This time we’ll compare two handsets from one family: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc will stacks up against the other Sony Ericsson’s handset, the Xperia Ray. Between the two Xperia handsets which one will come triumphant?
As usual the first spec to compare is the phones’ form. The new Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Ray has 111 x 53 x 9.4 mm, 100 g of weight and dimension while the Xperia Arc has 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm, 117 g. Both phones are produced by the same manufacturer and even share the same first name, Xperia thus in term of style it’s very hard to differentiate the two. Nevertheless we still can compare the materials that build the device.
The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc is constructed from almost entirely of plastics. While it’s still looks nice, the plastic material gives the bag cheerful and cheap looks. You’ll be disappointed with the device if you were looking for a premium looking handset.
In the meantime, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray comes with better material. It’s made from the combination of plastic and metal. Compare to the cheap looking Xperia Ray, the addition of aluminium manages to give the Xperia Ray a more premium looks, solid feel as well as better grip for your hand.
Verdict: The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray comes out as the better one with the addition of more premium metal material.
The second spec to compare is the phones’ display setup. Both Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and the Xperia ray are offering identical display technology. Both are equipped with LED-backlit LCD displays and operate at a resolution of 480 x 854. To enhance the performance of the display both phones are also boasting Sony’s impressive BRAVIA mobile technology.
The only visible difference that can spate each phone display setup is the size. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray comes with a 3.3-inch screen while its cousin the Xperia Arc boasting a bigger screen with a 4.2-inch display.
Featuring the same technology the only decisive factor to compare both phones’ display is it size. It really down to its users, if they prefer good looking handsets with pocketable size they can go with the Xperia Ray, if they prefer bigger screen they can go with the Xperia Arc.
Verdict: The vote for this spec comparison is really down to user’s personal taste. It’s a draw.
The next spec to compare is the phones’ processor setup. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc comes with a 1GHz single-core Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset paired with the Adreno 205 GPU, an extra muscle for graphic processing. Sony Ericsson also equips the Arc with 512MB of RAM to help the processor to work smother. Such setup is enough to give the Xperia Arc user a jiffy experience.
The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Ray comes with a slightly less impressive processor setup. The Xperia Ray is indeed offer the same chipset as the Arc which still give the device enough power. However the Xperia Ray offer less RAM that makes it slower when you switching apps.
Verdict: The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc comes out triumphant in this round comparison thanks to its better RAM setup.
The fourth spec to compare is the phones’ software. Both phones run on the increasingly popular Google’s Android OS version 2.3 Gingerbread. The OS is the latest, most sophisticated Smartphone-build Android which means that it’s mature, fast, and dependable. One of the most interesting advantages of the Android OS is the access to Android Market, where we can get thousands of interesting applications for our pleasure. It’s also worth to note that the over 70% of the Apps is free so it’s really a god bargain.
To make the devices even more exciting, Sony Ericsson equips both Xperia Arc and Ray with its very own TimeScape UI (user interface). Just in case you are not yet familiar with it the TimeScape is Sony Ericsson’s custom UI with the ability to gather all of your captured media, social network bulletins, calls and texts and put it neatly in a time-line driven user interface. So far opinion has been divided for the UI as some people argue that it’s kind of tiresome and frustrating to use while other falling in love with its idiosyncratic nature. Well, just try it for some time then you’ll know which side are you.
Verdict: It’s easy to decide, it’s a draw
The last spec to compare is the phones’ camera setup. As far as we know, every Sony Ericsson’s Xperia variant is equipped with powerful optical setup; the Xperia Ray is not an exception to it. Despite less expensive price tag the Xperia Ray offers the same powerful 8-megapixel primary camera as its other more expensive cousins. It also comes with features such as an LED flash, geo-tagging touch-focus and face detection.
The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc offer almost similar optical setup with the Xperia Ray. It has the same 8-megapixel primary camera and almost identical features. The only difference is the addition of smile detection feature.
Both phones optical setup also offers the same video capture quality at 720P and secondary camera. It means that you can make video call with your friends using these devices.
Verdict: The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc wins this round comparison with the nearest margin by offering smile detection feature.
Final Verdict: The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc is indeed not fall down upon its newest cousin the Xperia Ray. The Xperia Ray might offer decent specifications but it only better in the form department, while in the other spec it either drawing or losing to the Xperia Arc.
If you only look the specifications only, the Xperia Arc is definitive choice. However if you add their price into your consideration you’ll find that choosing the Xperia Ray gives more value to your money. The Ray’s specifications are only slightly different to the Arc’s while it only cost you half the price. It’s really a good bargain.
xperia ray material (15),Xperia Arc vs Ray (13),arc vs ray (11),xperia ray arc (3),xperia ray vs arc s (2)