Sony Ericsson Xperia arc review
Subtle and practical improvements to Android, a decent camera and a large, colourful screen make the arc tempting, but it may soon find itself outpaced by dual-core models.
The star of the show is Android 2.3, with its much-improved text selection and application management. Sony Ericsson has customised the user interface slightly – there’s no link to the Manage Applications setting from the home page’s menu, as on stock Android 2.3, but its improvements to the application tray are useful. The arc’s app tray slides horizontally rather than vertically, and you can sort apps and move them between trays, creating themed groups if you wish.
However, while the software is bang up to date, the arc’s hardware is in danger of becoming outmoded. Most new phones currently being announced have dual-core processors, making them far snappier than the current models. If you must have Android 2.3 now, then the Xperia arc is by no means a bad phone, but it seems expensive considering the more powerful phones just around the corner.
Details | |
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Price | £399 |
Rating | **** |
Hardware | |
Main display size | 4.2in |
Native resolution | 480×854 |
Second Display | No |
CCD effective megapixels | 8.1-megapixel |
Flash | LED |
Video recording format | MP4 |
Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB |
GPS | yes |
Internal memory | 512MB |
Memory card support | microSD |
Memory card included | 8192MB |
Operating frequencies | GSM 850/900/1800/1900, 3G 850/900/1900/2100 |
Wireless data | EDGE, HSPA |
Size | 125x63x11mm |
Weight | 117g |
Features | |
Operating system | Android 2.3 |
Microsoft Office compatibility | Word/Excel/PowerPoint/PDF viewers |
Email client | POP3/IMAP/Exchange |
Audio format support | MP3, AAC, OGG |
Video playback formats | 3GP, MP4, XviD |
FM Radio | yes |
Web Browser | Webkit |
Accessories | headset, data cable, charger, HDMI cable |
Talk time | 7 hours |
Standby time | 16.7 days |
Tested battery life (MP3 playback) | 32h 54m |
Buying Information | |
SIM-free price | £399 |
Price on contract | £30-per-month, 18-month contract |
SIM-free supplier | www.box.co.uk |
Contract/prepay supplier | www.vodafone.co.uk |
Details | www.sonyericsson.com |