SE Arc screen - WOW

[Guest gk141054]

Just had a play with the Arc, Play and LG O2X in my local phone shop....

All I can say is wow what a screen the Arc has... knocks spots off the O2X... just such a shame it wasn't dual core or else it would be in my pocket now...

Liked the play too, wasn't too big considering what it does. Only had a quick go on the Bruce Lee game which seemed to play quite smoothly... i'm not a big "time to waste" person on my phone so wouldn't get one but I can see why people would.

Now just got to decide: future proofing with better hardward (O2X) or amazing screen and beautifully slim (Arc)

[Guest travisb]

Same dilemma here. Can upgrade in 5 weeks. Orange already have Arc out. If they announce the Optimus 2X before my upgrade date, I have a decision to make. The Arc gets it on looks and that screen. But looks aren't everything (apparently!).

[Guest Diggedy]

I had a play with them both too and went for the arc. The LG is snappy but then so is the arc, I tried playing some videos, visiting the unreal tournament site which is flash heavy and there was very little difference. The optimus eats battery though from what I hear.

I can say the arc has a fantastic camera and screen which is what swung it for me. Ive been out in the blazing sun all day yesterday and I can see the arcs screen perfectly fine which is unlike previous phones ive had.

Im also not convinced by the dual core thing yet either, maybe in a couple of years but there just isnt anything which really requires it right now except full HD recording and seeing as I take very few videos anyway that wasnt enough.

[Guest jpbl1976]

I have both devices. I find that the Arc's display renders the colors for images like contact pics a bit washed-out even at the same brightness level as the O2X. I also find the viewing angles of the O2X better than that of the Arc's. The viewing angles weakness of the Arc's Reality Display is something some professional reviewers have also pointed out.

Now, some people prefer that sort of washed-out look but if a friend asked me which to get -- just on the basis of the display I'd tell him to get the O2X. The colors are just better rendered and warmer/more lush. Some of you may not know it but it's actually a lower-res version of the iPhone 4's IPS display (which LG makes for Apple) - 480 x 800 (O2x) vs. 960 x 640 (iPhone 4).

What's more, those who frequent this site may know that Paul's already got an excellent custom ROM for the O2X that's solved most of its niggles. I wish he'd make one for the Arc.

The Arc has good battery-life whereas the O2X's is bit more average, especially with Wi-Fi on. I wonder if that will improve with better drivers when the O2X's gingerbread update comes but you'd best have a portable charger if you do get it.

The Arc's quite zippy but does have occasional lags -- not anything show-stopping or even annoying, honestly, but I wouldn't put 100% faith in those reviews that said they got absolutely zero lag. Again, it's a matter of preference but the Arc is a great example of a pre-dual core device. I was actually thinking of waiting for the HTC Incredible S, which is another pre-dual core device, but my dealer gave me good trade-in value for a couple of phones I didn't use (an e72 and an N900) so I bit the bullet with arc. I don't know if I should have waited but they're more similar than not in terms of specs: http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPho...p;idPhone2=3788.

I guess the Incredible S wins out on the more generous storage and better mobile network connectivity speeds but I'm sort of getting tired of HTC's designs and SenseUI does tend to slow a device down.

An annoying things with the Arc, though: it ships with some pre-installed software like Postcard, TrackID, Play Now and Office Suite (I prefer DTG or Quickoffice) which eat up valuable device storage. When the custom ROMs are out, not having those (and the other pre-installs) loaded could save anywhere from 25 to 50MB, which is a lot since it only has 512MB of storage (about 320 available to the user, though out of the box, mine had about 260MB). In contrast, the O2X has a ton of space; I've installed quite few programs and I've still got 1.2GB left.

[Guest blueflash]

jpbl1976: can you answer a few questions.

does the lg2x battery improve with pauls custom mods?

which has loudest sound mp3 and ringtones, always missing calls on my Hero

thanks

[Guest jpbl1976]

jpbl1976: can you answer a few questions.

does the lg2x battery improve with pauls custom mods?

which has loudest sound mp3 and ringtones, always missing calls on my Hero

thanks

From my daily use, I'd say yes. It maybe adds an hour to an hour-and-a-half. It depends on what you do with your device. I do some surfing, make a few 5 to 10 minute calls and send SMS. When I leave the house, it's at 95%. I come back maybe 12 hours later and it's at 65 to 70%. Previously, it'd get down to between 50 to 60%. Again, that's anecdotal based on my experience. It's possible it's performing better batter-wise because I handle it less now since I have another new toy in the SE Arc :-)

I get about 10% more (in absolute % terms) on the Arc.

I'd say they produce about the same level of sound; I was in a meeting yesterday and I got calls on both phones and even in the crowded room, I had no problem hearing either ringing.

You can't miss with either device but I prefer the build quality, the display and the amount of storage that the O2X has over the Arc -- the richness of the colors on the O2X's display are second only to my Galaxy S's. The Arc only has 512MB of ROM and that can easily get filled-up with all the great apps from the market. Fresh out of the box, I had about 260MB available and it's now down to about 195MB. In contrast, I've had the O2X for about a week now, have put more applications into it and I still have about 1.2GB left. Lastly, the Arc may be slim and "sexier" but the materials SE used feel and look cheap -- a few professional reviewers have also pointed that out.

Hope I've helped you make a decision.