X10 v Arc

errlloyd

Right, I have had an SE X10 since the week it came out basically, and obviously I am not far from upgrade time.

Pretty much since I realised SE were ****ing around with software I have imagined I was going to bail straight over to HTC or a Nexus as soon as the chance presented itself.

However with a disappointing line up from HTC, and a samsung that IMO aesthetically looks like a **** rip on the iphone, I find myself looking at the Arc again.

So can any of the tekkies tell me here, what has improved on the Arc? The HDMI output interests me. Well it have multitouch? Am I going to be stuck on gingerbread till this time next year while you guys overtake me left right and centre again? Is Dual Core actually important enough to be a deciding feature for the samsung?

Raekwon

I started a thread about the Xperia Arc last month and you can probably tell by the lack of posts and interest in this phone that Sony Ericsson have really damaged their reputation. So much so infact that regular Android users and Sony Ericsson die-hards alike are pretty much all contemplating looking else where for there next device. Plus to add insult to injury Sony Ericsson have official revealed the 2.2 will not be released on the X10 because their version of 2.1 is apparently much better then the vanilla 2.2 :rolleyes:

But to answer your question though, IMO there is not much of a difference between the X10 and the Arc to warrant an upgrade. The X10 is only a ten month old phone which is being abandoned already for a phone with very similar specs. I thought the Arc would atleast be packing a 12.1 camera with Xeon flash (similar to the Satio) and a much improved processor, which would be both massive selling points. But instead the camera is still an 8.1 with a crappy LED light and although it will be an improved version (it has Exmor R CMOS sensor for lowlight conditions) I still thing Sony Ericsson will miss out on gaining more customers especially because it will have the same 720p recording function as the X10. Which brings me nicely onto the processor.

The Arc will have a Qualcomm 1GHz MSM8255 Snapdragon (the same processor that is used in the HTC Desire HD) and not the better MSM8655 version that HTC are going to using in the Thunderbolt. The better MSM8655 processor can process upto 1080p HD video recording so by going for the cheaper processor Sony Ericsson have, like I mentioned above, limited the Arc to 720p HD video recording, the same as the X10.

The only saving grace this phone has, aesthetics aside, is the OS. The Arc will come with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) out of the box with a promise of an upgrade to 2.4 (Honeycomb) in the near future. I bolded the word promise there because as anyone who owned an X10 knows Sony Ericsson and promises don't really go hand in hand.

Btw it will have a 4.2inch, 16,777,216 colour TFT screen with capacitive multi-touch and something Sony Ericsson are calling the "Mobile Bravia Engine", which will probably be a battery draining novelty more then anything else.

errlloyd

Thanks man, seems doom and gloom to me. It's an absolutely beautiful piece of kit though, and it sounds so silly but the look of the handset is really a massive factor to me!!

I never really found the x10 lacking in its own right, just frustrating that the software was so poor. The video and camera aren't huge to me, and the HDMI output is really. But time will tell, I think if I hold the Galaxy II I might come around,

srsly78

The Nexus S is what you want, but no carriers in Ireland offer it Carphone Warehouse in UK are doing it, but not in Ireland surprisingly. Maybe could ask them in Irish shop and they would ship one over?

Oafley Jones

It's either the Arc or the SGS2 for me. Things like 1080p video don't interest me in the least, same with the camera to be honest - It's probably the last thing I look at in a phone. As long as the software isn't glitchy and runs smoothly with good battery life i'm in.

srsly78

Oafley Jones wrote: »

As long as the software isn't glitchy and runs smoothly with good battery life i'm in.

Well you shouldn't get a phone with Samsung software then Nexus S is the samsung galaxy, but with pure google software on it.

Oafley Jones

srsly78 wrote: »

Well you shouldn't get a phone with Samsung software then Nexus S is the samsung galaxy, but with pure google software on it.

I hate Touchwiz, Sense etc. so vanilla android would be ideal and was very tempted by the SNS until I read a few things that put me off it. No FM radio, don't have one now and I'm not getting another phone without. Plastic screen, no gorilla glass that's found on the SGS. The phone also seems to be plagued with random reboots etc. Also no led notification, not the biggest deal but kinda bothered me along with the rest.

srsly78

I have a Nexus S, and it does have FM radio. The only thing I would complain about is it doesn't have an sdcard slot. Also, you are right about the LED notifications, why did they leave that out!?
There have been several updates since it was released, I have not had a single problem with it (ran stock for a week, on cyan7 now).

I think the source of confusion is that the reviewers had pre-release software, so was buggy with no fm radio. This is now fixed. Same happened with Nexus One I think? It was able to do fm radio, but was released without driver, took google a while to enable it.


edit: oops hang on... I can't seem to find fm radio on it right now, maybe because I installed cyanogen and it's not enabled yet. I seem to remember seeing fm radio with the stock rom however.
Ok, just googled, it does have fm radio capable hardware.

edit2: It does have hardened glass/plastic, just like all modern phones. I just tested with my keys The "gorilla glass" is marketing bull**** btw, show me a modern phone that doesn't have a hardened screen... Last phone I had with normal glass was the G1 in 2009. I don't bother using a screen protector, these things simply do not scratch. However, I do use a gelcase to protect against falls.

Raekwon

errlloyd wrote: »

Thanks man, seems doom and gloom to me. It's an absolutely beautiful piece of kit though, and it sounds so silly but the look of the handset is really a massive factor to me!!

I never really found the x10 lacking in its own right, just frustrating that the software was so poor. The video and camera aren't huge to me, and the HDMI output is really. But time will tell, I think if I hold the Galaxy II I might come around,

I agree, the Arc is a beautiful piece of kit as was the Xperia X10 when it first came out plus I would also go for aesthetically pleasing phones, that's why the Galaxy S didn't really blow me away when I saw it first.

I'm also still in two minds about what phone to get but its not really a pressing concern for me as I am only 10 months into an 18 month contract with O2 but I don't want to be stuck on 2.1 for the whole of 2011 either.

rushnaldo

I've got an x10 also since it came out and thought I would change too on the upgrade but the phone really grows on you. Still think it looks brill and love the big screen and the downer for me is the useless flash. Gonna hang onto this for a long time yet before I change

LukeS_

I'd love an SE Arc but if you're in to rooting and installing custom ROM's etc. this wouldn't be a good phone as SE keep their bootloader pretty locked down so you're stuck with that horrendous TimeScape/MediaScape launcher.

Mimikyu

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