660	Mali-G78 MP20
GPU shading units	1024	1280
GPU clock	792 MHz	848 MHz
FLOPS	~1622 GFLOPS	~2170.9 GFLOPS

CPU	249816	-
GPU	281506	-
Memory	163791	-
UX	193526	913000
Total score	894490	914585

Max surface temperature	46.5 °C	41.4 °C
Stability	71%	56%
Graphics test	31 FPS	37 FPS
Graphics score	5311	6194

Web score	-	6177
Video editing	-	5806
Photo editing	-	17969
Data manipulation	-	9425
Writing score	-	15432

RAM size	8 GB	6 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5
Memory clock	2750 MHz	3200 MHz
Channels	2	4

Storage size	128, 256 GB	128 GB
Storage type	UFS 3.1	UFS 3.1
Memory card	MicroSD	No
Memory card max size	Up to 1024 GB	-

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)	Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	-	Stock Android
OS size	17.6 GB	14.3 GB

Capacity	4500 mAh	4410 mAh
Max charge power	30 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	No	No
Reverse charging	No	No
Fast charging	Yes (49% in 30 min)	Yes (42% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:50 hr	1:51 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	09:32 hr	10:54 hr
Watching video	17:37 hr	16:44 hr
Gaming	05:05 hr	06:05 hr
Standby	84 hr	91 hr

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	12.2 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Optical, 4.4x	Digital
Flash	LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	240 FPS (1080p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	124°	114°
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 12 MP + 12 MP)	2 (12.2 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.7 - Focal length: 24 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.7", Sony IMX557 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12.2 MP - Aperture: f/1.7 - Focal length: 27 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX363 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.3 - Focal length: 105 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/2.9", Sony IMX663 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	-
Ultra-wide lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 16 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX363 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 17 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/2.9", Sony IMX386 (Exmor-RS CMOS)
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	-	Photo samples of Google Pixel 6a from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	8 megapixels	8 megapixels
Image resolution	3264 x 2448	3840 x 2160
Aperture	f/2.0	f/2.0
Focal length	24 mm	24 mm
Pixel size	1.12 microns	1.12 microns
Sensor type	ISOCELL CMOS	Exmor-RS CMOS
Sensor size	1/4"	1/2.8"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.2	5.2
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.1	3.1
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	1	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
eSIM support *	No	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	18	20
5G support	Yes	Yes

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	Yes	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	April 2021	May 2022
Release date	October 2021	June 2022
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	Yes, 30 W	Not included

Sony Xperia 5 III vs Google Pixel 6a

Sony Xperia 5 III vs Google Pixel 6a

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion