Today’s match-up is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S versus the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. It’s a simple case of new vs old – the original Arc was launched in January 2011 and so the ‘S’-class model represents a technological leap forward.
But how much has changed? Will the Arc be battered into the canvas by the superior gadgetry of the Arc S? Or is the Xperia Arc S just the same phone with bigger muscles? Read on and find out how good this upgraded Xperia handset really is…
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Round #1 – Connectivity:
As with any new phone, good wireless connectivity is vital. The Xperia Arc S features 3G/HSDPA (14.4Mbps), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR. There’s nothing different here when compared to the original Sony Ericsson Arc handset, which comes with 3G/HSDPA (7.2Mbps), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP.
Score: +1 to both phones (1-1)
Round #2 – Size & Weight:
While the Xperia Arc S has been upgraded in several other areas, its design isn’t one of them. Like the first Arc, it measures 125.0 x 63.0 x 8.7mm and tips the scales at a lightweight (and pocket-friendly) 117g.
Score: +1 to both phones (2-2)
Round #3 – Camera:
The Xperia Arc S’s built-in camera has a resolution of 8.0 MP, plus features that include: autofocus, an LED flash, touch focus functionality, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, image stabilization and 720p HD video recording. There’s also a front-facing camera for video chat/Skype.
The two phones match each other for megapixels – the Xperia Arc also packs a 8.0 Megapixel camera with autofocus, an LED flash, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face and smile detection and 720p video capture. No secondary camera here though, so the Arc lacks the ability to make video calls.
Score: +1 to Xperia Arc S (3-2)
Round #4 – Screen/keyboard:
The design of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc S features a 4.2-inch touch-sensitive LED-backlit LCD screen, with a resolution of 480 by 854 pixels. The pixels per inch (PPI) measurement here is 233.333.
The touch-sensitive LED-backlit LCD (‘Reality Display’) screen on the Xperia Arc has the same 4.2-inch dimensions. The screen resolution is exactly the same. Ditto the PPI. We’ll move swiftly on…
Score: +1 to both phones (4-3)
Round #5 – Processor:
In terms of processor speeds, this is where the two phones differ. The chip inside the Xperia Arc S is a 1.4GHz Scorpion CPU, ably assisted by an Adreno 205 graphics chip. It goes under the name of a Qualcomm MSM8255T Snapdragon. The Xperia Arc shows its age with an original Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon package, clocked at 1GHz.
Score: +1 to Xperia Arc S (5-3)
Round #6 – Software:
Both phones run Android 2.3
Score: +1 to both phones (6-4)
Round #7 – Applications:
How do the Xperia Arc and Xperia Arc S compare in terms of downloadable apps? Here, both phones come with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) installed, so the round finishes in a tie.
Score: +1 to both phones (7-5)
Round #8 – Storage:
In terms of storage capacity, the Xperia Arc S features 8 (and a bit) GB of internal storage, ditto the Xperia Arc. The Xperia Arc S also boasts a microSD slot to increase the maximum capacity to 32GB. A microSD slot on the Xperia Arc further boosts the overall memory on Sony Ericsson’s original Arc phone to 32GB.
Score: +1 to both phones (8-6)
Round #9 – Battery life:
With a fully topped-up battery cell, the Xperia Arc S weighs in with 7.5 hours of talktime; the Xperia Arc in comparison boasts 7.0 hours of talktime. In terms of standby times, Sony Ericsson’s phone can last 460 hours, while the first Arc boasts 400 hours. A win for the Xperia Arc S in this round.
Score: +1 to Xperia Arc S (9-6)
Note: The Standby time specification is an industry standard that is only intended to allow comparison of different mobile phones under the same circumstances. Power consumption in a standby state is strongly dependent on factors including: network, settings, location, movement, signal strength and cell traffic.
Round #10 – Extras:
The Xperia Arc S also includes GPS/A-GPS, a stereo FM radio (with RDS), a digital compass, HDMI port, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine image processing, DLNA content sharing and Wi-Fi Hotspot cleverness. In comparison, the Xperia Arc features GPS/A-GPS, DLNA content sharing, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine, Stereo FM radio with RDS, HDMI port, noise cancellation and a digital compass.
Score: +1 to both phones (10-7)
BPF Verdict: The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S wins!
Unless you look closely, it’s difficult to see why you’d opt for the new Arc S over the original Arc. It’s all about the speed, says Sony Ericsson. With its 1.4GHz processor, it apparently boasts a 25% faster camera start up and media conversion, along with 20% faster web page rendering.
See where these two phones rank on our Top 20 Best Smartphones list…
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