Smartphone Reviews: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

Arc de triumph


The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc's looks won us over as easily as its technology

by S Shiva
04:46 AM Apr 27, 2011

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is a pretty looking device, with an eye-catching 4.2-inch extra wide display housed in a sleekly-designed body, with just 8.7mm at its thinnest point.

The phone has a micro-HDMI jack placed next to the power button on the top. This port can be used to stream photos and videos straight to your high-definition television, using the cable that comes in the box.

The Xperia Arc has a multi-touch screen that boasts Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA Engine. Similar to the technology behind Sony's Bravia television, the engine enhances colour and detail for crisp display.

The engine manages sharpness, colour and contrast in real time, optimising viewing options for all types of multimedia. The display is constantly clear and bright, and looks especially impressive when viewing photos and videos taken in high definition (HD).

The size of the screen also makes it great for reading, editing photos and playing games on the phone.

The 8.1-megapixel camera allows excellent photo and video options. With a wide range of shooting options, it is able to produce high-quality results even in dim lighting. Shooting in low light is a delight thanks to its built-in Sony's Exmor R sensor, which is twice as light sensitive as conventional sensors.

The lens itself has an aperture of f/2.4, which allows more light to filter into the sensor. Pictures shot in low-light conditions turn out well when the Exmor R sensor and wide aperture are used together. If natural light is not your style, the LED flash can be used as additional light source.

The phone camera is also able to capture HD (720p) videos, which display sharp detail and vibrant colours - especially when viewed on the Xperia Arc's display screen.

The built-in speaker of the Xperia Arc does a good job and delivers a more impressive experience than the earphones that come with the phone.

The Xperia Arc is powered by the latest Android 2.3 - or Gingerbread - and comes preloaded with useful apps, including ShowNearby for Sony Ericsson, which allows for customised searches such as cinemas or ATMs nearby, with bus schedules and weather condition updates at the touch of a button.

The Xperia Arc also has great social networking skills with Timescape. Through Timescape, all social updates on Facebook or Twitter are grouped under each contact for easy viewing.

But all its capabilities and features drain the battery life quickly - especially if run at the same time - and the phone has to be charged daily on heavy usage. Another grouse we had was with the snail-paced start up time. It took nearly 20 seconds to boot up.

Overall, the Xperia Arc is an outstanding phone for anyone who wants a complete multimedia experience, with a powerful operating system and social network capabilities, all encased in a sleek, lightweight body.

The Xperia Arc is now available at S$888 without contract. S Shiva

Source: www.todayonline.com