Say what you will about Sony Ericsson -- and we've said plenty -- but damned if they don't know how to make phones. All problems aside with the previous Xperia phones running outdated versions of Android, the new Xperia Arc combines just the thinnest smartphone we've seen -- 8.7 millimeters -- with a 4.2-inch touchscreen and Android 2.3. Spec-wise, this is no slouch.
But this is SE we're talking about. And when we hear that it's running the Timescape user interface, we flinch. But we were very pleasantly surprised to find zero lag on the Arc, in stark contrast to the Xperia X10 we demoed here at CES a year ago.
We need to put this thing through its proper paces. But the camera is supposed to be great, and the hardware feels to be top-notch. We'll see, folks, we'll see.
For now, we've got more pictures and video after the break.
Reader comments
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc hands-on
It looked better in the in the initial presentation pictures.
I cant stand when manufacturers put the headphone jacks on the sides.
If you dont have headphones with an angled jack it's a pain to remove the device your phone from your pocket. Keeps getting caught and it just makes it that much easier to break.
*Stupid spam filter. Had to break up my post.
It's nice to see that it comes with gingerbread. As much as I love Sony tho, I doubt I'd ever buy another S/E or Samsung phone due to their lack of device support. I don't expect this to ever get upgraded past 2.3 w/o custom roms.
I love me some physical buttons.
SOooo close to being an awesome phone but the headphone jack placement and lack of a search button make this a fail for me.
Wow, didn't even notice the missing search button, thanks. What were they thinking when the removed a search button from a phone with an OS developed by a search company?
That is one sexy phone
Nice phone, but this is SE so when is the release date? 2014?
Hey Sony, Gold/metallic phones are so early 00's
I wouldn't touch a Sony Ericcson phone with a ten foot pole. They have a horrible track record when it comes to support for their Android offerings.