HTC Desire S vs Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
A spec-by-spec comparison of the HTC Desire S and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Price | $899 | $7,328 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 1,450 mAh | 1,500 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 3.7 in | 4.2 in |
| Main camera | 5 MP | 8.1 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 130 g | 117 g |
| Released | Mar 2011 | Mar 2011 |
Summary: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is ahead on battery, screen size, main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, HTC Desire S is the cheaper option.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Type | S-LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 3.7 inches | 4.2 inches |
| Resolution | 480 x 800 pixels, WVGA | 480 x 854 pixels (FWVGA), 233 ppi |
| Pixel Density | ~252 ppi | — |
| Protection | — | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Features | — | Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine, Multi-touch |
Platform
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| OS | Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) | Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon S2 | Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon S2 |
| CPU | 1.0 GHz Scorpion | 1 GHz Scorpion |
| GPU | Adreno 205 | Adreno 205 |
Memory
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GB | microSDHC, up to 32 GB (8 GB card often included) |
| Internal | 1.1 GB ROM, 768 MB RAM | 320 MB user storage, 512 MB RAM |
Main Camera
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, AF | 8.1 MP |
| Features | LED flash | Autofocus, LED flash, Exmor R sensor, Geo-tagging, Face detection, Smile detection, Image/video stabilization, Touch capture & touch focus, 3D sweep panorama |
| Video | 720p | 720p HD recording |
Selfie Camera
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Single | VGA | None |
| Video | No specific resolution mentioned | — |
Battery
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion | Li-Po |
| Capacity | 1450 mAh | 1500 mAh |
| Stand-by | Up to 430 h (2G) / 455 h (3G) | — |
| Talk time | Up to 9 h 50 min (2G) / 6 h 30 min (3G) | — |
| Music play | — | Up to 37 hours |
| Video playback | — | Up to 6 hours 25 minutes |
Body
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Dimensions | 115 x 59.8 x 11.6 mm (4.53 x 2.35 x 0.46 in) | 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm |
| Weight | 130 g (4.59 oz) | 117 g |
| Build | Aluminum unibody | — |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Mini-SIM |
Comms
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP, EDR | 2.1, A2DP |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | A-GPS |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | FM Radio |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
| NFC | — | No |
| HDMI | — | micro-HDMI (Type D) |
Launch
| HTC Desire S | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc |
|---|
| Announced | February 15, 2011 | January 2011 (CES 2011) |
| Status | Discontinued (Released March 2011) | Released March 2011 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, HTC Desire S or Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc?
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc — 1,450 mAh for the HTC Desire S versus 1,500 mAh for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.
Which is lighter, HTC Desire S or Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc?
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc — 130 g for the HTC Desire S versus 117 g for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.
Is the HTC Desire S or the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc rated higher?
We rate the HTC Desire S 7/10 and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc 7/10.
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