Xperia arc versus Xperia neo – which should you choose?

Sony Ericsson has created a dilemma for many people in the upcoming launches of the Xperia arc and Xperia Neo. Judging by our recent poll, 70 percent of you are looking forward to the Xperia arc versus only 11 percent wanting the Xperia Neo (the balance was split between the Xperia Play and Xperia Pro). However, having gone hands-on with both phones recently, we are beginning to think that many people will be swayed by the Neo once they can see it in the flesh.
Yes, the Xperia Neo is chunkier than the arc, but the anodised metallic look combined with the extra weight gives it a more premium feel. Plus, it also comes with a crucial extra – a front-facing camera. This omission from the Xperia arc even left some of the Sony Ericsson reps we spoke to slightly bemused.
Combine this with the fact that the Xperia Neo is cheaper than the Xperia arc, yet offers most of the arc’s headline features (1GHz processor, 8.1MP Exmor R camera, HDMI and Bravia Engine) then it seems that the Neo could be a potential best-seller for Sony Ericsson. On the flip side, there is no denying that the Xperia arc is a more beautiful phone. The general trend towards larger displays, also means many people will naturally gravitate to the arc.
So which handset should you choose? There is no doubt in our mind that the Xperia Neo offers the better value for money. You get most of the same features plus the bonus of the front-facing camera (for those that need it). However, comparing the two side-by-side, there is no denying that the arc is more desirable. Whether this and an extra 0.5-inch in display real estate warrants the extra money will come down to your disposable budget.

Similarities

• 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset
• 8.1MP Exmor 'R' Mobile CMOS Sensor
• Reality Bravia Engine display
• HDMI support
• HD Video Recording (720p)

Xperia arc advantages

• Larger 4.2-inch screen (Xperia neo has a 3.7-inch screen)
• Sexier design (Slim)
• Thinner and lighter – despite the larger display

Xperia Neo advantages

• Front-facing camera (missing on the Xperia arc)
• Cheaper

Specification about the Xperia™ neo

Size:  116.0 × 57.0 × 13.0 mm / 4.6 × 2.2 × 0.5 inches
Weight:  126.0 g / 4.4 oz
Screen:  3.7" 16,777,216 colour TFT / 854x480 pixels

Available colours:   Blue Gradient , Silver , Red

Memory microSD™:  (supported to 32GB)
                                 Phone memory up to 320MB

                                 Actual free memory may vary due to phone pre-configuration 

GreenHeart™

GreenHeart™ headset

An eco-friendly headset, partly produced from recycled plastics.

No plastic bags in box

All in-box products and material are packaged without the use of plastic bags.

GreenHeart™ charger

The charger complies with the Energy Star level V and has a standby power-loss that is less than 30mW. This means less power consumption.

E-manual

Save on paper usage. The printed manual is replaced with an electronic version in the phone.

Recycled plastics

A second home to water bottles and CDs: recycling is far more energy efficient than producing new plastics.

Camera

HD video recording (720p)

Record High Definition video with a simple touch of a button.

Front-facing camera (VGA)

Your phone is video-chat ready - and the front-facing camera is great for self-portraits too.

Flash / light type - LED

When lighting conditions are poor, your picture can still be good.

Digital Zoom - smart zoom up to 2.46x

Get close to your subject.

Video stabiliser

Avoid bluriness caused by slight hand movements.

Video record

Record video clip

Video light

More light when shooting video.

Touch focus

Touch the screen to set the focus area.

Sony Exmor R™ for mobile CMOS sensor

Image sensor with enhanced imaging characteristics.

Smile detection

Let the camera automatically snap the shot when your subject flashes a smile.

Picture blogging

A function that lets you take a picture and send it straight to a live blog 

Red-eye reduction

Use it when taking people photos using flash.

Image stabiliser

Avoid blurriness caused by slight hand movements.

Geo-tagging

Have your photo tagged with information on where it was taken.

Face recognition

Your phone automatically recognises up to five faces in your picture.

Face detection

Your phone automatically sets the focus on the faces in your pictures.

Auto focus

Automatic focus for optimal clarity.

Camera - 8.1 Megapixel

Capture and share special moments.

Music

Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)

Music from your phone to headset over a wireless connection.

Music tones - MP3, AAC

Use original artist recordings as ringtones.

TrackID™ music recognition

Record a few seconds of a song and get track, artist and album information sent to your phone in seconds.

Sony Ericsson Music player

Enjoy your favourite music sorted by artist, album and track. Shuffle and smart playlists supported.

PlayNow™

Download music and games to your phone.

Album art

Choose music by browsing CD album art or other images.

Web

Web browser - WebKit

Full Internet browser with support for standard protocols, images and video.

Pan & zoom

View web pages as you like - get a quick overview or zoom in on details.

Google Voice Search

Use your voice to search the web or to quickly launch a call to a friend.

Google™ search

Find what you’re after with the Google™ search function.

Bookmarks

Quick access to your favourite Web sites.

Android™ Market

Get apps and games - download straight to your phone.

Entertainment

Radio - FM radio with RDS

Radio entertainment round the clock.

YouTube™

View your favourite YouTube™ videos, or upload your own - access is easy via the YouTube™ application.

Video Clip

Video clip viewing and transfer to another phone or PC

Video streaming

Realtime video streaming, e.g. live cam

Motion gaming

Gaming gets physical - turn, swing, move your phone to control the action.

3D games

Enjoy quality games with full color and depth.

Connectivity

Synchronisation - Exchange ActiveSync®

Stay seamlessly synchronised with your Microsoft® Exchange email server.

Google Maps™ - with Street View

Find your way to your destination.

WiFi™

Utilise high-speed Internet at Wi-Fi™ hotspots at airports and other facilities.

USB support

PC to phone USB cable support

USB mass storage

Connect and move items between computer and phone.

TV out

Go for a bigger screen – connect the phone to a TV, projector or other device.

Synchronisation via Google Sync

Use your Google account to synchronise the contacts in your phone.

Synchronisation via Facebook™

Match your Facebook™ friends with your phone contacts.

Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync

Synchronise your phone contacts, calendar, tasks, bookmarks and notes* via the Sony Ericsson website. Sony Ericsson Sync is based on SyncML. * Synchronisation items may differ depending on the device.

NeoReader® barcode scanner

Use the camera to scan barcodes and access web content with ease.

Modem

GSM internet dial-up support.

Micro USB support

Connect to your PC and other devices.

HDMI support

Share pictures and videos on your TV using your TV remote control.

Google Latitude™

See where your friends are - and share your own location with them.

Bluetooth™ technology

Connect wirelessly to other Bluetooth™ devices.

aGPS

Use GPS-powered location-based services.

3.5 mm audio jack

Share your music via the extra jack. Use any headphones with a standard-sized 3.5 mm connector.

Messaging

Text messaging (SMS)

Send text greetings anywhere in the world.

Sound recorder

A mini recording device in your phone that lets you record voice messages or other sounds

Predictive text input

Fast and easy text messaging.

Picture messaging (MMS)

Colourful multimedia messaging.

Instant messaging

Online chat. On the move.

Google Mail™

Gmail for mobile lets you send and receive e-mail wherever you are.

Email:

Built-in email client with inbox, outbox, compose, send and other functions

Conversations

Say it via chat-style text messaging.

Communication

Twitter™ - Timescape™ integration

Let the world know how you feel and what you think - say it with a tweet.

Video chat ready

Prepared for video chats through the front-facing camera (application dependant).

Vibrating Alert

The phone vibrates and you can feel when a call comes in.

Speaker phone

Loudspeaker suitable for using the phone as an office handsfree.

Sony Ericsson Timescape™

All your communication with one person in one place.

Noise shield

Filter out the sounds around and make yourself heard.

Google Talk™

Chat-style communication with friends and family.

Facebook™ application

Stay in touch with your friends on Facebook™ through your phone.

Design

Keyboard - Onscreen QWERTY

Text input made easy.

Wallpaper animation

Animated wallpaper – moving background pictures. In standby, your display wallpaper has a pleasing graphic pattern with smooth movement and colour blending. 

Touchscreen

Intuitive navigation – just touch the screen.

Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine

Crystal-clear colours and crisp images.

Picture wallpaper

Background picture on-screen when the phone is in standby mode.

Auto rotate

Switch from vertical to horizontal mode by rotating the phone. Whatever you're viewing will rotate to suit.

Organiser

Phone book

The information you need to keep in touch with friends and family.

Infinite button

Just one press to all about your friends or all the artist info you need.

Google Calendar™

Create, add and edit events. Set up reminders and mobile notifications.

Flight mode

Disable the radio receivers and transmitters in your phone so you can safely use other functions.

Document readers

Edit documents in popular formats.

Calendar

Store appointment information and set reminders.

Calculator

Full-function calculator when you need it.

Android™ platform

Powered by Android™ for great performance. Personalise with all the apps you need from Android Market.

Alarm clock

Set your phone alarm clock to ring at the time of your choice.

Disclaimer

The YouTube™ application is not available in all markets.
Google Voice Search is not available in all markets.

Sony Ericsson Neo – Live video

The Sony Ericsson Xperia neo takes Android 2.3 Gingerbread mainstream, with its 3.7″ 480×854 pixels screen, utilizing the Mobile BRAVIA Engine for enhanced sharpness and contrast when watching multimedia. The Sony Ericsson Xperia neo will come with support for HD video playback, HDMI-out port, an Exmor R sensor for the 8MP camera with LED flash. It is powered by a second generation 1GHz Snapdragon processor, so you can rest assured performance won’t be an issue here.

Sony Ericsson Heroes Model Xperia Play, Xperia Neo & Xperia Pro at Mobile World Congress 2011

Here are some pictures of the new Sony Ericsson (Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Xperia Pro, Xperia Play and Xperia Neo) presented at Mobile World Congress 2011. Check out the hot pics after the break. Enjoy!
 
Xperia Arc

Xperia Pro

Xperia Neo

Xperia Play

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo gets previewed once again

03 February, 2011 |
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo, previously known as Halon, follows the XPERIA Play pattern of leaking every few days. There is another preview today, 10 days ahead of its announcement, confirming the specs we already knew.
Sony Ericsson has failed completely on keeping its secrets before the MWC this year. It seems all of its upcoming and still unannounced phones have leaked numerous times, leaving nothing new for unveiling on 13 February.
After the countless leaks and previews of XPERIA Play, the Neo has taken the same road. It's been just two days since the last preview and here we meet again.
There are no new pieces of information in the TechRadar's preview - just lots of hardware photos and a few software ones. But it's still disturbing how these secret prototypes break loose and go public through major websites.
The new pictures once again confirm the Vivaz-esque design. The Neo has the same form factor (even the human curvature shape of the back), as well as the looks and front controls. But it's an Android smartphone.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo
The XPERIA Neo specs should be very similar to the Arc's - 4-inch LED-backlit LCD (Reality) touchscreen with 854x480 pixels resolution, next-gen Snapdragon platform with 1GHz processor and Adreno 205 GPU, 512MB RAM, an 8 megapixel camera with Exmor R sensor, LED flash and 720p video recording capabilities, 1.3 or 2MP video-call camera and rich connectivity package incl. an HDMI port.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo
As we previously told you, the Neo (also known as Vivaz 2) marks a new beginning - the aging Symbian OS is giving way to a shiny new Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the same customized UI as the XPERIA Arc.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo will be announced on 13 February in Barcelona. We sincerely hope that Sony Ericsson has managed to keep a secret or two and surprise us there.