Xperia arc Review Roundup #2

Time for another review roundup, this time for the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc. The Xperia arc has been one of the best-received Sony Ericsson handsets for a while. This new bunch of reviews almost universally commends the handset for its good looks, camera performance and display.

The main niggles are the plastic build quality, poor camera lens placement, occasional lag and stiff camera shutter button. Click through for links to all 12 reviews we’ve come across recently.

Xperia arc Review Roundup #2

CoolSmartphone: “With the blistering benchmark this phone set, with the sexy, curvy design and bright, clear display we just loved holding it and carrying it around. I want to mention that camera again. It’s brilliant. It’s really, really brilliant. This is an excellent phone.”

Electric Pig: “The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc isn’t going to blow minds, and some of its specs will seem somewhat archaic come the end of a two year contract. And yet, for those unfussed by the endless pursuit of Android upgrades, who just want an easy to use, attractive phone, with a decent camera, we can’t think of anything else we’d recommend right now.”

Esato: “One of the most impressive things about the Xperia Arc camera is the time it takes to start up the camera application and being ready to capture photos. On average, less than 2 seconds is the time used from a push on the camera shutter key until the camera is ready for photo shoots.”

FoneHome: “It could be easy to overlook the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc in the midst of all the high specced Android phones on sale right now – after all, it’s so bloomin’ slim. Overlook this smartphone at your peril, however.”

MobileSyrup: “On its own merits the arc succeeds very well, but in the ever-saturating Android market, where differentiation is becoming increasingly difficult, it may have trouble convincing its desired demographic that it, and not that other more powerful phone, is the right choice. But that is true of every high-end smartphone these days without the brand recognition of the iPhone.”

PC Pro: “In most respects it’s a fabulous phone, and it’s reasonably priced, too, from around £25 per month on a two-year contract. It’s quick, has a sumptuous screen, good battery life and a largely excellent camera. But it has flaws, and these are serious enough to hold us back from a recommendation.”

PDA-247 (part one and two): “The Arc is without doubt an all round superb smartphone. It does almost everything right and I am left wondering how so much was crammed into such a small space. The improvements in Android are gradually starting to work together to create a more rounded experience and when it is sensitively squeezed into a piece of hardware like this something special happens. This is my new favourite smartphone.”

Phone Arena: “We have to say that the company seems to have nailed it this time. The thin arched profile makes you forget that you are holding a gadget with a huge 4.2” screen. On top of that it is very light thanks to its plastic build, and the tasteful design and chromed rim remains sleek and classy. Add a great 8MP camera, loudspeaker and screen to the mix and we can safely say that the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc is a solid contender for 2011.”

PocketNow: “Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, many would agree that the Arc is both attractive in appearance and performance. That being said, it would have been nice if Sony Ericsson had manufactured the Arc with a bit less plastic.”

Slashgear: “If the XPERIA Play failed to persuade us that it was the future of mobile gaming, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc has no such caveats when it comes to solid multimedia and all-round performance. No, it doesn’t have a dual-core processor or record Full HD, but it also has a relatively low price tag and still manages to pack its functionality into an impressively slimline chassis.”

Reg Hardware: “Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc is a very classy Android phone. It looks refreshingly different from other Androids and keeps pace with HTC for usability, but beating the Koreans soundly with a quality camera and a stonkingly good screen.”

Tracy and Matt: “Overall the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc is a good smartphone for those wanting a device with a larger screen and needing good all round video and camera performance. Video playback and taking photos is what this phone does best, and frankly better than almost every other smartphone out there.”

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