Conclusion Get the lowdown
Features How they compare
Performance Real world benchmarks
Differences Technical showdown
Reviews Word on the street
Competition Others to consider
Discussion Answers and opinions

Compare with...

LG Nexus 4
Samsung GALAXY Grand
Sony Xperia acro S
Sony Xperia SL
Sony Xperia P

Sony Xperia S

« Change

Sony Xperia Arc S

Change »

Ranked #4 and #5 in Fastest 3.5G Sony phones

from $330

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
3.5G
4.3"
Dual core 1.5 GHz

Released February, 2012

Tew/CNET). Outdoors in plenty of sunlight, the phone captured images with brighter colors though details still had a flat character.

Rated 67% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)

from $240

Android 2.3 Gingerbread
3.5G
4.2"
1.4 GHz

older Released September, 2011

Without a doubt, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is a looker-slim, attractive, and lightweight.

Rated 70% by by c|net (Sep, 2011)

Conclusion Which is better for you?

Sony Xperia S

Sony Xperia Arc S

95%

86%

FeaturesView Details

Community RankingView Details

95%

92%

PerformanceView Details

77%

ReviewsView Details

Winner

SonyXperia Arc S

Overall Score

Features Key features of the Sony Xperia S compared to the Sony Xperia Arc S

GHz1.5

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 3.5G

The Adreno 220 isn't exactly the most powerful GPU around, but Sony have managed to get the best out of it - 37.5fps in NenaMark 2 is a playable framerate, despite the high resolution (the 720p Xperia S screen has 140% more pixels than the WVGA screen of the Galaxy S II, for example).

by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

1.4 GHz

Android 2.3 Gingerbread 3.5G

The Xperia arc S is a beautiful phone: tall, super slim, that subtle curve adding extra style.

by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)

screen size

Xperia S4.3"

Xperia Arc S4.2"

The design is so cool, display is a good size 4,3", the best is the camera 12mp and multimedia, your memory is big, is faster for all.

Xperia S by chicho2002 (Oct, 2012)

I though that a 4.3 inch screen was too big, but now I am very happy with it.

Xperia Arc S by J.-R.-Perez (Mar, 2012)

screen resolution

Sony Xperia S

1280 x 720 resolution screen

Xperia S 1280 x 720 resolution screen

Sony Xperia Arc S

854 x 480 resolution screen

Xperia Arc S 854 x 480 resolution screen

It is fairly accurate in colors (not overly saturated), has good viewing angles, and looks very sharp (highest PPI in phones).

Xperia S by rawr (Oct, 2012)

Even on a cold and overcast winter day, the Arc S captured pleasing detail and rich colors outdoors.

Xperia Arc S by c|net (Sep, 2011)

memory

0 GB

Xperia S1 GB

Xperia Arc S0.5 GB

1 GB

processor

Sony Xperia S

Dual core

Xperia S Dual core

Sony Xperia Arc S

Single core

Xperia Arc S Single core

But in normal daily usage and gaming you won't feel the differences between dual-core and quad-core.

Xperia S by Lui-Lai--Alan (Jun, 2012)

Processor is as fast as Motorola Droid3 dual cores.

Xperia Arc S by lonesomebob (May, 2012)

camera resolution

0 MP

Xperia S12.1 MP

Xperia Arc S8 MP

20 MP

Its 4.3-inch display has a 1280 x 720 resolution, the camera features a 12-megapixel Exmor R sensor, and beating inside is a dual-core Snapdragon heart clocked at 1.5GHz.

Xperia S by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

The camera starts with a resolution of 6 megapixels by default, not 8, so you'll have to change that in the settings.

Xperia Arc S by c|net (Sep, 2011)

Performance Real world tests of Sony Xperia S vs Sony Xperia Arc S

cpu speed

Xperia S1.5 GHz

Xperia Arc S1.4 GHz

Comparing my SE Arc with this phone proves that speed has increased significantly thanks to the dual core processor.

Xperia S by Martin--apartoflife

Boosting the processor speed of the Arc S from 1GHz to 1.4GHz hasn't resulted in a hugely noticeable improvement in performance over its predecessor but it's just about enough to keep tabs with the competition.

Xperia Arc S by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)

talk time

0 min500 min

Xperia S 450 min

Xperia Arc S 450 min

Behind it sits a 1910 mAh battery, which is rated at up to 290h of stand-by on 2G networks (310h on 3G) or 6h and 40 mins of talk time (7h 10 min on 3G).

Xperia S by GSM Arena (Sep, 2012)

The battery is a 1500 mAh unit that is said to last up to 460 hours of stand-by or up to 7 hours and 25 minutes of talk time.

Xperia Arc S by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)

Differences What are the advantages of each

Full specs comparison

Sony Xperia S

Read review

Advantages compared to the Arc S

Store much more stuff	32 GB	vs	1 GB
32x more storage capacity; free yourself from memory cards

Supports NFC	Yes	vs	No
Somewhat common; Enables payment by phone and other wireless communications

Significantly sharper screen	341 ppi	vs	233 ppi
Around 50% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images

Significantly higher resolution front camera	12.1 MP	vs	8 MP
More than 50% higher resolution front camera; Video chat with other people

Significantly newer operating system	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich	vs	Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Newer Android OS; Get all the latest features and security updates with a more recent version

Significantly higher resolution screen	1280 x 720	vs	854 x 480
More than 2x higher resolution screen

More cores	Dual core	vs	Single core
Twice as many cores; each additional core lets your phone do more without visible UI slowdowns and jerkiness

Records higher definition video	1920 x 1080 @ 30 fps	vs	1280 x 720 @ 30 fps
Around 2.5x higher definition video

More battery capacity	1,750 mA·h	vs	1,500 mA·h
Around 20% more battery capacity

Faster processor	1.5 GHz	vs	1.4 GHz
Around 10% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster

Marginally newer	Feb, 2012	vs	Sep, 2011
Release date 5 months later

Sony Xperia Arc S

Read review

Advantages compared to the S

Has expandable storage	microSD	vs	None
Use storage cards to increase your phone's capacity for apps and data

Has a removable battery	Yes	vs	No
Somewhat common; Old batteries can be replaced inexpensively

Lighter	117 g	vs	144 g
Around 20% lighter

Smaller	63 x 125 x 9 mm	vs	64 x 128 x 11 mm
More than 20% smaller

Thinner	9 mm	vs	11 mm
Around 20% thinner

Reviews Word on the street

	Sony Xperia S		Sony Xperia Arc S
	Rated 69% Read the review (Sep, 2012) Rated 67% Read the review (Jul, 2012) Martin/CNET). The Xperia’s speakers delivered loud sound, but its Clear Audio + sound enhancement feature didn’t seem to make a difference in sound quality.		Rated 70% Read the review (Sep, 2011) The phone can also create pictures in standard wide panorama shots or even in a 3D panorama format.

	Rated 80% Read the review (Apr, 2012) Multimedia is well catered for with easy to use apps for music, FM radio and photo viewing, while a quick download of a third party video player will have the phone playing back just about any video you care to try – and they'll both look and sound great.		Rated 80% Read the review (Feb, 2012) It's all subtle stuff but especially now that iOS 5 is out, the arrival of Android 4.0 can't come soon enough as it should bring smoother graphics and even tighter, more integrated features.

	Rated 87% by 242 users at amazon.com the stock version of android is great and the multimedia capabilities are awesome(audio and video), i love my SONY Xperia S. Rated 100% by by Luis-Castillo-M (Mar, 2013) At least Xperia S has a unique design, 12MP Camera with Sony Exmor R sensor, highest DPI LCD screen. Rated 100% by by Lui-Lai--Alan (Jun, 2012) I love the huge screen and gorgeous display. Rated 100% by by Rubella (Aug, 2012)		Rated 81% by 138 users at amazon.com It also has a very very good camera that will give the best quality images even in low light (because it has Exmor sensor from Sony and flash light). Rated 100% by by FJH123 (Jul, 2012) love this phone, got it for xmas everything works well great screen, touch, camera, my only complaint is that it is a bit large so can be hard to text with one hand or when lying down. Rated 100% by by megan (Jan, 2012) The phone was delivered today, the owner is very happy with the "how it look" it's have nice shape, size is very confortable, thin. Rated 100% by by J.V.-Osorio (Apr, 2012)

camera

Equipping the Xperia S with a 12-megapixel mobile version of its Exmor R sensor, the company aims to maintain its sterling reputation, which was already enhanced by the 8-megapixel camera in the Xperia Arc from last year.

Sony Xperia S | Rated 71% by by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

With a 12MP camera, image quality is obviously a priority with the Xperia S and Sony have created a very capable shooter.

Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

Some even offer good image quality, but if you want 12MP resolution, then the Xperia S and the Xperia ion are your only choice.

Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

thickness

The Xperia S is better in almost every respect, save for thickness.

Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

It's thin and has a low profile, but at least it's easy to press (stiff keys like on the arc S can lead to camera shake).

Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

Well, the Sony Ericsson Arc S is the company's current flagship Android smartphone, sporting a large 4.2in display, a super slim design and an update to Android version 2.3.4.

Sony Xperia Arc S | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)

screen

The Xperia S brightness is average at best but it's still brighter than the LG Optimus LTE, which is the other 4.3" 720p LCD screen we've tested.

Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

Note that we couldn't get accurate measurements for the Xperia S screen at 50% brightness and they are not included in the table (Sony's software doesn't let you override the ambient light sensor with brightness settings other than 100).

Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

The screen on the Sony Xperia S promises great things and it delivers - it's mesmerizingly sharp, with punchy colors and very good contrast.

Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)

size

Of course you do pay the price in weight on these partially metal handsets and by sticking largely to plastic the Arc S is indeed among the lightest phones in its class (117g).

Sony Xperia Arc S | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)