Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc review: Android de Triumph

1 April 2011
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc is back for a second round and this time it will stay a while longer. The company’s new flagship did great in our preview and we’d gladly have more of it. The new BRAVIA screen and the impressive...

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  • R
  • RJ11
  • 9Lb
  • 02 Apr 2011

abhi, 01 Apr 2011First of all shut up !!! I agree that Arc doesn't have extr... moreSE is the only Manufacturer to provide good audio quality on their handsets consistently??

AHHEMMM!!!! NOKIA!!

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • t7J
    • 02 Apr 2011

    Great Android phone from SE. Though I'm still getting NEO instead of ARC.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • f39
      • 02 Apr 2011

      thanks gsm. been waiting for this review. best part was the ui demo which was awesome. arc release date in south africa is may so have to wait a bit longer. wanted to get the missus a neo but that wont be available in sa. so we'll both get arc's at the same time. Pleased to be returning to a se handset after a few years of trying other brands.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • P$v
        • 02 Apr 2011

        AnonD-5186, 01 Apr 2011i just fiddled with the Arc today (its already available in... moreWhich showroom in Pune.

          • m
          • mobileman
          • Kxt
          • 02 Apr 2011

          so what about battery strenght?

            • m
            • mike
            • JE9
            • 02 Apr 2011

            Congrats for the great review!! The conclusion mentions some other phone choices that (imo) are not even in the same price range (except from the Nexus S):

            HTC HD7: 329€
            Nokia N8: 395€
            Samsung Galaxy S I9000: 395€
            Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc: 490€
            Samsung Nexus S: 519€

            Current prices in Greece.

              • A
              • Anonymous
              • wr1
              • 02 Apr 2011

              Jo, 02 Apr 2011There are a couple of mistakes in the article... I got m... moreI'm afraid that depending on where you get your Arc, you may have different content in your package.

                • R
                • Reginald
                • PPS
                • 02 Apr 2011

                For those complaining about the frequency response, it is VERY unlikely to be a mistake on SE's part.

                Note that it is only a variation of around 2dB, but the scale makes it look worse.

                This is ALMOST DEFINATELY designed to counteract the frequency response of the supplied earphones resulting in a flatter response when actually listening.

                I don't believe there are ANY in ear earphones that have within +- 2dB over the audible range, so correcting this in the phone is actually a very good idea.

                All of the chips SE use in the phone are generic, and having a flat frequency response is easy if that's what they wanted.

                Also note that the graph showing the frequency response with the earphones connected is only showing how the earphones impedance affects the electrical output. It has nothing to do with measuring the sound you would hear WITH YOUR EARS.

                Go here and look at the frequency response of Apples ear buds:

                http://totalflux.blogspot.com/2010/12/apple-in-ear-headphones.html

                These would actually measure more flat running of an Arc than an iPhone :D

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • Rn@
                  • 02 Apr 2011

                  Gr8 review gsmarena, Im not buying into dual cores yet after all in real life performances u can hardly see the difference.Im waiting for a review of the htc Desire S then Il mk my decision.

                    • S
                    • SPDR
                    • 3H}
                    • 02 Apr 2011

                    the cnet review for the arc said that the arc ahs a front facing camera, can someone confirm/correct this please!!!!!

                      • p
                      • petp
                      • Yhw
                      • 02 Apr 2011

                      GREAT review gsmarena!!!!!
                      sounds like a great phone and im looking forward to playing with it in person....who knows when it will be out in the USA though?!?!??!


                        • b
                        • bryan
                        • tA$
                        • 02 Apr 2011

                        i want this,,,,
                        extreme bass, i love it..!!

                          • D
                          • AnonD-591
                          • s3P
                          • 02 Apr 2011

                          Jo, 02 Apr 2011There are a couple of mistakes in the article... I got m... moreThis

                          Both are completely correct
                          16 gb card here and micro HDMI cable

                          And the ambient light sensor can't be turned of and adjusts the screens relative brightness to what you set it to
                          It's a far better implementation then any other manufacturer and it works great

                            • D
                            • AnonD-2677
                            • nfP
                            • 02 Apr 2011

                            If you buy an unbranded retail phone, Sony will let you unlock the bootloader to flash any custom firmware you want.

                              • E
                              • Emme
                              • mZN
                              • 02 Apr 2011

                              Jack, 02 Apr 2011This phone would have been better with stock android. Stock... moreStock Android is bad and if the launcher is made right it wont drain more battery.

                                • J
                                • Jack
                                • u{H
                                • 02 Apr 2011

                                This phone would have been better with stock android. Stock android is much faster, uses less battery power and is cheaper for the company to produce. This is why I would much rather own a Nexus S over this despite this having superior hardware.

                                  • a
                                  • abhi
                                  • TL5
                                  • 02 Apr 2011

                                  Shinigami, 01 Apr 2011I (and a lot of other people) prefer Samsung. I think th... moreThan what r u doing here...?
                                  Instead go to ur beloved samsung forum.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-2677
                                    • nfP
                                    • 02 Apr 2011

                                    Anonymous, 01 Apr 2011everything g8 till u find out 3.5 mm jack is on the side of... moreI don't care, I use the MW600 anyway.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • q{x
                                      • 02 Apr 2011

                                      i've read on the rogers webssite for the arc spec sheet, as well as a member over on XDA forums who had the device that it actually has 14.4mb s download speed and not 7, anyone else confirm this?

                                        • H
                                        • Hitman
                                        • 0E1
                                        • 02 Apr 2011

                                        Sadly, the 3.5 mm jack on the side makes this phone a no-go. Surprised that GSMarena doesn't react on that.