One of the most important tech shows is currently in full swing with a bunch of gadgets showing of their impressive specifications. An important manufacturer, Sony Ericsson unveiled a new Android-powered handset, Xperia arc S, which seems to be a refresh version of the original Xperia arc. Does the S means smart, speed or superior? Curious to know what this one is featuring? Is it better than the first Xperia arc introduced back in January at CES? Let’s take a closer look at both phones, in order to see the differences between them.
In terms of design, the handsets look similar, the arc S being a polished version of the Xperia Arc. As you probably remember, Xperia arc has been announced at CES tradeshow and impressed everyone with its innovative and sleek form factor, completely different from what we’ve seen to S ony Ericsson’s devices. The arc S is as slim as the first model, both having the same dimensions: 125mm (high), 63mm (width) and only 8.7mm (depth). Both weigh 117 grams.
Looking at their display, we see the same brilliant 4.2-inch Reality touchscreen with Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine and a resolution set at 480 x 854 pixels. The arc S has also a scratch-resistant surface to keep the screen safeguarded from eventual damages plus other features such as multi-touch input sensor, accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate or proximity sensor for auto turn-off. Nothing has been changed on this section.
The camera segment is the place where the company has done some changes. As the first Xperia arc, it has an 8.1 MP camera on the back with Exmor R, autofocus and LED flash that captures videos at 720p with no front facing camera for video calling. Sony Ericsson has added a new service called 3D sweep panorama, which allows users to shot 2D panoramic images convertible in 3D and viewable to a 3D TV using the HDMI output. The Exmor R sensor offer good quality image even in low light conditions. Excepting this new feature, others are also includes: touch focus, geo-tagging, face and smile detection. 
What about the processor? Probably, this section explains the S from its name. It boast a super fast 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, in comparison with the first Xperia arc equipped with only 1GHz, so Sony Ericsson has made an improvement from the previous version, offering more performance and delivering up to 25% faster entertainment compared to the original handset. We thing that SE could increase also the RAM memory, which is basically the same one: 512MB. Regarding the storage space, the arc S comes with 320MB built-in expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card slot which has an initial 8GB memory.
Wondering about the software? SE Xperia arc S runs also the latest version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread as the original Xperia arc, allowing users to have access to the extensive world of Android Market with over 25.000 applications. The company claims that this refresh version will provide users with 20% faster web browsing. The handset has also Google Search, Maps, Gmail, Facebook and Twitter integration or YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk.
As it can be seen in the above picture, there is more than one color available for the Xperia arc S. Sony Ericsson announced that it will come in a multitude of colors, such as: pure white, midnight blue, misty silver, gloss black and sakura pink. No infos were given about its pricing or exact availability, only a Q4 release date. Though, rumors say it will hit the market before the year end, probably next month.
Wrap-up
Although we don’t have details about its pricing, the upcoming Xperia arc S is a better version of the first version, with an interesting and new feature called 3D sweep panorama, a speedier processor to deliver a faster entertainment experience. Doest these new features worth the investment? It is clearly an improved version, so, if you haven’t been impressed enough by the super slim Xperia arc to buy it, wait for the xperia arc S. It’s coming soon and you can pick your favourite color too. The “S” makes the difference.