The Sony-Ericsson Xperia Arc S did not deviate much from the original Arc except for the bump in processor speed (and the additional colored variant) so it’s not really a huge improvement, in my opinion. Nevertheless, those extra clock cycles will certainly be of help once your handset needs it. Check out our full review after the jump.
Having owned and used the original Xperia Arc for a couple of months now, I can say that there’s no significant improvements on the user experience when I moved up to the Xperia Arc S. Of course, I think most of you would agree that a 1.4GHz mobile processor still sounds better than a 1.0GHz.
As to why Sony-Ericsson did this move with the Xperia Arc line is still unknown to us and yes, we still have to see a dual-core handset from the manufacturer.
In any case, I think the Xperia Arc and Arc S is among the sexiest Android handsets around with its thin profile and arched back-panel — all the right curves at the right places. It feels a bit plasticky but not plasticky-cheap. It’s very light too at just 117 grams. The 8.7mm profile makes it one of the thinnest handsets around.
It may not have a stand against all the dual-core Android phones around in terms of performance and full HD videos but it can hold its own.
The 4.2-inch display of the Arc S is gorgeous (as in, Coca-cola sexy), bright and crisp. The glossy finish makes it prone to glare in the outdoors but that’s a reality with most handsets and tablets nowadays.
The 233 pixel density of the screen is actually lower than the 245ppi on the much older Xperia X10 but the display quality is way better. Sony-Ericsson attributes that to the Reality Display with the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine. I would say it’s very similar to the quality of SLCD screens.
At the back is the huge lens for the 8MP camera which is flushed way close to the edge of the unit that you’ll always block its view when you start shooting photos. It comes with a small LED flash and a secondary microphone for noise-canceling.
And speaking of the camera, the Arc S has got one of the best cameras in a smartphone I’ve tried (oftentimes besting the camera of the iPhone 4). The sensor is fast and accurate, delivers nice crisp image and well-saturated colors. The built-in Image Stabilization pictures sometimes helps as well.
Here are some sample photos taken from the Xperia Arc S.
There’s also an option to take panoramic photos using Sweep Panorama and even 3D Sweep Panorama which you can later one view on a Sony 3D LED TV. Here’s a sample of a panoramic scene I took.
The panorama shots don’t offer the same detail as the regular shots but they’re pretty decent still (not fit for print, IMO). It would have been more impressive if the image quality were the same though.
You can check out the whole collection of photos in the gallery here. The dedicated button is supposed to make taking photos easier but in this case, it was really hard to press down that I always end up using the on-screen shutter.
The Arc S can only take 720p HD videos and the quality is not as impressive as the photos but still very good. Unfortunately, it does not have a secondary front-facing camera you can use for video calls.
Check out sample video recordings from the Arc S below:
Like many of the handsets in the Xperia line, the Arc S comes pre-installed with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread with an added layer of UI called TimeScape. It’s simple, fluid and consolidates a lot of your messages in a single stream. Sony-Ericsson also added a few more widgets for customization of the home screens. There’s only 5 home screen and you can no longer adjust that number (unlike in other models where you can pick between 3 to 7).
The native browser is fast and good but you can always download your own favorite browser at the Android Market like Opera Mobile or Dolphin browser. As an Android device, you have access to hundreds of thousands of apps in the Market, half of which are free.
Performance of the Arc S is fairly good but as I mentioned earlier, you would not really significantly feel the difference (for the most part) if you are coming from the original Arc. The additional 400Mhz clock speed does help in some instances like gaming, video and similar tasks.
Quadrant score for the Arc S gave us a 1631 compared to the 1289 for the older Arc. That’s a nice 26% increase in performance for a 400MHz bump in clock speed. Not bad actually.
There were some area in the hardware configuration that we were hoping Sony-Ericsson could have improved on instead — like the 512MB RAM (which is actually just 340MB) and the 1GB internal storage (only 340MB is actually usable).
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S LT18i specs:
4.2″ LCD display @ 480×854 pixels (233ppi)
1.4GHz single-core processor
Adreno 205 GPU
Qualcomm MSM8255T Snapdragon
Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine
512MB RAM
320MB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD (8GB included)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, WiFi hotspot
Bluetooth 2.1
8MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
720p video recording @ 30fps
GPS w/ aGPS support
FM radio tuner
micro-HDMI port
1500 mAh Li-Po battery
Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
The speakers are found at the lower back end of the handset, just below the iconic SE logo. The audio is fairly loud but since it’s at the back, it often muted when you place it down on any surface. Sound quality is a bit tin-ny at higher volumes and lacks a hit of bass.
Fortunately, that less than expected audio performance was redeemed by the paired in-ear earphones that came in the box. Sony-Ericsson provided a really good pair of comfortable earphones (with a built-in mic) and sound quality was way better with it.
Call quality is good and voice calls are clear but sometimes I find it a bit odd that instead of showing a status “calling”, the dialer says “connecting” as if it’s a 3G call and not a cellular call (a minor thing really).
Sony-Ericsson forgot to bump the capacity of the Li-Po battery to match the increase of the CPU speed and that might affect battery life of the handset. As such, we are experiencing almost similar or sometimes even shorter battery life of one to one and a half days of normal use.
The Xperia Arc S offers a good combination of great design, impressive camera, relatively good gaming & multimedia — over-all, it’s got a pretty good performance. It doesn’t boast the power of most other dual-core handsets but can handle most tasks just the same.
The Sony-Ericsson Xperia Arc S retails for only Php18,700 over at Widget City. It now comes with more variety of colors — pink, blue, black and white. Pretty good deal for such a nice handset.
Disclosure: Widget City provided us with the review unit.
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mozart says:
i still have my xperia arc s with me and still works fine after 10 years! just wow! IMO, sony ericsson have produced the most aesthetically designed phones, that is, both their non-android and android phones. missing the designs of their C and W feature phone series as well as the xperia phone series.
Ruillasar says:
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tara says:
why my sony xperia arc s battery madaling ma lowbat?! kakainis! tapos yung phone ko nag iinit bakit ganito di siya katulad nang ibang phone kong lagi mo siyang ginagamit di siya iinit..
nelcammi says:
can someone tell me the current price of this phone? thanx
glen says:
it is still around the 14k to 15k bracket…
dick says:
anyone can answer me… which is more better?
SE Xperia Arc S’ VS Samsung Galaxy Wonder???
pls answer me..i was planning to buy one…
Raha says:
ofcource Xperia arc s is better than samsung galaxy wonder
I dont like somsungs phone
josh723nldn says:
where did you get your SE xperia arc s phone? where can i buy this? how much is that phone? waiting for ur reply
Karlo says:
actually, they say that the phone cannot withstand a day unlike any other phones, but when they upgrade it or “download the latest drivers” via the Sony Ericson Pc Suite, they can now use the full capacity of the phone with a long life battery, sounds cool.
Erich says:
My SE Xperia Arc S’s battery sucks. Is it okay to use an extended battery like 1750mAh Li-Po or higher from another Xperia smartphone? Although I’m not certain which model has the same battery size. This is my second Xperia phone, 1st being the X10 mini pro. Both smartphone’s 3G and/or mobile internet doesn’t work despite configuring it with Globe Telecoms’ prepaid internet and MMS settings. Your comments and suggestions are highly regarded.
Latest Mobile Phones says:
Xperia is really a great cell…
Latest Mobile Phones
erick says:
Where were the pictures taken? Place is breathtaking.
XIV says:
512 RAM is not enough. Napansin ko yun sa xPlay ko.
Bumilis lang nung inoverclock ko to 1.9Ghz(stable).
And 320MB internal storage is a joke, unless i mo-mod mo. *sigh*
Anyways, Great review Sir.
chinkynut says:
Great review!!!
hudyo says:
nice i want this one
Shaira Tillah says:
I want this rather than the iphone 4s,i dont know why? but need to have this phone badly @@
steelicon says:
Check this out before you buy the Xperia Arc S
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_xperia_pro-review-678.php
jm says:
this is the best single core android device to date. no need for multicore processor for smooth experience. Sony Xperia Arc S the best for me.
reader says:
“As to why Sony-Ericsson did this move with the Xperia Arc line is still unknown to us…”
I’ve read SE Arc S was introduced to “re-introduce” Arc. Since Arc’s release was undermined by the earthquake that hit Japan the same time as its release. In other words, to bring back their flagship phone into the spotlight.
Jamaiah says:
What’s with this incessant advertising of Widget City’s grey units? At the very least. you should quote the SRP of devices with official warranties.
ysucit says:
Prolly that’s where he gets his units for reviews. Anyways, kudos to widgetcity, dbgadgets, kimstore and cmkcellphones. At the very least, they give good pricing for their gray, non-NTC (read = no Official Receipt = no tax for the Bureau of Internal Revenue) phone units. Ergo, smuggled or paid-off Bureau of Customs.
At least they make these units available, UNLIKE THE OFFICIAL CHANNELS OF SONY ERICSSON PHILIPPINES and SONY ERICSSON JAPAN.
;-)
http://goo.gl/oUWTm <= sign the petition
http://goo.gl/7a8Yc <= sign the petition
steelicon says:
http://youtu.be/_zB-Pq9bl6w
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro, Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo Screen Comparison
jessiej199091 says:
i inquired at widget city thru txt about the updated price of this phone.since nakita ko sa website nila, i was expecting na baka may price update . but according to widget city, wala pa daw hindi pa daw available sa pinas.
then tinanong ko: “arc s po ba yung nasa website nyo?”
widget city: “oo. kukuha ka ba? kelan mo kelangan?” (these are the exact words they texted?very unprofessional, huh)
me: “need ko po muna malaman price bago ako mag-order”
widget city: “sinagot ko na yan na hindi pa available sa pinas.”
me: “ah, bakit po kasi tinanong nyo ako kung kelangan ko na and kailan. thanks anyway.”
ang gulo ha!!! and sana maging polite naman sila sa mga inquiries..
Michael Aulia says:
Wow, love the photo qualities taken with the phone :) Makes me wonder why people bother to buy a point-and-shoot camera nowadays!
GaGa says:
One of the best reviews for any phone Ive seen in a long time.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Android Phones are nice but haven’t caught on much from what Ive seen.
Angel says:
I bought from Greatbuys88 at sulit, they are selling apple accessories which are original at really low prices, about 2/5 of the prices at the malls. And their service is good, they offer warranties and replacement and after sales is excellent. Very accommodating. Earlier this year, they carry Gadgets at affordable prices under the name Widget City :)they really have a competitive advantage, and i’m one of their suki. :) their sulit have 100% 130 positive feedback as well. I recommend them to all online buyers out there :)
kennedy says:
Widget City! Wow they’re really looking to be a top online seller na, they also have a blackberry deal right now on Groupon!
http://www.beeconomic.com.ph/deals/shopping/p16250–p26999-value–for-a-blackberry-playbook-16gb-with-wi-fi-or-p2025/715900996
jonaflormicfren says:
I like the pictures and videos taken from this mobile phone. It’s my preference before to have this kind.
ysucit says:
We could use a side by side photo comparison of Android phones screen under direct sunlight in the 12-18K range. Just this once this year, please do this. Thanks. Galaxy Ace, Xperia.Pro, Xperia Neo, Xperia Neo V, HTC Desire S, etc.,
They didn’t use dual cores but bumped the clock speed since they cannot address the power requirements of dual cores yet. And they still got lots of parts from the original Xperia Arc. Looks like they’re flushing their inventory. The price for Xperia Arc S should plummet soon enough.
jayb says:
the video is not smooth. . :(
Benchmark says:
Xperia Arc S…so “S” is for speed…like in iPhone 4S?
hmmm i thought of buying this one, but then again, with the same price range, I think there are other phone brands better than this…
Pass.
Jay says:
I’m pretty disappoint with Sony Ericsson’s response to the tightening competition for high end Android phones nowadays. They’re truly being left behind more by Samsung especially with their latest Google partnership release.
NIJM says:
I think that would only be in terms of marketing. :D I honestly prefer Sony Ericsson phones over Samsung ones. Between the two of them, SE really take quality farther than the other.