I previously owned an Experia X10 which I was content with as my first smart phone venture but after purchasing the Experia Arc, I can clearly see how flawed the X10 is. I won't go into the X10's problems since this is a review for the Arc. So that being said, will break down the review in categories. Looks, Software and Performance.LooksOne sexy sleek phone hands down and one of the best looking phones on the market. The phone is super slim and the arc in the back actually adds to the sleekness. The back of the phone looks black but looking closely at it you can see it goes from a dark blue to a dark grey silver tone. But you have to look very close. The screen is beautiful at 4.2 inches and the sides of the phone are a chrome color which makes this phone look very classy and heavy, yet it's not heavy at all and pretty light.
SoftwareA huge flaw of the x10 was the lack of updates and an ancient android operating system. I am happy to say this phone comes with the latest 2.3 gingerbread operating system which includes flash for pc like web surfing, more stability, pinch zoom and the ability to download the latest apps requiring the latest operating system. Sony Ericsson has also perfected their skins and proprietary merged os. The system is much more responsive as well.
PerformanceAs stated before, this phone is stable, smooth and pretty quick. Sony is touting it's display as a display infused with their bravia engine technology which in short is just a gimick in terms of the home screen but does improve the picture in the camera and video departments. I compared the x10 with this and found very little difference in the home screen but the camera function is clearly better on this set and better than other phones I have compared. Still the samsung oled and iphone retina displays are still the best in the business. Even so the camera display comes pretty close to those phones.
On a side note, the recharging on this phone is super fast! about half an hour to an hour and it's fully recharged. 15 minutes and it's and it's 30 percent recharged. The standby time is also really good and impressed with the life of the batter during constant internet use.
I bought this phone unlocked and it only works on AT&T's network but definitely worth the price and piece of mind knowing i'm not held on contract anymore. Wonderful phone and kind of like that this phone isn't offered widely in the US as it's very unique and gets lots of looks. It seems like the whole world has an iphone these days and I feel like I have something most people don't, and I do. :)
Quick Update: As of 11/7/11 my phone still working like a champ. I just wanted to update everyone on a recent update for the phone. The update provides slight improvements such as advanced face book integration, screen capture, Zoom in HD camera 3D capability, new themes, icon pics in created files, better recording sound and speaker volume. The only updates I found any interest in was the screen capture which is a great feature to have and the zoom on HD camera. Otherwise all other updates just okay. The 3D capability sucks, All it does is allow you to take 3D pics in panorama view but in order to view it in 3d you need a 3D capable tv along with the 100 dollar glasses! Either way, it's nice to get some updates as giving it's unlocked status I thought I would'nt get any updates.
There is however some bad news, the stock Sony apps and Sony bloatware weigh the handset down immensely. Your apps, the ones you actually want to run, are constantly competing for system resources with the stock Sony apps which are constantly running in the background, needlessly hogging resources and gobbling up precious battery life. The Sony apps for the most part are not removable, and insist on residing in the tiny phone memory as opposed to the massive SD card, making life a constant battle to keep enough room free for daily operations.
Luckily there is also some good news, there is a replacement Android firmware called Cyanogenmod that is offered for free. Cyanogenmod replaces the stock Sony Android system, allowing you total control over the apps and many other previously restricted customization features. The catch is that you must unlock the handset's bootloader, thus voiding the warranty from the manufacturer. If you plan to do this, it is a good idea to wait a few months at least until you're reasonable satisfied you didn't receive a lemon. It is also recommended that you have a moderate level of technical expertise to perform this operation, as if not you may end up rendering your handset inoperable while in the process of voiding your warranty.
I literally hated this handset until I removed the Sony software, the Sony apps were so intrusive, obnoxious and persistent, it made me want to chuck it out the window on more than one occasion. After installing Cyanogenmod, the Arc went from being a mediocre and mildly frustrating smartphone to full fledged superphone. Apps that used to take thirty seconds to open now take ten. There is so much space on the internal handset memory I can load it up with all my most frequently used programs for faster access. The battery lasts many hours longer on standby, and can now sustain heavy internet use all day instead of just half a day as it did before.
To sum it all up, if you're someone who isn't interested in heavy customization and just wants a smartphone that works smoothly out of the box, buy an iPhone or a BB. However if you are someone who is interested in a pocket sized supercomputer and doesn't mind a bit of hassle to get it up and running properly, the Xperia Arc is an excellent choice.No way this product can be better, it is lightweighted, functional, fast, durable battery and way too good to be true, keep doing this SonyGood: Easy to use, fast, big screen, high quality videos and photos
The bad: time battery life is very short, this disadventage by far all the virtues of this cell.I bought this because I've always been a fan of Ericsson phone. I previously had the Xperia X10a and when it broke (to no fault of the phone) I decided to upgrade to the Arc. This phone is slick and gorgeous to look at and the high-definition screen is crisp and clear. The display is far more responsive than most of the phones I've used, too. As usual, Sony Ericsson's efforts show in their heavily modified version of Gingerbread (and the available Honeycomb update). The music player, video player and camera are greatly improved over the default Android programs stylistically and functionally. The high resolution camera makes this phone better than the stand-alone camera I already had. This phone also includes programs that noticeably boost the sound and image capabilities. Everything else has been aesthetically improved and additional Ericsson created apps turn the phone into a wholly integrated social device. Yet, all of the modifications do not interfere with the capabilities of the phone. You are still free to modify and fiddle with it to your hearts content. Receiving it unlocked ensured I'd be getting the complete functionality of the device (e.g. tethering and compatibility with my provider).
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