Samsung Galaxy S II vs Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.

Head to head

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
Price$15$38
Our rating8/106/10
Battery1,650 mAh1,500 mAh
RAM (max)1 GB—
Storage (max)32 GB32 GB
Screen size4.3 in4.2 in
Main camera8 MP8.1 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)116 g117 g
ReleasedMay 2011Sep 2011
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S II is ahead on our rating, battery, screen size, weight (lower is lighter). Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is ahead on main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S II is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.

Display

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
TypeSuper AMOLED PlusLED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size4.3 inches4.2 inches, 480 x 854 pixels
Resolution480 x 800 pixels480 x 854 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~233 ppi density)
ProtectionCorning Gorilla GlassScratch-resistant glass
Features—Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine

Platform

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
OSAndroid 2.3 Gingerbread, upgradable to 4.1.2 Jelly BeanAndroid 2.3.4 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
ChipsetExynos 4 Dual (Exynos 4210)Qualcomm MSM8255T Snapdragon S2
CPU1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A91.4 GHz Scorpion
GPUMali-400MP4Adreno 205

Memory

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
Card slotmicroSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GBmicroSDHC, up to 32 GB (dedicated slot), 8GB card included
Internal16GB 1GB RAM, 32GB 1GB RAM1GB (320MB user available), 512MB RAM

Main Camera

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
Modules8 MP, AF—
FeaturesLED flashLED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, 3D sweep panorama
Video1080p@30fps720p@30fps
Single—8.1 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1/3.2", AF

Selfie Camera

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
Modules2 MP—
VideoYes—
Single—No

Battery

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
TypeRemovable Li-Ion 1650 mAh batteryRemovable Li-Po 1500 mAh battery
Stand-byUp to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G)—
Talk timeUp to 18 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 40 min (3G)Up to 7 h 35 min (2G) / 7 h 25 min (3G)
Music play—Up to 37 h

Body

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
Dimensions125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49 mm125 x 63 x 8.7 mm (4.92 x 2.48 x 0.34 in)
Weight116 g117 g (4.13 oz)
SIMMini-SIMMini-SIM

Comms

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth2.1, A2DP, EDR2.1, A2DP, EDR
GPSYes, with A-GPSYes, with A-GPS
NFCOptionalNo
RadioStereo FM radio, RDSStereo FM radio with RDS
USBmicroUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out)microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go
HDMI—microHDMI port

Launch

Samsung Galaxy S IISony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
AnnouncedFebruary 20112011, August
StatusReleased May 2011Discontinued

Frequently asked questions

Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S II or Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S?

Samsung Galaxy S II — 1,650 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S II versus 1,500 mAh for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S.

Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S II or Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S?

Samsung Galaxy S II — 116 g for the Samsung Galaxy S II versus 117 g for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S.

Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S II or Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S?

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S — May 2011 for the Samsung Galaxy S II versus Sep 2011 for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S II or the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S rated higher?

We rate the Samsung Galaxy S II 8/10 and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S 6/10.

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