Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

Raekwon

The SE Xperia Arc has been mentioned a few times in the Xperia X10 thread but I think it deserves a thread of it's own.






Camera
8.1 megapixel camera
Up to 2.46x smart zoom
Aperture f/2.4
Auto focus
Face detection
Flash/LED
Geo tagging
Image stabilizer
Noise suppression
Send to web
Smile detection
Sony Exmor R™ for mobile CMOS sensor
Touch Focus
Touch capture
Video light
Video recording, HD 720p

Music
Album art
Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
Media player
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
PlayNow™ service*
TrackID™ music recognition application
* This service may not be available in every market

Web
Bookmarks
Google™ search
NeoReader™ barcode scanner
Pan & zoom
Web browser (WebKit)

Communication
Call list
Conference calls
Facebook™ application*
Sony Ericsson Timescape™
Speakerphone
Vibrating alert
* This service may not be available in every market

Messaging
Conversations
Email
Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync®
Instant messaging
Picture messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Text messaging (SMS)

Design
Auto rotate
Keyboards (onscreen, QWERTY)
Picture wallpaper
Reality display
Sony Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
Touchscreen
Wallpaper animation

Entertainment
* This service may not be available in every market
3D games
Media browser
Motion gaming
Radio (FM)
Video streaming
Video viewing
YouTube™ *

Organiser
Android™ OS
Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Document readers
Flight mode
Infinite button
Phone book

Connectivity
3.5 mm audio jack
aGPS
Bluetooth™ technology
Google Maps™
HDMI
Modem
DLNA
USB mass storage
USB support
Wi-Fi™
Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation *
* This service may not be available in every market
Google™ services*
* These services may not be available in every market

Android Market™ Client
Gmail™
Google Calendar™
Google Gallery 3D™
Google Latitude™
Google Maps™ with Street View
Google Media Uploader
Google Music Player™
Google Phone-top Search
Google Search widget
Google Sync™
Google Talk™
Google Voice Search
Set-up Wizard
YouTube™

Screen
Sony Mobile Bravia Engine
16,777,216 colour TFT
Capacitive multi-touch
4.2 inches
854 x 480 pixels (FWVGA)
Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant mineral glass

Accessories
In-Box:
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ arc
Battery (1500mAh)
Stereo portable handsfree
Micro USB cable for charging, synchronisation and file transfer
User documentation

Facts
Size: 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm
Weight: 117 grams
Phone memory: Up to 512 MB
Memory card support: up to 32 GB
Memory card included: microSD™ 8 GB
Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3
Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 CPU (with Adreno 205 GPU)

Availability and versions

Networks
UMTS HSPA 900, 2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS HSPA 800, 850, 1900, 2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

Colour
Midnight Blue
Misty Silver

Xperia™ arc will be available in selected markets in Q1 2011.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmeTvxGVzZg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrYKmLYYTpk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFldMC_2dgI

dancingqueen

Wow- wonder how much this is gonna be...
I like it!

Raekwon

It is a really beautiful phone but knowing Sony Ericsson it will most likely be the most expensive Android phone on the market. Here is a pic of it in silver too:



I'm actually surprised that they didn't bump the specs up abit though. IMO the major selling point of the Xperia X10 was the 8.1MP camera but I would have expected the newer Xperia to have at least a 12.1MP camera (similar to the one in the Satio) and a Xeon flash to replace the crappy LED light.

Also the processor will be the Qualcomm 1GHz MSM8255 Snapdragon (the same processor that is used in the HTC Desire HD) and not the better MSM8655 version that HTC are going to using in the Thunderbolt. The better MSM8655 processor can process upto 1080p HD video recording so by going for the cheaper processor Sony Ericsson have limited the Arc to 720p HD video recording (same as the Xperia X10).

It will have Android 2.3 Gingerbread though!

Oafley Jones

Looks great. Only thing that bothers me is the 3.5mm jack on the side of the phone not a great idea on any phone let alone one this large where it's going to be fighting for pocket space anyway.

Raekwon

Not much buzz on here about this phone, I wonder if it was called the HTC Arc would it get more posts?

Btw I read on O2's official forum that the Xperia Arc will be getting released in April of this year on their network but no prices or further details were available yet.

Raekwon

Closer look at the camera on the Xperia Arc:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RdNfff_-0g

missingtime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsvSvXsWS-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7LXnouVFeE

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/24/sony-ericsson-xperia-arc-subjected-to-a-thorough-video-preview/

jesus_thats_gre

Used it the other day. Was running 2.3 but seemed a bit laggy. The rearnpanel is extremely flimsy too.

The handset weighs about the same as my Galaxy S and was about the same thickness - except for the centre.

Raekwon

This device will also be available in pink, but as far as I know it will be exclusive to Japan's NTT DOCOMO network

BeardyFunzo

Coming to 3 soon according to twitter, who are running a competition to win one.

http://www.tweetdeck.com/twitter/3online/~Xfc0N

Follow our news feed at 3_News to win. RT @3_News: Be the 1st person in Ireland to own a Sony Ericsson ARC Smartphone, thanks to @3_News & #AllYouCanEatData, follow us and RT the next tweet

Only has 320mb of ram in it and seeing as the tiny amount of memory in my nexus one is driving me mad, I'm kinda hoping I don't win!

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/corporate/products/phoneportfolio/specification/xperiaarc

gbob

Really like the look of this, might be the perfect replacement for my galaxy tab.

missingtime

Review up on Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/sony-ericsson-xperia-arc-review/

Brian

My thoughts on the Arc http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/01/07/ces-2011-deep-dive-preview-of-the-sony-ericsson-xperia-arc-video-walkthrough-and-details-galore/

Raekwon

Contract price, Name of price plan, Device price:

Meteor

€25 Smart €30 €159.99
€40 Smart €50 €109.99
€75 Smart Unlimited €59.99

€459 on Meteor Prepay


Vodafone

€35 Free Anytime €89.99
€45 Free Anytime €89.99
€60 Free Anytime €69.99
€80 Free Anytime €49.99
€99 Free Anytime €29.99

€400 on Vodafone Prepay


O2

€45 Advance 150 €169
€60 Advance 350 €129
€80 Advance 550 €99
€100 Advance 700 €0

Prepay €419


3

€40 Classic Flex Max €189
€60 Super Flex Max €139
€80 Mega Flex Max €69
€95 Ultimate Flex Max Free

3Pay €469


eMobile

€14 Select 100 €179.00
€24 Select 200 €159.00
€39 Select 300 €109.00
€39 Select 400 €109.00
€59 Select 500 €109.00
€84 Select Unlimited €59.00

Based on 18 month contracts

Zonda999

Actually slightly cheaper on Prepay than i would have thought! Then again its not dual core i guess, so the > €500 territory is certainly reserved for that particular feature at this stage!

I do like the look if it though, great how they've managed to make the case so small in relation to the screen, apparently, its only a couple of mm bigger than the original HTC Desire, which is impressive!

Raekwon

Yeah I was surprised at how cheap this device is prepaid especially considering that the Xperia X10 was still around the €500 mark a few months ago.

@ Baza210: Is the silver frame around the Arc actually metal or is it just plastic with chrome paint?

Brian

I'm pretty sure the Sony Ericsson rep told me it was metal, but looking around in recent reviews it seems that it's just plastic like you say.

Raekwon

That's a shame, I thought Sony Ericsson were finally going to deliver a sturdy device with a light aluminium frame as it actually looks like metal in the photos.

BrookieD

just got the Arc yesterday, Very very impressed with it so far, So thin and light. Fast UI, camera was one of the main reasons for the device as Sony make a decent cybershot. Performance is about a 7/10 for me, by far the leader of the pack for pure camera grunt is the Nokia N8.

Video recording 720p is very useable, good enough for a few recording sessions at the zoo on a family day out or the beach.

Battery is good so far and i have hammered it in the last day. Some quirks in updating weather widgets that would not locate until the GPS was on, Other devices use the location aware on the network!!!

One downside was you have to remove the battery to add or remove a SD card? could be better there.
Display is beautiful, vibrant but not quite Super Amoled.

Will update more on other areas once i used it a bit more.

If you like a thin smart phone on android and looking for a media powerhouse then get this phone. Highly recommended.

LukeS_

BrookieD wrote: »

just got the Arc yesterday, Very very impressed with it so far, So thin and light. Fast UI, camera was one of the main reasons for the device as Sony make a decent cybershot. Performance is about a 7/10 for me, by far the leader of the pack for pure camera grunt is the Nokia N8.

Video recording 720p is very useable, good enough for a few recording sessions at the zoo on a family day out or the beach.

Battery is good so far and i have hammered it in the last day. Some quirks in updating weather widgets that would not locate until the GPS was on, Other devices use the location aware on the network!!!

One downside was you have to remove the battery to add or remove a SD card? could be better there.
Display is beautiful, vibrant but not quite Super Amoled.

Will update more on other areas once i used it a bit more.

If you like a thin smart phone on android and looking for a media powerhouse
then get this phone. Highly recommended.

Have you watched any video on it yet? How's the 'Bravia engine'?

BrookieD

Just watched a HQ video from youtube streaming on HSDPA, Stunning is all i can say to that ;-)

BeanFlicker

@BrookieD

What phone did you upgrade from?

Will you keep us posted on the battery life etc, sound

BrookieD

BeanFlicker wrote: »

@BrookieD

What phone did you upgrade from?

Will you keep us posted on the battery life etc, sound

Desire HD was my last unit, only the camera let that down imop

Will keep you posted.

mooneyd

Have gone from the X10 to the ARC.
To be honest theres not alot different when you look at the phone at first.

But looking deaper, taking a step back and its really everything iv asked for or missed on my X10 at any stage.
The screen is larger, Great for internet and video.
Gingerbread seems a lot more fluid.
The HDMI output is cool. Angry Bird's on a 32 inch TV is EPIC!
And again full FLASH!

boosh_fan

gonna see how this one pans out. Still bound to my 18 month x10 contract but have had my ups & downs with the x10 over the past 12 months. Right now I'm frustrated by its unresponsiveness at times. Seems to always be when I'm in a hurry to call someone or take a photo.

Anyway, not very trusting of Sony Ericsson because of the problems I've had which is a shame as I've always been loyal to Sony for phones, cameras etc.

Keep the feedback coming

iwo

BrookieD wrote: »

Desire HD was my last unit, only the camera let that down imop

Will keep you posted.

Was it worth moving from dhd? What is the plastic like? Is speaker louder comparing to dhd?
Enjoy new toy...

BrookieD

Although made from plastic it does not feel cheap. not in the slightest but its dam light, feather light almost.

The speaker is top notch, i was in another room and the ring tone was heard all over the house, much much better than the very quite DHD, i could not hear that thing in my pocket.

mooneyd

boosh_fan wrote: »

gonna see how this one pans out. Still bound to my 18 month x10 contract but have had my ups & downs with the x10 over the past 12 months. Right now I'm frustrated by its unresponsiveness at times. Seems to always be when I'm in a hurry to call someone or take a photo.

Anyway, not very trusting of Sony Ericsson because of the problems I've had which is a shame as I've always been loyal to Sony for phones, cameras etc.

Keep the feedback coming

I know how you feel I bought 2 x10's the day they came out and had 5 replacement's since then but to be honest I don't hold a grudge about it.

and to be honest giving the x10 their first android handset I understand a little and now hope that the ARC, NEO & PLAY are all serious playiers this year

amiable

Love it. Love it. Love it.
Have it nearly a week now and its excellent imo.
Battery life could be a tiny bit better but its not a deal breaker imo.
Camera is very good and video is excellent.
Very light
Screen is amazing.

woop

lovely phone but just feels a bit flimsy........not that it probably is or will ever break but even compared to the galaxy s its a bit "plasitcky". It really is thin though, what I was expecting the nexus s to be like

a148pro

Just got this yesterday

Should point out that it is my first Android / Smartphone, as will be apparent from the shock and awe below

Obviously astonished at the technology

A few downsides

1 - and this is MASSIVE for me in practical terms, but for some reason when I turn the phone off the alarms dont work. Please someone tell me I'm doing something wrong. I am not leaving a phone which eats batteries on all night, drunken friends ringing me etc.

2 - the camera is good and very intelligent but you can only zoom on lower resolutions. In fairness, any shot taken with zoom on a camera phone is usually poor anyway but I was surprised at this. It also seems that you can't zoom at all in video mode.

3 - it does feel mighty flimsy, which I'd worry about. Got insurance for a camera for the first time, flimsyness and covetting scobies enough to warrant that.

Otherwise really impressed so far. Internet is excellent, had no difficulty connecting to my home wifi etc. Menu system really user friendly and customisable, even for a smart phone noob like me. The google speak thing would be great if it actually worked, but the garbled texts do provide amusement (always reminds me of that sketch with Nelson and his Newton in the Simpsons ).

Like I said, was new to this technology and saying 'Find cafe' into the phone, having it detect my location with GPS and then pull up map with a number of local cafes with user reviews, was pretty impressive.

Can someone sort out the alarm for me please?

Breezer

a148pro wrote: »

Can someone sort out the alarm for me please?

That's the same for all Android phones. Battery issue can be solved by plugging it in to charge at night, drunken friends can be sorted by putting the phone into Airplane mode (which effectively disables anything the phone needs an antenna for: phone, 3G, Wifi...)

a148pro

Gulp...

http://androidforums.com/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-mini-pro/304556-alarm-problems.html

http://talk.sonyericsson.com/message/64462


I'm sorry, but this is so fcuking frustrating

a148pro

Thanks Breezer, but I suspect Airplane mode will turn off the alarm too, I'll try now...

subway

yeah, use airplane mode instead of turning it off, you'll get used to that.

in relation to the arc, can anyone tell me if it charges over HDMI (or is that even possible)
would you make it to the end of a movie otherwise?

Breezer

a148pro wrote: »

Thanks Breezer, but I suspect Airplane mode will turn off the alarm too, I'll try now...

It won't, unless SE have done something strange.

a148pro

Thanks lads that worked, phew! Gonna have a further fiddle with it for a few days and conme back with further thoughts

osnola ibax

anyone have rebooting problems with this phone as described on other forums?

flynnduism

I've been looking at various forums for Arc info (as I'm planning to go and buy one tomorrow as an upgrade from my HTC Legend) and haven't seen such a problem being reported, can you link?

No major flaws being reported on XDA / androidforums as far as I can see?

amiable

Posting here using my arc right now and ive had no problems so far.
Good phone imo.
Starts up find for me :-)

osnola ibax

flynnduism wrote: »

I've been looking at various forums for Arc info (as I'm planning to go and buy one tomorrow as an upgrade from my HTC Legend) and haven't seen such a problem being reported, can you link?

No major flaws being reported on XDA / androidforums as far as I can see?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1047956

http://talk.sonyericsson.com/message/68976

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=35313373389&topic=25240

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=35313373389&topic=25203&post=138536

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1022910

Don't mean to alarm anyone now, was also looking at the phone as it wont cost me anything to upgrade

Bluefoam

Looks like Sony have really changed their approach with this phone. It seems like a great device... I've got a Mini Pro & I hate it with a passion & only use it as a spare. The Arc really does look good.

osnola ibax

Just on another matter, did anyone buy their device from Meteor, if so what accessories were included. Did it have a HDMI out cable

amiable

osnola ivax wrote: »

Just on another matter, did anyone buy their device from Meteor, if so what accessories were included. Did it have a HDMI out cable

I got mine on meteor but it didn't come with the HDMI cable.
I wasn't aware that it came on any of the networks to be honest:)

osnola ibax

There's reports on xda of it coming with HDMI, leather pouches, 16 MB SD cards depending on which country you are in. Obviously living in rip off Ireland, we are not the beneficiaries of such extravagance

marcbrophy

osnola ivax wrote: »

There's reports on xda of it coming with HDMI, leather pouches, 16 MB SD cards depending on which country you are in. Obviously living in rip off Ireland, we are not the beneficiaries of such extravagance

It appears from O2's website that they give the HDMI cable with there Arc's:

• Handset
• AC charger
• Battery
• Stereo Headset
• MicroSD™16GB
• HDMI cable
• screen protector
• Micro USB cable
• Quick User Guide

Link

Walkman

HDMI cable included in 3's box too

Guy:Incognito

I want to use my upgrade to get an Arc but its been out of stock on Vodafones site for 3 weeks now.

flynnduism

I got it on Meteor yesterday (via the Carphonewarehouse on Grafton St, as Meteor were out of stock all over Dublin, CPW had 3 left).

8gb microSD
Charger / USB lead
HDMI lead
Screen protectors (1 already on phone, 1 spare)
Headphones (I think, must double check box later)

No leather case, no headset. 16gb would have been a nice surpise, I don't think any Irish networks ever include them though. I don't mind as I already have a 16gb from my last phone.

Loving it so far, big big jump up in overall quality from my HTC Legend (2.2). Much faster, the bigger screen makes a huge difference. Camera is brilliant too (here's a snap taken yest)

The stock launcher is a custom Sony Ericsson one, it's really nice - I may keep using it over Launcher Pro. The message and music apps are great too, I may keep these rather than using Handcent SMS / Winamp

Finding the lack of a trackball and a search button a bit odd after using HTC for so long, but I'm sure I'll get used to it

osnola ibax

flynnduism wrote: »

I got it on Meteor yesterday (via the Carphonewarehouse on Grafton St, as Meteor were out of stock all over Dublin, CPW had 3 left).

8gb microSD
Charger / USB lead
HDMI lead
Screen protectors (1 already on phone, 1 spare)
Headphones (I think, must double check box later)

No leather case, no headset. 16gb would have been a nice surpise, I don't think any Irish networks ever include them though. I don't mind as I already have a 16gb from my last phone.

Loving it so far, big big jump up in overall quality from my HTC Legend (2.2). Much faster, the bigger screen makes a huge difference. Camera is brilliant too (here's a snap taken yest)

The stock launcher is a custom Sony Ericsson one, it's really nice - I may keep using it over Launcher Pro. The message and music apps are great too, I may keep these rather than using Handcent SMS / Winamp

Finding the lack of a trackball and a search button a bit odd after using HTC for so long, but I'm sure I'll get used to it

Cool. Just a couple of questions. Is the phone unlocked? Is it branded? I've ordered mine from the Meteor online store so I should get it next week sometime.

flynnduism

It's unbranded (on Meteor anyways), but does come with Sony Ericsson apps and their customised UI, though I've found this to be much nicer than expected.

I tested the phone with a Maxroam SIM and it worked fine, showing up on the O2 network as roaming. It's the only non-Meteor SIM I have; not sure if this proves it's unlocked but I would guess that's the case (previous Android phones I've had from Meteor have not been locked either).

Like with HTC sense, there's a bunch of flashy widgets and media apps that look nice but aren't of any real use to me. It's also got the BBC iPlayer pre-installed, which doesn't work in Ireland at all so looks like Meteor are using a configuration that was intended for UK customers.

I've had problems with the Firefox browser app, keeps freezing up on me. Using Dolphin browser / Opera / the stock browser has been fine though, so uninstalled FF.