Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S review

A minor phone processor update or an essential Android refresh?

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
Android 2.3.4 and a faster processor feature on the new smartphone

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Sony ericsson xperia arc s

Sony Ericsson says the Xperia Arc S is rated for seven hours 35 minutes of talk time on a 3G network, with its battery able to manage 460 hours of standby time.

Obviously those huge fantasy-world, Mickey Mouse figures don't mean anything when our smartphones are now also reading Twitter and Facebook for us over Wi-Fi all day.

In reality, we got a solid day of pretty hard use out of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S. If you're sensible about screen brightness and tone down the levels of automatic syncing, you should still have enough phone left to amuse you during the commute home after a busy day of Tweeting and mindlessly checking the same web pages time and time again.

We had reliable Wi-Fi and mobile network connections throughout our reviewing period, too, with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S never once dropping a Wi-Fi signal.

Sony ericsson xperia arc s

As with all modern Android phones, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S can function as a USB modem and wireless hotspot for your laptop and other internet browsing devices.

Sony Ericsson has also pre-loaded its Connected Devices app, which is its take on DLNA support, enabling users to share their phone content through a Wi-Fi network to a TV, laptop or mobile phone that supports DLNA. It worked for us first time, without fuss.

There's a decent amount of memory in here for app storage. Even with all of Sony Ericsson's pre-loaded apps and our review essentials, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S still has 237MB free for future apps.

In terms of other tech toys, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S supports HDMI output and Bluetooth.