Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G: A Clash of Eras
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G utterly dominates in nearly every category. Its superior performance, stunning display, advanced camera system, and exceptional battery life make it the clear winner. The Xperia Arc holds nostalgic value but is severely outmatched by today's standards.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 900 / 2100 - LT15i | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - SM-G991U1 |
| 5G bands | - | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G991U1 |
| Speed | HSPA 7.2/5.76 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 / 800 - LT15a | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G991B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2011, January. Released 2011, March | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm (4.92 x 2.48 x 0.34 in) | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 117 g (4.13 oz) | 169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) (5.96 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Scratch-resistant glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 480 x 854 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~233 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density) |
| Size | 4.2 inches, 48.6 cm2 (~61.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.2 inches, 94.1 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LED-backlit LCD, | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1.0 GHz Scorpion | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - InternationalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA/China |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon S2 | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Adreno 205 | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot), 8 GB included | No |
| Internal | 320MB 512MB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 8 MP, AF | - |
| Triple | - | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Video | 720p@30fps | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | HDR |
| Single | - | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | - | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| No | - | |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | - | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, A-GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio, RDS | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Browser | HTML, Adobe Flash | - |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| ANT+ HDMI port MP4/H.264/WMV player MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player TrackID music recognition NeoReader barcode scanner Document viewer Voice memo/dial/commands Predictive text input | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | - | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Music play | Up to 31 h | - |
| Stand-by | Up to 430 h (2G) / Up to 400 h (3G) | - |
| Talk time | Up to 7 h (2G) / Up to 7 h (3G) | - |
| Type | Removable Li-Po 1500 mAh battery | Li-Ion 4000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Midnight Blue, Misty Silver | Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink |
| Models | - | SM-G991B, SM-G991B/DS, SM-G991U, SM-G991U1, SM-G991W, SM-G991N, SM-G9910, SM-G991Q, SCG09 |
| Price | About 180 EUR | € 194.00 / $ 153.58 / £ 149.99 |
| SAR | - | 0.74 W/kg (head) 1.08 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.66 W/kg (head) | 0.46 W/kg (head) 1.51 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 8GB RAM | - | $ 249.00 |
| 256GB 8GB RAM | - | $ 289.99 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 317.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -89.4dB / Crosstalk -91.5dB | - |
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 93h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: 1207:1 (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 66dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 78dB | -26.4 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 584055 (v8) GeekBench: 3238 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
- Nostalgic Android experience
- Compact size (for its time)
- Decent build quality
- Outdated performance
- Low-resolution display
- Poor camera quality
- Short battery life
- No 5G connectivity
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
- Exceptional performance
- Stunning display
- Advanced camera system
- Long battery life
- 5G connectivity
- Fast charging
- Ample storage and RAM
- Can be expensive
- Plastic back (on some models)
- No expandable storage
Display Comparison
The Galaxy S21 5G boasts a vibrant AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 856 nits and an 'infinite' contrast ratio, offering incredible color accuracy and visibility even in direct sunlight. The Xperia Arc's LCD screen, while decent for its time with a 1207:1 contrast ratio, simply can't compete with the S21's modern display technology. Resolution and size also heavily favor the S21.
Camera Comparison
The Galaxy S21 5G's camera system is vastly superior, offering multiple lenses, advanced image processing, and features like 8K video recording. The Xperia Arc's camera is functional but lacks the resolution, dynamic range, and overall image quality of the S21. Low-light performance is particularly stark.
Performance
The Galaxy S21 5G's Octa-core processor (Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888) provides a massive performance leap over the Xperia Arc's 1.0 GHz Scorpion processor. Multitasking, gaming, and demanding applications run flawlessly on the S21, while the Arc struggles with even moderate workloads. The S21's 5G connectivity is another significant advantage.
Battery Life
The Galaxy S21 5G delivers exceptional battery life, achieving an endurance rating of 93 hours. The Xperia Arc's battery life was adequate for its time, but falls far short of the S21's longevity. The S21 also supports fast charging and wireless charging, features absent in the Arc.
Buying Guide
Who should buy the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc? Primarily collectors or those seeking a nostalgic Android experience. Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G? Anyone looking for a high-performance, feature-rich smartphone with a fantastic camera and long battery life.