Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S Hands-on

The Sony Ericsson Xperia arc was a critically acclaimed turning point for the manufacturer's Xperia line. Delivering a more robust UI than its predecessor, the X10, it also enjoyed one of the slickest designs we've seen on a smartphone, a great camera and a beautiful screen. In spite of all these qualities, Its appeal was tarnished shortly after release, with LG, Samsung and HTC all dropping their dual-core handsets onto the market. So despite no major slowdown on the device itself, in consumers' eyes at least, 1GHz suddenly seemed slow.

So while it's a bit early for an entirely new handset, in a tried and tested mobile industry fashion, Sony Ericsson has released a specced-up stop-gap device and thrown the letter 'S' in for good measure. What you get is the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S, with a 1.4GHz processor as well as 2D and 3D Sweep Panorama functionality for the camera. Suffice to say this adds to the already competent spec sheet, with its 4.2" screen (480 x 854 pixels), 512MB RAM, 8MP AF camera, not to mention Gingerbread under the hood. Needless to say, the bumped up processor results in speedier interaction, most noticeable in camera module which opens 20% faster and web browsing, which handles flash videos that little bit smoother. The 3D Sweep Panorama can be appreciated on any 3D TV that requires glasses, otherwise, the 2D panorama can be outputted via HDMI or viewed on the handset itself.


Having given the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S the once over, it won't come as a shock to anyone that this isn't an entirely new device and won't prompt current Xperia arc users to upgrade. That said, with smooth performance and the same fantastic styling as found on the original, only this time in white, we can see the appeal of this reprise and look forward to getting a review unit so we can give you a full run down. Those who'd want to purchase the handset though, will have to wait at least until the end of the month, which is when some retailers will start shipping it.