Xperia arc

Overview

Sony Ericsson’s 2011 Xperia arc combines a curved body, 4.2-inch FWVGA TFT, Mobile BRAVIA Engine, 8.1 MP Exmor R camera and Micro-HDMI. International LT15 and Japanese SO-01C measurements and regional networks are distinguished.

Period and variants

Sony Ericsson introduces Xperia arc during CES in January 2011. The original Japanese notice, published on 6 January, describes a Las Vegas event on 5 January; the Swedish release is also dated 6 January. A selected-market Q1 rollout is planned. On 22 March, NTT DOCOMO announces planned Japanese SO-01C availability for 24 March. These event, publication and regional dates remain distinct; the first global retail day is unconfirmed.

A concave rear, plastic construction and bright trim define arc. The international LT15 table lists 125 × 63 × 8.7 mm and 117 g, with 8.7 mm at the thinnest point; the contemporary review measures about 10 mm at the ends. DOCOMO lists the Japanese SO-01C separately at 10.9 mm, maximum 11.4 mm, and 118 g. The 4.2-inch FWVGA TFT uses Mobile BRAVIA Engine for photo and video display. Three physical Android keys, a right-side shutter, left 3.5 mm and covered top Micro-HDMI preserve its control layout.

International LT15 is the main hardware reference: a 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255, Adreno 205, 512 MB RAM and Android 2.3. The August maker white paper separates 1 GB nominal internal storage from up to 320 MB user-accessible space, with microSD up to 32 GB. LT15i and LT15a have separate HSPA band sets. GSMArena corrects its early automatic-brightness claim on 5 April. GLONASS and USB OTG listed in the August revision do not establish availability on every launch firmware.

The 8.1 MP rear Exmor R for mobile camera combines autofocus, LED and an f/2.4 lens; the contemporary review records 720p at 30 fps. There is no front camera, while stabilization wording alone does not establish optical stabilization. Both photographs identify the Japanese SO-01C, showing its front and low-angle curve rather than proving an international radio model. The later arc S remains a separate handset.

Sources

• Sony Ericsson — original Japanese Xperia arc notice, published 6 January 2011
• Sony Ericsson — original Xperia arc announcement, Stockholm, 6 January 2011
• Sony Ericsson — Xperia arc white paper, August 2011 version 9
• PhoneArena — Basil K.’s original Xperia arc handset review
• GSMArena — original Xperia arc hardware and display tests, 1 April 2011
• GSMArena — original Xperia arc controls and rear-cover inspection
• GSMArena — original Xperia arc connectivity tests
• NTT DOCOMO — Xperia arc SO-01C Japanese launch announcement, 22 March 2011
• NTT DOCOMO — original Xperia arc SO-01C specification attachment

Image credits

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc Japanese SO-01C black handset front — y_k_asz, CC BY-SA 3.0; source file unchanged by this archive.

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc Japanese SO-01C low-angle photograph showing the curved profile — y_k_asz, CC BY-SA 3.0; source file unchanged by this archive.

Optimized display images on this page have been proportionally resized (maximum dimension 1600 px) and compressed to WebP, without cropping or retouching. Statements above about unchanged files refer to the preserved collected originals; attribution, sources and original licenses still apply. Originals: 1, 2.

Images collected from the Internet.