Samsung Galaxy S2 (32GB) vs. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

It’s a sobering fact that if you bought a smartphone in 2010, it’s already out of date. Often horribly so. Before the dual-core revolution, Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc looked like a fantastic return to form. But Samsung’s Galaxy S II dials the technology up another notch. This is not so much a fight, but a beating…

Connectivity:

The Galaxy S II is superbly-specced and includes 3G/HSDPA/HSPA+ (21Mbps), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0+HS connectivity. Sony Ericsson has jammed its handset with 3G/HSDPA (7.2Mbps), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP. Good, but not quite good enough. (1-0)

Size & Weight:

Modern modern phones are extraordinary pieces of design and technology. The Galaxy S II is the wider of the two, measuring 66.1mm to the Xperia Arc’s 63.0mm. The Xperia Arc weighs 117g, whereas the Galaxy S II is 1g lighter and weighs 116g. The Galaxy S II is the sexier model. But only just. Take a look at the measurements below. (2-0)

Camera:

The Galaxy S II comes rocking an 8.0 Megapixel camera, which features a full resolution of 3264 x 2448. Its talents also include autofocus, an LED flash, geo-tagging, touch focus functionality, face/smile detection, image stabilization and Fulll HD (1080p) video capture. For video calling, you’ll find a second camera on the front.

The two phones match each other for raw megapixels. The Xperia Arc also packs a 8.0 Megapixel lens with autofocus, an LED flash, image stabilization, geo-tagging, plus face and smile detection. It only supports 720p video recording, however, and lacks a front-facing camera. (3-0)

Screen/keyboard:

As for screen size, the Samsung Galaxy S II features a 4.27-inch (480 x 800) touch-sensitive Super AMOLED Plus display. It’s a gorgeous and vibrant screen with 384000 pixels. This translates to 218.501 pixels per inch.

The Xperia Arc’s touch-sensitive LED-backlit LCD (dubbed a ‘Reality Display’) only measures 4.2 inches. In comparison, there are 409920 pixels onscreen, giving the Xperia Arc a pixel density of 233.333 pixels per inch. All in all, the pros/cons balance each other out. (3-0)

Processor:

As for processing grunt, the Xperia Arc uses a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon CPU, which uses a an Adreno 205 GPU to throw its graphics around. The Galaxy S II’s processor is a 1GHz dual-core Exynos chip, which easily blows the old Snapdragon away. (4-0)

Software:

The new Galaxy S enjoys Google’s Android 2.3, cleverly customised with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI and Swype text input. The Xperia Arc also runs the Gingerbread OS, holding the Samsung phone to a tie in this round. (4-0)

Storage:

With 32GB of internal storage, the Galaxy S II has more space from the get-go. The Xperia Arc features 8GB in comparison. The Galaxy S II also features a microSD slot to boost the overall storage to a fantastic 64GB. Of course, you can also expand the memory of the Xperia Arc via its microSD slot. The maximum, however, is only 32GB. (5-0)

Extras:

The Galaxy S II also includes GPS/A-GPS, DLNA content sharing, Wi-Fi direct, stereo FM radio (with RDS), optional NFC support, a digital compass, gyroscope and an HDMI port. It also features four software ‘hubs’ – the Reader’s Hub, the Social Hub, the Games Hub and the Music Hub.

In comparison, the Xperia Arc features GPS/A-GPS, DLNA content sharing, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine picture processing, a stereo FM radio with RDS, an HDMI port, noise cancellation and a digital compass. (5-0)

The Samsung Galaxy S II wins!

Pitting the Samsung Galaxy S II against the Xperia Arc shows just how much mobile technology has advanced this year.

Dual-core processors will quickly become standard issue this year on top-end smartphones. And, as screens get bigger and better, cameras boost their megapixel counts and NFC starts to become established, the phones of 2011 are fast becoming pocket computers.