The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc Android smartphone
Sony Ericsson's XPERIA Arc is the first of many XPERIA-branded Android phones to debut in 2011. Aside from the much publicised Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play, dubbed the 'PlayStation phone', the XPERIA Arc is the company's flagship smartphone for the first half of the year, meaning it will compete with Apple's iPhone 4.
Check out our detailed preview of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc and see our roundup of the best upcoming smartphones in 2011.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc has a big emphasis on design: It is just 8.7mm thick at its thinnest point and utilises a unique curved case. It has a large, LED-backlit 4.2in display, a 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM.
With this in mind, how does the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc stack up against the iPhone 4 when it comes to specifications?
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc vs. Apple iPhone 4: Specifications
| Feature | Apple iPhone 4 | Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc | Verdict? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system (OS) | Apple iOS | Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread | Draw |
| Display size | 3.5in | 4.2in | XPERIA Arc |
| Display technology | Capacitive retina IPS | LED-backlit LCD 'Reality Display' | Unknown |
| Display resolution | 640x960 pixels | 480x854 pixels | iPhone 4 |
| Multitouch | Yes | Yes | Draw |
| Camera | 5 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus, geotagging | 8 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus, geotagging, image stabilisation, face and smile detection | XPERIA Arc |
| FM radio | No | Yes | XPERIA Arc |
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Draw |
| Internal memory | 16GB or 32GB | 320MB | iPhone 4 |
| Expandable memory | No | microSD card slot | XPERIA Arc |
| Dimensions | 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm | 125 x 63 x 8.7mm | XPERIA Arc |
| Weight | 137g | 117g | XPERIA Arc |
| Application store | Apple App Store | Google Android Market | iPhone 4 |
| Processor | Apple A4 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 'Scorpion' (1GHz) | Unknown |
| 3G networks | HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 | HSDPA 900/1900/2100 | iPhone 4 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11b/g/n | Draw |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 with A2DP | 2.1 with A2DP | Draw |
| HDMI-out | No | Yes | XPERIA Arc |
| Quoted talk time | Up to 7 hours | Up to 7 hours | Draw |
| Quoted standby time | Up to 300 hours | Up to 400 hours | XPERIA Arc |
| Adobe Flash support | No | Yes | XPERIA Arc |
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc vs. iPhone 4: Design and display
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc is just 8.7mm thick at its thinnest point and is constructed from a combination of gloss and matte plastic. It may be a larger handset than the iPhone 4, but Sony Ericsson deserves credit for making it thinner — albeit a slight 0.6mm — and equipping it with a larger display.
The XPERIA Arc's 4.2in screen is almost a full inch larger than the iPhone 4's 3.5in display. Sony Ericsson has dubbed it a 'Reality display'; this sits alongside other fancy display names including the iPhone 4's 'Retina display', the Samsung Galaxy S II's Super AMOLED Plus' display and the 'Nova display' of the LG Optimus Black. In short, Sony Ericsson claims the Reality display is brighter and clearer than competing displays.
Apple's iPhone 4 uses IPS technology (the same used on the iPad, and thanks to its high 640x960 pixel resolution it has been described as a retina display, due to the human eye being unable to distinguish individual pixels.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc Android phone has a 4.2in 'Reality display'.
