Sony Ericsson XPERIA arc. The thinnest Android in the world

Looking at the new model from Sony Ericsson, you can genuinely rejoice for the company. They didn’t just release another smartphone in the XPERIA line, but, while maintaining their familiar recognition, they showed us something unique.





The XPERIA arc model was introduced to the world quite recently, just a few weeks ago. And now we will rejoice for two more facts. The smartphone fell into our hands less than a month after the announcement. It really pleases, because, very often, the smartphone has to wait until the start of sales. And the second point - the pre-installed Android OS version 2.3 is in arc! Bravo, Sony Ericsson! We hope that this moment will be a turning point and there will be no more delays with software updates. By the way, most of the smartphones presented at CES 2011 were running Android 2.2, so arc really distinguished itself!

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Appearance and body

Before us is the thinnest smartphone of today. The thickness of the case is only 8.7 mm. But we know that literally in a few weeks the world will see the second generation of the Samsung Galaxy S, so the palm of the arch will probably disappear even before the start of sales. But the style of this will not change, and its apparatus is not small. Appearance is really remembered and makes an impression.



A little unusual body shape catches the eye - its back side is concave inward. If you put the phone on a flat surface, you get such an arch. “Why would it be?” This has its meaning. This is not just a bend, but the Human curvature technology developed by the company. Thanks to this form, the smartphone repeats the surface of the palm and is comfortable in it.



In general, I noticed that manufacturers began to experiment a lot, in particular with bends. Recall only about the Nexus S. I think this is good, as the market in general will not be gray and square, but diverse and interesting.



The entire Arc enclosure is made of plastic and, moreover, glossy. Of course, "who would say" - you will say and you will be right. But even in the Nexus S, I have never praised the use of glossy plastic. As it should be expected, it is easily soiled, prints and stains remain and are clearly visible. As a small compensation - mineral glass display, which gives rise to a sense of reliability.



Speaking of the case as a whole. In his hand, the phone feels on the verge of convenience and discomfort. But, still on the convenience side. The fact is that the smartphone is quite large, add a little more and it will turn out to be a “shovel” in the palm of your hand. The thickness of the characters does not give in any way, it is convenient to hold the smartphone But, due to the fact that the body is completely plastic, there is a feeling of slight deformation during torsion. I take smartphones very carefully, almost everyone who was with me has avoided falls. Of course, I don’t carry phones in my back pocket, because you can forget and sit on a stump. So, if wearing in the back pocket is peculiar to you - urgently wean, the “arch” can not withstand the weight of your body in case of an unsuccessful landing.







The chrome-plated piping, which stretches across the entire apparatus, is also plastic, simply painted “chrome-colored”. It’s impossible to understand how this coating will behave so far, but sharp chrome corners are alarming.



But the location of all the elements really cool fits into the design. Functional buttons, sensors and speaker, other elements - everything is not just glued, but arranged so that it looks aesthetically pleasing.

Arrangement of elements

The front side is almost completely occupied by the display, with a diagonal of 4.2 "and with a resolution of 480x854 pixels. Sony Ericsson, of course, could not call the display a display, otherwise the battle in the market would be lost. Gentlemen, you have Reality Display using Mobile Bravia Engine. I didn’t notice any special differences in color reproduction, contrast, viewing angles compared to the Motorola Milestone screen. The screen is good. It’s not as bright as SuperAMOLED, but the picture on it looks more natural. interlayer between the screen and So, it seems that the picture is literally on the fingers.



Under the screen there are three function keys. If before the arc you already had a smartphone on Android from SE, you will have to re-use it a bit, the key layout has changed and now the return button is on the left. And if you have never used SE smartphones, then you will have to get used twice, because there are only three keys, not four, as is customary for this OS.



The keys themselves are narrow, but rather comfortable. But their location is one hundred percent tribute to fashion, since the keys almost go to the bottom. You get used to it quickly, but you should be careful, because by reaching for the button you can drop the device.



Front camera, unfortunately, no. Instead, proximity sensors and light. The last element of the front side is the speaker.







On the left side is a headphone jack. Stop! And what is he doing on the left side? I have headphones with a plug without bending (this is not so, but let's imagine for the experiment). How will I put the phone in my pocket with the headphones connected, and then in a hurry to get it when the call comes in? I would not complain if I did not watch the HDMI connector from above. Will you use this connector when the phone is in your pocket? Hardly. I think it would be more logical to swap these two elements.







On the right you can see the microUSB connector, the paired volume key and the camera button. Honestly, the first time I got the phone out of the box behind the wheel, it was in the evening. I tried to find the on / unlock key and felt, but in the end, it turned out to be a volume rocker. If you look not in terms of aesthetics, but through the eyes of practice, the size of the whole rocker is normal for a single button, but not for a paired button. Books to read, turning the pages of this manipulator, it is not very comfortable. What can I say, find the key during a call is hard!



With the camera button the same situation, but it is saved by the fact that it is. After all, many manufacturers simply forget (s) about it. But its size, they are extremely small. Yes, and the key is located very close to the bottom.







From above, we see the HDMI connector, which has already been mentioned, and the on / off button of the screen. The connector is covered with a plug and this is true. But the power key is no more comfortable rest. She is pretty drowned and too small. But you can get used to anything!







The bottom part is almost empty. There is a microphone hole and a lace loop.







Behind it is a company logo, speaker, second microphone and camera with flash. Speaking of the latter, the camera in the XPERIA arc is probably the strongest side. Not only in comparison with other smartphone functionality, but also among cameras in the phone market in general. The module has a resolution of 8 MP. This is not the biggest figure for today, but the smartphone shots are impressive. However, like the video. Shooting takes place at a resolution of 720p, and the video turns out beautiful even in the dark. (There is an example in the video review).







The back cover can be removed quite easily. Due to the small thickness of the device, the cover is also very thin and strongly bends in the hands. Under it we see a battery with a capacity of 1500 mAh, which is enough for 1-2 days of work, a slot for a memory card and a SIM card.

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As I have already noted, the positive point is the latest version of Android in the XPERIA arc. However, from the “bare” Android 2.3 there is little left, everything is wrapped in a shell from Sony Ericsson. In many ways, I noticed positive points, but I didn’t like the icons. Most correctly, in my opinion, they can be described as not modern.



The shell contains its own widgets, many effects. The menu is divided into screens that are scrolled horizontally. Conveniently, applications can be sorted, ordered and arranged as you like.

Specifications

The smartphone can not be called the most technologically advanced and productive today. However, to be honest, Tegra 2 is not very far from powerful single-core processors with video accelerators. XPERIA arc in performance can compete with the Samsung Galaxy S, this is my personal opinion. In some tests, the "arch" even surpasses the Galaxy. This suggests that a small thickness was not to the detriment of a powerful "gland".



The battery capacity is enough for unlimited use for a day, and for two people for normal use.



What upset is the small amount of internal memory, only 314 MB. Yes, there is a slot for MicroSD memory cards, but the problem of lack of space for installed software will sooner or later become an edge. After all, even when installed on a memory card, part of the internal space is used.



GSM 850/900/1800/1900 / UMTS 900/2100 standards, (GPRS / EDGE, HSDPA)



Android 2.3 operating system



Qualcomm MSM 8255, 1 GHz processor



Video accelerator Adreno 205



Memory ROM 314 MB, RAM 512 MB



Reality Display, 4.2 "(854 × 480), touchscreen, capacitive



Interfaces USB 2.0 (microUSB), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (A2DP), Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n



Built-in 8 megapixel camera , autofocus, widescreen, flash, geotagging



Battery, Li-Ion autonomy , 1500 mA • h, 1-2 days



Additional GPS capabilities (maps preinstalled), MS Exchange, synchronization with Google services

Conclusion

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA arc is not just another beautiful phone, its appearance is truly unique. But, the image did not take away his excitement, the smartphone is quite productive, and also equipped with an incredibly cool camera. Arc is perfect for everyday use: it is fast, convenient, with sufficient autonomy, and the photo / video camera is often replaced, because the smartphone is always with you.



Android version 2.3, bundled with the arc, is one of the main trump cards of the model, along with the camera and the thickness. And this gives reason to hope that updates to the latest OS versions will be released more regularly to new smartphones of the company.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA arc video review