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It seems that Sony Ericsson is back on track. Only one month after the launch of Android 2.3 (aka Gingerbread), SE has launched the Xperia arc, a high-end device that runs the previous mentioned version of Android. It was released during the 2011 CES event, just a few days ago, and now we have the opportunity to take a sneak peak.
So let’s get down to the numbers and see what this new Xperia arc has to offer. Measuring 125 x 63 mm the phone it’s quite big, but nowadays all high-end devices tend to be a bit on the large side. But on the upside the SE Xperia arc is one of the thinnest phones we’ve ever seen. It’s a mind blowing 8.7mm at its thinnest point and only 10mm at its thickest. That’s possible, due to the curved design of the Xperia arc.
The screen is huge, a 4.2″ 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. As for the camera, there’s an 8 megapixel sensor on board. It supports auto-focus, touch focus, smile detection and 720p video recording. Next up is the connectivity department and the SE has nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve got Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack and last but not least a microHDMI port.
All the processing power is given by the Qualcomm MSM8255 1 GHz Snapdragon, a CPU that has showed it’s capabilities in devices like the HTC Desire HD. The device has a total of 278MB of internal storage, 521MB of RAM and microSD slot for extra memory (an 8GB card will be included in the box).
These specifications have become quite standard on any new Android device. But what sets apart the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc from other devices is the magic that Sony have done, when customizing the UI. SE has introduced 2 new technologies: namely the Timescape UI and the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine. Both serve the same purpose, that of making the user experience as thrilling as possible.
The phone is a big improvement compared to the “outdated” Xperia X10, and at the design chapter is where the improvements are noticeable. This phone is a joy to watch, it’s thin, slick and has curved lines. The phone is all made of plastic and the screen is easy to cover with finger prints. But the device feels very solid, which is a really a big thing for a device measuring only 8.7mm thick.
The screen is 4.2″ FWVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels). Because all the other manufactures have named their displays (Retina, SuperAMOLED, Super Clear LCD or ClearBack) Sony Ericsson decided to name their display to, so they called it Reality. Is it special? Yes it is. The Sony Mobile Bravia Engine really improves the user experience. This new technological feature improves contrast and image sharpness. As a result the Xperia arc has one of the best displays on the market.
On the front panel the usual Android buttons are present (Home, Menu and Back) and there is also a proximity sensor located above the display.
On the right side we have a volume rocker, the camera button, a microUSb port and a LED status light. The camera button is a nice feature and will certainly make a lot of people happy. On the left side we have a standard 3.5mm jack and on top we have the power button and the HDMI port (covered by a plastic protection). On the back we have a 8 megapixel camera, without any protection, but assisted by a small LED flash.
As for the performance of this handset, we have only one thing to say, it’s incredibly fast. On the benchmark it performed better that any Android 2.2 device which is a big improvement from other SE Android phones. With the new version of Android, the word “lag” should be a thing of the past. Did we mention the 1Ghz Scorpion CPU? And the good news do not stop here. Alongside there’s an Adreno 205 GPU, so the CPU doesn’t have to deal with the video computation. This makes the Xperia Arc a brilliant device for 3D gaming or even HD video playback.
Energy consumption has become a huge issue in all the new smartphones and the SE makes no exception. It has a 1500mAh battery, which should provide enough power for 430 hours of stand-by or up to 7 hours of talk time. Then again for the level of performance you get, the battery is one of your least concerns. If a charging your phone on a daily basis is not an option, be sure to pack a spare battery.
All that remains to see is when the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc will be launched and how much will it cost.
