Xperia Arc 2

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is one of the finest Android phones currently available, but with a new wave of next gen beasts almost upon us we thought we’d take a look at what Sony Ericsson will need to do with the inevitable follow-up.

Sharper screen

The Xperia Arc’s screen is a perfectly decent effort. In fact, at 4.2 inches and with Sony’s Bravia technology on board, it’s very good indeed for viewing videos on. However, the next step for Sony Ericsson must surely be towards an increase in resolution. With the likes of the imminent HTC Sensation and Motorola Atrix sporting qHD technology, we predict that 854 x 480 displays will start to look a little old hat by the end of the year. We’d be surprised if the Xperia Arc 2 didn’t feature a “high def” display capable of 960 x 540 or more.

Dual-core processor

The Xperia Arc is a perfectly capable handset, running as it does on a well-balanced 1GHz single-core Qualcomm processor. There’s nothing wrong with that in the slightest, but looking into the near future dual-core CPUs will become the standard for all high-end smartphones. We can almost guarantee that the Xperia Arc 2 will rock a dual-core processor to match the aforementioned devices, as well as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S II and (inevitably) the iPhone 5. Given that Tegra 2-sporting devices have been earmarked for PlayStation certification (more on which later), could that point towards a Tegra 2-powered Xperia Arc 2?

Improved UI

Sony Ericsson’s approach to customising the Android OS proves a little divisive, we’ve found. Certainly, it lacks the level of depth and sparkle of HTC’s Sense UI, but we like that its lightweight, softly-softly approach leads to blazing-fast menu transitions. If you’re anti-clog, the Xperia Arc should be right up your street.

There are a few areas that would benefit from a bit of a spruce up for the Xperia Arc 2, however. Timescape is a nice idea, pulling together all your messaging and social networking, but it’s a little cumbersome. A dual-core processor would no-doubt speed things up, but Sony Ericsson could help by streamlining the interface a little more. We’d also suggest that SE drop or change the virtual keyboard for the Arc 2, as it’s not quite up to the official Android version.

Rejig the ports

One thing’s for sure, the Xperia Arc is one stylish smartphone. However, there are a number of minor revisions to the exterior that we’d like to see applied for the Xperia Arc 2. Some of the key connectivity and button placements is a little awkward, such as the headphone socket that’s place on the side rather than on the top. There’s a reason most handsets and MP3 players don’t do this – it inevitably causes snags when putting it in and taking it out of your pocket.

Also, the camera button is a little awkwardly placed, which is odd as otherwise the Xperia Arc is the finest Android camera phone around. In short, then, the Xperia Arc 2 should keep the curvaceous and impossibly slim design but rejig the port placement.

PlayStation certified

The Xperia Arc’s chunkier and more playful brother, the Xperia Play, is the first PlayStation certified smartphone. That means it gets to run a special bunch of PlayStation games that your average smartphone just doesn’t get access to. We’d expect the next gen Xperia Arc 2 to receive such certification, especially given that Tegra 2-enabled devices from other manufacturers look set to be granted it in the meantime (see above). We’re not expecting physical controls – that would spoil the Arc’s exquisite waistline – but we are expecting a highly capable gaming device to really put a chill up the iPhone 5′s spine.

Video streaming

As we’ve mentioned already, the Xperia Arc is one of the finest handsets for watching videos on thanks to its large screen and Mobile Bravia Engine technology. Sony Ericsson should really leverage that for the Xperia Arc 2 and take a look at what HTC is doing with the Sensation. HTC Watch will allow you to buy or rent TV shows and films, then stream them to your phone. Given Sony’s extensive ties to the film industry – and the fact that it already runs an extensive video service for its PS3 console – we’d like to see some kind of equivalent video streaming service for the Xperia Arc 2.