Review of Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S: powerful stuffing in the same case. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S - Specifications Specifications Sony ericsson arc s

17 / 03 / 2011

In early 2011, a smartphone was introduced at CES in Las Vegas, which quite unexpectedly became one of the main trends of the entire event. The fact is that at that time it was the thinnest smartphone in the world (8.7 mm), the only one that worked on android versions 2.3, and also had Sony's parent technologies: a sensor Sony cameras Exmor R with backlight technology, BRAVIA mobile engine for post-processing of the image on the screen in viewing mode. We already got very detailed material about this smartphone, and with the advent of a commercial sample, it remains only to check the time battery life and the quality of pictures and videos.

At the top there is a power button, a micro-HDMI connector under a plug (this connector is needed to connect to a TV for video playback). On the right side - micro-USB, volume keys and start the camera / shooting. Standard set. It is a pity that the 3.5 mm mini-jack was moved to the side, now it is on the left side. Connecting headphones has become less convenient. You will have to look for headsets with angled connectors, because the complete earbuds are not suitable for everyone.

Camera

Here is another nod to the developers, good cameras(and especially good video and sound recording) for Android smartphones is an absolute rarity. More precisely, there are simply no devices with normal video on the market, and we could verify this even on the example of LG Optimus 2X and samsung galaxy S II, which write in Full HD (1080x1920 pixels), but do not differ in quality. Sound recording by all modern Android flagships is terrible, loud sounds turn into wheezing and clanging, you shouldn’t even think about recording at concerts, parties. The situation was not bad in X10, but 720p recording was added only 8 months after the release, with an update to Android 2.1.

Android 2.3 and software platform

From the beginning of sales will be running the latest version of the OS, Android 2.3.2 Gingerbread. over standard Android has its own interface, as well as proprietary application Timescape, just like in Xperia X10. Widgets have changed, I liked the gallery widget in the form of a thumbnail wheel, it is convenient to view images and videos right in the standby mode.

Its processor and volume random access memory, as it became known later, turned out to be similar to other smartphones of the company in 2011. On the one hand, this is good, because even the younger devices offer a 1-GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM. On the other hand, it’s bad, since the entire “flagship” of the Xperia Arc has been reduced to a large display and a thin body.

Passively watching how competitors announce dual-core Android phones, and users make a choice based on the frequency of the processor, the company did not and decided to bring an improved version of the Xperia Arc S to the market. The model differs from the Xperia Arc by the frequency of the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 GHz instead of 1 GHz) and additional colors - black, white and pink. Consider the device!

Specifications Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S (LT18i):

• Network: GSM/GRPS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA (900/2100 MHz)
• Platform (at the time of announcement): Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread)
• Display: touch, capacitive, 4.2", 854 x 480 pixels, 16 million colors, Sony Mobile Bravia Engine, TFT, mineral glass
• Camera: 8.1MP, autofocus, flash, face detection, geotagging, 720p HD video recording, Sony Exmor R sensor
• Processor: 1.4 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255
• Graphics Chip: Adreno 205
• RAM: 512 MB
• Internal memory: 320 MB (out of 1 GB)
• Memory card: microSD (up to 32 GB)
• A-GPS
• WiFi (802.11b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 3.5mm jack
• micro USB 2.0
• FM radio with RDS
• Digital compass, position, proximity and light sensors
• Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MIDI, OGG
• Video: 3GP, MP4
• Photo: JPEG, BMP, WBMP, PGN, GIF, PNG
• Battery: 1500 mAh
• Talk time: up to 7 hours 25 minutes in 2G networks, up to 7 hours 35 minutes in 3G networks
• Standby time: up to 460 hours
• Operating time in mode music player: up to 37 hours
• Video playback time: up to 6 hours 25 minutes
• Dimensions: 125 x 63 x 8.7 (10.9) mm
• Weight: 117 g
• Form factor: monoblock with touchscreen
• Type: smartphone
• Equipment: Charger EP800, 16 GB memory card, EC600R USB cable, IM820 HDMI cable, BA750 battery, MH650 stereo headset, documentation
• Colors: black, white, pink
• Announce date: August 31, 2011
• Release Date: Q4 2011

Design, construction and equipment

Official Russian equipment Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S includes EP800 charger, 16GB memory card, EC600R USB cable, IM820 HDMI cable, BA750 battery, MH650 stereo headset, documentation. In a number of European countries, an 8 GB memory card is inserted into the phone and is not in the box HDMI cable(our case).

In Russia, Xperia Arc S was released in autumn in three colors other than Xperia Arc: white, black and pink. We got a black version for testing, made of glossy plastic. There are no structural differences between Xperia Arc S and Xperia Arc.

The front side contains light and proximity sensors, a speaker, a 4.2 ”display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels (protected by mineral glass and an invisible sticker), three hardware keys (back, home, menu) and logos - Sony Ericsson and Xperia. The 3.5mm headphone jack is not very well located on the left side. On the right side, there is a small camera button, a volume rocker, a microUSB port, and an LED. At the top end there was a place for an HDMI port and a miniature off/lock button. On the back, there is an 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, logos and a speaker. You can remove the microSD and SIM only after removing the 1500 mAh battery.

Usually thin and large phones do not fit very comfortably in the hand, but the Xperia Arc S is a pleasant exception. If you take it in your hand, then thanks to the rounded back cover in the form of an arch, it will touch the palm of your hand. Both right-handers and left-handers with medium-sized hands can press all the buttons with one hand. In general, I liked the design of the phone, although the lock key could have been made more expressive. The small thickness has imposed a restriction on the location of the connectors, as a result of which the 3.5 mm jack is located on the side - it is unlikely that you will be able to listen to music in headphones and keep the phone in your pants pocket. Because of thin body The device does not have a front camera.

Software

As of mid-December, the Xperia Arc S is based on Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread). The build version is 4.0.2.A.0.42. Let me remind you that the phone, like other Sony Ericsson smartphones of 2011, will receive Android Ice Cream Sandwich in the first quarter of 2012.

I don’t see the point in detailing the graphical interface and software suite of the Xperia Arc S, since they are no different from what the Xperia Pro and Xperia Neo offer. But I will dwell on some points.

First, it's impossible not to mention Facebook inside the Xperia. This service integrates a popular social network into your phone, allowing you to easily share your favorite music or photos, add users to phone book, link your calendar, see what your friends are watching, listening to and playing.

Secondly, the Xperia Arc S offers a large number of widgets for every taste. Thirdly, the Xperia Arc S is pre-installed with many programs for a wide range of tasks. With their help, you can listen to your favorite songs, watch photos and videos, find out your current location, news and weather, communicate on social networks, read documents, watch news and weather, etc. and so on.

The graphical shell of Xperia has no name and Sony Ericsson is not focusing on it yet. However, it deserves to be labeled and everything is going to the fact that Sony will begin to promote it in the same way as Samsung and HTC do with their TouchWiz and Sense. The interface of Xperia, in my opinion, is in no way inferior to TouchWiz and Sense, it looks stylish, it works quickly.

Camera

The Xperia Arc S uses an 8.1MP Exmor R sensor camera with autofocus, flash and HD video recording. The program supports geotagging, several modes of photography, creating 3D panoramas. Xperia Arc S shoots at the level of other 8.1-megapixel Sony Ericsson phones, which is not surprising, because they use the same modules.

A few shots for comparison with competitors:

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S left and Apple iPhone 4S right:

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S on the left and Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo on the right:

Video for evaluating the quality of the video:

User Experience

According to the manufacturer, the Xperia Arc S with a 1.4 GHz processor is on average 25% more productive than the 1 GHz Xperia Arc (turning on the camera and processing media files are 25% faster, and pages load about 20% faster). Unfortunately, it was not possible to compare the speed of Arc S with the original Arc, but Xperia Neo turned out to be at hand, which is very close to Arc in terms of hardware. The comparison showed that, yes, Xperia Arc S really opens applications faster, but the difference is so insignificant (not even in seconds) that it makes no sense to change Xperia Arc to Xperia Arc S. Also, if you choose between them, then I would prefer the model that is cheaper. Or made a choice of colors ( white Xperia Arc S is very good, as is pink), but the black case attracts fingerprints like a magnet.

In the Quadrant test, Xperia Arc S scored 1957 points, Xperia Neo - 1520, Xperia Active- 1532. Results in AnTuTu: 3672, 2994 and 3087 points, respectively. Results in the Vellamo benchmark: Xperia Arc S - 1006 points, Xperia Neo - 816 points.

Both Arc and Arc S attract attention with their design and the impression is not spoiled by the fact that the cases are entirely made of plastic. old flagship The Xperia X10 started to squeak a lot over time, but the Xperia Arc S holds up well considering how many times I've removed the lid and how many times testers have done it before me.

The phone is loud - significantly louder than the Xperia Neo. Touchpad high-quality - responds well to touch and has good viewing angles. Thanks to the no air gap technology (the absence of an air gap between the glass and the display), the picture is, as it were, directly under the glass - this immediately catches the eye. But the usefulness of the Mobile BRAVIA Engine function (improves the quality of photos and videos), I have not fully determined. If I do not inspire myself, then it really makes the picture a little juicier.

Xperia Arc S running time when playing HD-video in MP4 format (at maximum screen brightness, with enabled wireless modules and GPS) was 4 hours 52 minutes. The Xperia Neo lasted 5 hours 31 minutes, the Nokia N9 5 hours 20 minutes and the iPhone 4S 6 hours 52 minutes. The phone's operating time when playing video is limited to 6 hours 25 minutes (against 7 hours and 25 minutes for the Xperia Arc). In mode normal use without active web surfing, the device can last a couple of days on a single charge.

There are a lot of standard applications, as mentioned above. Of course, not all of them are useful, and those that are missing can be downloaded from the Android Market in two seconds. Fortunately, the phone supports Wi-Fi and HSPA (14.4 Mbps).

Outcome

The end of the year is approaching and some results can be summed up. The line of the Japanese-Swedish vendor in 2010 looked depressing, and few believed that in 2011 he would be able to produce competitive solutions. But after the Xperia Arc, the Xperia Pro, Xperia Ray, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Active, Live with Walkman saw the light - all of them are among the best in their classes. The Xperia Arc S, which was released in Q4, cannot match the muscles with the Samsung Galaxy S 2, LG Optimus 3D or HTC Sensation XL. But design is on her side user-friendly interface and that ordinary Android users are unlikely to notice the difference in performance between a single-core 1.4GHz smartphone and a phone with a dual-core processor.

Sony Ericsson will soon become just Sony, but I am sure that it will not stop producing excellent smartphones. According to the latest leaks, interesting decisions are planned for 2012, at the head of which are again put not only characteristics, but also design. Phones in the modern world are accessories. And the company understands this like no other.

Positioning

What is needed to extend the "life" of a good device, released a year ago and still on sale? The easiest way is to slightly improve the "iron" characteristic and add some index to the model name. In fact, this is what Sony Ericsson did with their successful Arc: they added the Latin letter “S” after the name and installed an overclocked Qualcomm processor MSM8255T. In addition, we decided to change the color a little. Now Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is available in white and pink, and there is also a universal one - black "Arc".

Due to the fact that the review of the SE Arc has already been, and the Arc S practically does not differ from its predecessor, I will not describe many points: I will pay more attention to the performance tests of the “old” and “new” devices.

Design, dimensions, controls

understand by appearance, where is the Xperia Arc, and where is the Xperia Arc S, is not easy. Recognizable only by color back cover. For example, for the "first" Arc, it was made with a gradient - from dark silver to black, and for the "second" it was completely black. Also, the previous model did not have pink and white color corps. This is where all the visual differences end.

If there are no fingerprints and small scratches on the white cover of the device, then on all other colors they are very noticeable. When squeezed in the hand, the body of the SE Arc S crunches unpleasantly. However, the design of the device is quite ergonomic.

On the front panel are light and proximity sensors. Next to it is a speaker. Its volume is very high, the timbre is pleasant, the interlocutor is heard clearly and legibly. Unfortunately, in new modification did not add a front camera, although it would be appropriate here. The screen is protected by mineral glass. True, the display still has a film pasted on it, which is quickly wiped off. At the bottom of the device there are three buttons: "Back", "Home" and "Menu". They are pressed very gently, but the stroke is small.

On the left side there is a standard 3.5 mm audio output, on the right side there is a volume rocker, microUSB and an indicator of missed events, as well as a small camera activation button. Frankly, it is quite inconvenient to use it because of the size and placement (close to the edge of the bottom end). At the bottom there is a microphone and a strap attachment bracket, at the top there is a key for turning the phone on and off and a microHDMI connector under a plastic cap.

The speaker, camera eye, LED flash and an additional microphone are located on the back side.

Samsung Omnia W and Sony Ericsson Arc S (right):

Samsung Ace and Sony Ericsson Arc S (right):

HTC Mozart and Sony Ericsson Arc S (left):

Samsung i9000 and Sony Ericsson Arc S (left):

Display

Screen diagonal - 4.2 "(physical size 93x52 mm), resolution - 480x854 pixels (density - 233 pixels per inch). "No air gap" technology is used, i.e. there is no air layer between the matrix (LED-backlit LCD) and protective glass. The sensitivity of the capacitive touch layer is high.

Viewing angles are small: under the slopes the picture loses contrast. Color rendition at a right viewing angle is pleasant and rich. Perhaps thanks to the "Mobile BRAVIA Engine". But in any case, Super AMOLED Plus loses a lot to the matrix and even Super AMOLED.

In short, all the specifications and screen parameters are comparable to the SE Xperia Arc. Light display:

Comparison of Samsung displays Galaxy Note(SuperAMOLED) (left), Sony Ericsson Arc (LED-backlit LCD), Samsung Galaxy S (SuperAMOLED), Samsung Omnia W (SuperAMOLED), HTC Mozart (S-LCD), Samsung Ace (TFT-LCD), Nokia 700* (CleareBlack AMOLED) (Right):

* - the brightness of the Nokia 700 display at maximum brightness is higher than in the photo. This is due to the fact that I shot in the dark, and the phone's ambient light sensor slightly dimmed the backlight of the display.

Battery

The Xperia Arc S uses the same removable 1500mAh BA750 Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery as the Xperia Arc. According to official data, the phone will work in standby mode for about 460 hours (for the "first" Arc this time is 430 hours), in talk mode - up to 7 hours and 30 minutes (for the "first" Arc - about 7 hours), music playback - up to 37 hours (for the "first" Arc - up to 30 hours). In general, the difference is small.

To test battery life, set special application antutu tester. The results were interesting: the device scored 494 points, leaving behind the Samsung Galaxy SL, Galaxy S2 and LG Optimus 2X.

In the course of practical operation, the following figures were obtained: in standby mode, the smartphone worked for about a week, up to 20 hours when playing music at maximum volume (in headphones) and up to 5 hours when playing HD video at automatic backlight brightness. On average, with 20-25 minutes of calls per day, one hour of shooting photos and videos, the same amount of listening to music, four hours of Wi-Fi (typing on the keyboard - Twitter and Skype) and two hours of watching movies, the battery was discharged in 10-11 hours. Approximately the same figures for Sony Ericsson Arc or slightly less.

Communication options

The Xperia Arc S smartphone works in 2G (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) and 3G networks (HSDPA 900 / 2100). Speed ​​GPRS - up to 86 Kbps, EDGE - up to 237 Kbps, HSDPA and HSUPA - up to 14 Mbps and 5.8 Mbps, respectively. Eat WiFi standard 802.11b/g/n. To distribute the Internet, it can be used as an access point. Supported by DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), a standard that allows compatible devices transmit and receive home network various media content (image, music, video), as well as display it in real time. Bluetooth version 2.1 with A2DP is used for data and voice transmission.

Memory, memory card

In Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, as in all Xperia lineup, 512 MB of RAM installed. Although they could increase to 720 MB or 1 GB. About 300 MB of free internal Flash memory (only 1 GB) is also somewhat embarrassing for a flagship model. Comes with a 16 GB card. The maximum supported micrSD card capacity is up to 32 GB.

Camera

As in the previous model, an 8-megapixel camera module is installed, there is an LED flash. But the front camera is still missing. It is clear that not everyone uses it, but if you upgrade your smartphone, then you could install it. It makes no sense to describe the section in detail, it is better to read the review. I will give examples of photos and a couple of videos. I will only note that the camera shoots very well, and the sound in video clips has a fairly wide stereo base.

From the photo file we get the following detailed description EXIF:

Video file characteristic:

• Format: MP4
• Video: AVC, 6000 Kbps
• Resolution: 1280 x 720, 30 fps
• Audio: AAC, 128 kbps
• Channels: 2 channels, 48.0 kHz

Photo examples:

Performance

Well, here we come to the most interesting part.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc has a Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset and a 1 GHz processor. The Xperia Arc S has the same chipset, but with the "T" index. This means that at the factory the clock frequency of the processor was increased to 1.4 GHz. Interestingly, the MSM8255 can also run 400 MHz faster, but for this it will have to be overclocked manually. The graphics accelerator is the same - Adreno 205. There are no more differences.

Visually, the SE Arc S performs the same as the Arc S. Below are a few performance tests and browser benchmarks of the two devices. For control, the third device will be the SE Xperia Play, built on the same technological base as the Xperia Arc.

Brief technical information.

Reliable and durable mobile phone for people leading an active lifestyle. Made with durable plastic. The material is scratch resistant. With careful handling, the device can be used for a long time. The phone has compact size and doesn't take up much space.On the front side mobile phone Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S (LT18i) Proximity and light sensors are placed. The latter is responsible for automatically adjusting the brightness of the mobile phone screen depending on the level of illumination. Next to them is a volume speaker. Its volume is high and you can hear the call even on a noisy street. The display of the device is protected from scratches in the form of mineral glass. As additional protection special film may be used.

On the left side of the touch smartphone Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S (LT18i) has a headphone jack. On the right side, you can find the volume key, indicator light, micro usb and the camera launch button. At the bottom of the case, you can see a microphone and a mount for using a lanyard. It provides secure fixation of the mobile phone in the hand.On the back of the mobile phone, you can find a camera eye, a flash, a speaker, and another microphone. The display diagonal is 4.2 inches. Resolution 480 by 854 pixels. The sensitivity of the capacitive sensor is quite high. They are convenient to use. The viewing angles of the picture on the screen are not very large. Color reproduction without distortion. The picture is bright and saturated.

The mobile phone uses a lithium polymer accumulator battery. It has a capacity of 1500mAh. With an average use of the phone, the battery can last about 2-3 days. It can be fully charged in less than two hours.The gadget has 512MB of RAM. This is quite enough for the effective use of the phone. Hanging and braking was not noticed. If desired, the user can install memory cards and thereby increase the functionality of the device. In mobile phone Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S (LT18i) Supports maximum memory up to 32 GB.As software Android platform is used. It provides acceptable mobile phone performance. In general, the device has an optimal price-quality ratio.

Buy sony phone Ericsson Xperia arc S (LT18i) at a low price is available on our website.

As for shooting video, almost the same settings are available here as in photo mode. The maximum resolution for videos is 1280x720 at 30 frames per second. In addition to it, you can set 854x480, 640x480, 320x240 or 320x240.

Performance, autonomy, software

At the heart of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is a Qualcomm QSD8255 processor running at 1 GHz, as well as a 512 megabyte RAM array. A nice addition to the powerful hardware was the use latest version Android - 2.3 Gingerbread. All pages in the browser (of course, with flash support) open cheerfully, navigation through them occurs without delay. Compatibility with the entire range of applications from the Android Market is guaranteed.

One of strengths models have become extended multimedia capabilities- this is especially true for the Android platform, which is often characterized by rather insufficient support for media functionality. Arc has one of the best photomodules, which has already been mentioned, as well as a microHDMI connector responsible for transferring images to external media. In addition, the manufacturer has provided a proprietary software shell that hides the classic Android interface. It is built on a combination of two applications: Timescape and Mediascape. The first collects information about activity in connected social network accounts - Facebook, Twitter. Information about calls and SMS has also been added to the general feed. Thus, the entire history of any “social” changes and actions is collected on the screen, which is very convenient. It's disappointing that Timescape's functionality is noticeably inferior to dedicated social media clients, in fact, you can only read a new message. To view a photo or a web page, this interface is not used, but a standard browser.

Mediascape offers an alternative interface for browsing the gallery and music library. The interface offered by Sony Ericsson is almost in no way inferior to HTC Sense, which has already become the benchmark for Android add-ons. The latter only looks prettier, especially his latest version. However, in terms of customization and shell customization, we observe complete parity. By the way, specialists from Sony Ericsson adapted their interface to low-resolution screens in a very interesting way, namely, to Xperia smartphones mini and Xperia mini pro. However, we will talk about them in a separate article.

conclusions

In general, despite the fact that the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is no longer a hot novelty, it is very good and interesting. Some may argue that he does not have dual-core processor, unlike flagship solutions from other manufacturers. It really is. But in essence, what does it change? There are still very few applications that would use the potential of two cores. The available performance is enough for any task. The design is beautiful and unique. Sony Ericsson cares about the appearance of their devices like no other. In principle, there can be no comparison with similar bars from Samsung or LG. The camera is objectively one of the best in the Android environment. Well, the price has come down a bit. For example,