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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  • v
  • vicky
  • vG2
  • 01 May 2011

veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy nice and silk arc

    • K
    • Kam
    • pJN
    • 30 Apr 2011

    I have officially taken myself out of the processor race....considering I, er hardly use my phone even for the "normal" usage dual core is not an issue.

    I have finally overcome my obsession with spec and come to my senses...this phone is the ideal replacement for my aged poor old Samsung 18910. I got nothing against Sammy as they make some class hardware but I did say after my experience with the i8910 I would never touch a Sammy phone again.....that nearly ended when nearly got the Galaxy S2 in Phones4u on Thursday on an Orange upgrade.

    The shame of nearly giving into my addiction with spec...

    Instead I took a step back, took a deep breath and ran out of the shop screaming!!!....I feel alot better know, thank you.

    I've researching phones for awhile....went to the London HTC show to see the Sensation (already own a Desire).

    So after much deliberation, eating, drinking and chastising myself...I decided on the following:

    1) Leave dual core to the early adopters, let them pave the way for the next gen of dual core phones....that's when I'll join the party.

    2) Get a great "sounding" phone which has been recieved relatively well by the industry.

    3) Upgrade through Orange.

    So, I ordered my Arc yesterday on the following plan:

    18 Month Contact - Upgrade to a new (dual core phone next August)
    400 Cross Network Minutes
    Free Landline Calls
    Unlimited Txt
    30 free picture msgs
    500mb data
    Free Orange Insurance

    All for £25 per month....Yes, I paid £70 for handset the which I have never had to do before BUT my old phone is worth £74 to recycle :):)

    I think we've all become just a little addicted to the nunbers...

    Everyone take a deep breath, relax and get the phone that suits your actual requirements, who cares who it's manufactered by, as long it brings joy and happiness in to your lives...;O)

    Happy Shopping Everyone...

      • k
      • kuki
      • Q{x
      • 27 Apr 2011

      owned SE phones for more than 10yrs, but no more... you guys will stay with 2.3.3 forever, when 2.4 will come, and then 2.5, you will regret owning an SE- they will never get you updated. Unlocking the bootloader? wait an see

      Nexus Owner

        • L
        • LExx
        • v@H
        • 26 Apr 2011

        No front facing camera = Deal breaker

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • nGG
          • 25 Apr 2011

          All those people demanding dual core are fools. NO ONE really NEEDS a dual-core application engine. There are no applications out there that really need it, and they probably suck more juice too.

          (also please remember that most phones are ALREADY multi-core and have been since the dawn of mobile telecommunications. e.g. the Arc alone probably has separate processors for each of Applications CPU, Telecom DSP, GPU, Touch-screen, wi-fi, bluetooth, GPS, FM radio, Bravia multimedia engine - that's NINE processors already at a rough count)

            • V
            • VB
            • 2@2
            • 24 Apr 2011

            Sony Eric Arc -

            1)Camera is very nice.
            2)Body of this phone is beautiful
            3)Touch is very fast.
            4)Light wait
            5)well organized features
            6)I always prefer sony for music quality.
            7)Good video playback quality.

            you can trust on this phone, performance of this phone is really good.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • tVH
              • 24 Apr 2011

              have used this phone for the last two weeks and i must say its the best phone i've used. coming from an iphone, its a breath of fresh air and everything about it just beats the iphone. so much more customizable, feels great in the hand and so so light but not in a cheap way. I was thinking of waiting for the SGSII but every single samsung i have used before has the worst build quality...samsungs feel cheap and tacky in the hand compared to this phone. also, i hate the touchwiz ui, looks like something a child ate, spat out and drew on... loving sony ericsson for this phone. can't put it down for a sec...

                • D
                • AnonD-6628
                • vGx
                • 22 Apr 2011

                AnonD-5197, 15 Apr 2011Dual-core is said to be more energy efficient than previous... moreI beg to differ . have read many articles where it has been stated that new gen phones with dual-core proccy will need higher capacity battery to get a decent talk-time as dual-core proccy will suck more juice compared to the normal single core . will post all those articles here in the forum so that many who feel that dual-core will be more efficient can get there facts right :) . peace

                  • m
                  • mani
                  • vGy
                  • 20 Apr 2011

                  no comarison wid d nokiazz..
                  its simply d best..

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • IWH
                    • 20 Apr 2011

                    AnonD-5927, 19 Apr 2011cute but it lacks a capable video playero.o

                    This is Android... just download a new one that suits your needs?

                      • w
                      • whencut
                      • PTi
                      • 20 Apr 2011

                      I've been having this phone for a week. It has impressed me totally. I don't want a dual core for gaming using my mobile cos all gaming I do it in my laptop. The camera is awesome and the sound is damn gud. Love the pair of earphones cos they hav the right elements with a lil bass boost. SE rocks totally. If u want a good entertainment phone choose it anyday over Samsung or Moto. U'll never regret it.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-5927
                        • fnk
                        • 19 Apr 2011

                        cute but it lacks a capable video player

                          • D
                          • AnonD-930
                          • KIY
                          • 17 Apr 2011

                          veryyyyyy hard decision which buy xperia play or arc

                            • t
                            • the arc
                            • Pc5
                            • 16 Apr 2011

                            the arc is perfect , the 2.3 software is great i has a excellent touch screen the camera is very good , the screen is beautiful well organized from the factory , has the capability to use a modem and actually you can create your own wifi hotspot with this phone and also you can use this a remote for your lcd high end television, the battery life is very good so far , its a great phone and much diffrent from the x10 has alot more features and looks a hell of alot better to, sony is planning more thing for this phone so i would recommend to purchase this phone if your looking for a good smartphone , i think this will compete with the iphones and iphone 5 and overall its a 9 out of 10

                              • c
                              • chris se
                              • Pc5
                              • 15 Apr 2011

                              phone is awesome , has the capability to use as a modem , and you can use it as a remote control on your lcd tv through your hdmi cable, phone has a beautiful touch screen a great gingerbread software , great preloaded features for email , the facebook application is awesome , twitter is good , the camera is nice takes beautiful pictures, everything is perfect , love it use it everyday along with my x10 and xperia play

                                • D
                                • AnonD-5197
                                • qbY
                                • 15 Apr 2011

                                AnonD-6223, 15 Apr 2011y ppl fancy so much about dual-core where as single core ph... moreDual-core is said to be more energy efficient than previous processors. They can clock down to run less demanding application just like single-cores. Sony seems to optimize Android pretty well, I think they'd do wonders with dual-core. Not saying that single are bad, but of course dual would make things faster obviously.

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-6223
                                  • vI7
                                  • 15 Apr 2011

                                  y ppl fancy so much about dual-core where as single core phones are not good at battery life, wht abt dual core then???
                                  and more over what are the games u find in market which require dual core??
                                  for normal usage, i think Arc is the best in market
                                  well, i can live with single core any way :)

                                    • G
                                    • GeorgeGreece
                                    • 0Zt
                                    • 15 Apr 2011

                                    Does it plays Flac files? I mean all the high end smartphones support FLAC? Please answer me because i hear a lot of music with a very expensive Senheisser headphone.
                                    Thank you very much.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 5f6
                                      • 14 Apr 2011

                                      Fongy, 14 Apr 2011Hmmmm, after reading all of this... I wonder then that may... moreI would definitely go for SGS2, too, if the phone and the UI weren't so square.
                                      Impressively powerful phone but its look is such a turn off.
                                      Anyway, I think Arc, Play and Neo are just an intro to a new SE era. So hopefully we'll see a real flagship-specs phones next year to make you happy :D

                                        • F
                                        • Fongy
                                        • Gjj
                                        • 14 Apr 2011

                                        Hmmmm, after reading all of this...
                                        I wonder then that maybe the Arc should be considered the flagship of the mid-range phone category?
                                        If so - it's definitely the best in class...
                                        Because of the price difference / specs... maybe this shouldn't compete against GS2 / Evo 3D / Optimus 2x?
                                        I think if I weren't a power-user I'd definitely get this phone - by far the best for looks / specs for mid-range...
                                        And maybe that's the best market to aim for - the largest portion of people?
                                        It's just a shame Sony hasn't got something for the top end of the spectrum (people like me!)
                                        Guys - take a look at the Galaxy S2 preview - I think it's made my mind up on which phone to upgrade to...
                                        Unless you can come up with another one?!?!
                                        ;)