Mobile

Optimus Black vs. Desire S vs. Xperia Arc

Name: Optimus Black vs. Desire S vs. Xperia Arc
Brand: Optimus
Rating: 4.8 (1 reviews)

Abe Olandres May 7, 2011 · 2 min read

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Even though the hot item now are dual-core smartphones like the Galaxy S2 and the Optimus 2X, the single core Android smartphones are still battling it out in the price positioning. We got the Sony-Ericsson Xperia Arc, LG Optimus Black and HTC Desire S as the latest entrants in this category.

LG Optimus Black P970
TI OMAP 3630 1.0GHz processor
4-inch Nova display @ 480Ã—800 pixels
2 GB storage
512 MB RAM
up to 32GB via microSD
HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
WiFi Direct
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
GPS w/ aGPS support
Stereo FM radio with RDS
5MP autofocus camera with LED flash
720p video recording
2MP front-facing camera
Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery
Optimus UI 2.0
Android 2.2 Froyo (upgradable to 2.3)
SRP: Php19,990

See our coverage and first impressions of the LG Optimus Black here.

Sony-Ericsson Xperia Arc:
Qualcomm MSM8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz CPU
4.2â€³ capacitive display @ 480Ã—854 pixels
Sony Mobile Bravia Engine
Reality Display
up to 32GB via microSD (16GB included)
HSDPA, HSUPA
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
8MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
720p HD video recording
HDMI output
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Po 1500mAh battery
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
SRP: Php29,990

See our first impression of the Sony-Ericsson Xperia Arc here.

HTC Desire S
3.7 inches S-LCD touchscreen @ 480 x 800 pixels
1GHz Scorpion processor (Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon)
Adreno 205 GPU
768MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
1.1GB internal storage
up to 32GB on microSD
HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 2 Mbps
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
5MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
720p video recording
Front-facing VGA camera
Stereo FM Radio w/ RDS
GPS with aGPS support
1450 Li-Ion battery
Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread
SRP: Php27,000

See first impressions of the HTC Desire S here.

Of the three, the LG Optimus Black is the run-away winner as far as price point is concerned. The Xperia Arc looks better, design-wise, and has a larger 4.2-inch screen — that gives it a bit of an edge in that end (and might justify the price). The Desire S seemed a bit weak in both departments considering the earlier HTC Desire was doing really good.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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73 Comments

Alex · 15 years ago

Sony Ericsson Experia Arc all the way! Hands down, how could they even compare the LG Optimus Black with this? Samsung might stand a fight but will certainly loose at the end, but the LG OB?? Well, you guys can tell.. check out the specs.

memeru · 15 years ago

gusto ko din malaman kung matibay ang gawa ng LG

im thorn between the two

which should i buy

LG Optimus black or Samsung galaxy SL

which is which

are they good in GPS?

marky · 15 years ago

matibay ba ang gawa ng LG, like the Optimus 2x?

LG Optimus PH · 15 years ago

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me · 15 years ago

Hindi ganyan kataas price ng htc desire. 22k nalang yun. Il go for htc desire for its build quality,specs and size. Plastic ang lg black and froyo pa lang hindi naman sigurado na maaupgrade sa gingerbread. Overpriced namanang arc sobrang laki pa.

FFFFUU Technobaboy · 15 years ago

FFFFFUUUUU technobaboy, your always posting those BS made-up-facts here to derail yugatech’s readers to your own, why don’t you just read here and not post any contradicting BS shizitz that’s most of the time obviously, your just posting to suck users to your blog and just mind your own blog? You play dirty boy… BABOY!

Guilar · 15 years ago

Um, to set the facts straight, that’s for the Samsung Galaxy SL. The Galaxy S still maintains its 20k++ price point.

Guilar · 15 years ago

LG Optimus Black for me. I think Sony and HTC need to wake up and get out of their sheltered offices. At their price point, one would already expect a dual core device. A additional 10k for ‘premium’ quality? Way overrated.

bus ads · 15 years ago

Whatever you chose from the 3, price would surely plunge in 6 mos. Imagine in 6 mos, the price could be 30%-40%. The smartphones are crazy in terms of marketing. I on the other hand would go for the arc, Ive used sony ericsson products from p8 and until now a p990 for 4 years :). Research around on forums like gsmarena, their could be a more detailed info on the other two and not to mention real life comparisons :). I would buy a phone that would surely last. After all, whats more important is you could sms and make calls :)

allan · 15 years ago

for SE Arc & HTC Desire’s price i would rather buy a dual core galaxy s2 or an optimus 2x. LG optimus black wins this with it’s price. hindi din naman pahuhuli ang LG optimus black sa specs & features nya. i hope to get the optimus black soon.

qwertbvcxzi · 15 years ago

I wish they can be rooted.worthit to buy

daniel · 15 years ago

eww… ayoko ng SE arc.. sobrang ganda sana… kaso walang front-facing camera… di na uso ang walang ganun ngayon… pati mag video call kung wala nun… saka pde ring salamin :P

Air21 · 15 years ago

Lg Optimus Black ftw !

Chad · 15 years ago

Where are these phones sold? I would like to see the Optimus in person!

HTC boie · 15 years ago

Well, SRP lang ng Desire S yung 27k, BS nmn yan, kc mga 1month na released yan sa ating mga paboritong mga bentahan for 22k or less… at authorized htc reseller sila so trusted yan, BS tlga ang HTC PH, d ko magets kung bakit 27k ang SRP nila napakalayo… ang panglban nmn ng HTC yung UI nya at yung sleekness na meron sa lhat ng htc

i heart arc · 15 years ago

sana magmura na ang arc. pero kung less than 30k lang ang SGS2. ayun na bibilhin ko! yebah!

adam · 15 years ago

Arc at desire hindi na gaanong nalalayo sa price ng mga dual core phones.

haays · 15 years ago

ang init ngaun :( buti na lang umulan.

mwuah jovelle :)) · 15 years ago

xperia arc’s viewing angle is crazily- unbelievably fugly!

Faith@ahead · 15 years ago

sleek designs!

Ry · 15 years ago

I like the Xperia Arc since I am a Sony fan.

On the other note, for someone who does not have that much cash, I believe buying cellphones above 20K is not a practical one especially if the purpose of your buying is just to be “in.” Pagkabili mo ng phone ngayon, bukas, makalawa, May bago na naman. Why shell out that much for a 15-minute fame? :P

Mikhail · 15 years ago

For those in a tight budget, i would recommend HTC Wildfire S. Wildfire was my first Android device for 3 months before purchasing my current nexus one and it hasn’t let me down. Now the new version comes with faster processor, bigger RAM and new software. And, i must agree with you, people shouldn’t buy a device just to be in. But if they want it so bad then, purchasing iDevices will give them an instant ehehe.

Paulito · 15 years ago

Not all are blessed with good fortune. Its good that LG is there to provide cheap good phones. The Black may lack on other specs but hey a good screen, a 5mp cam that can take HD, a 2mp front cam, wifi-direct (newest file transfer that SGS2 has), 1Ghz (even if single core) is already a good buy. All for 19990 is worth it. The Arc looks good, 27k nowadays, with the extra 7k id rather buy a decent digital camera or an LG Me for 8k as a back up phone LOL

No wonder why HTC Desire S now sells for 22k LOL, even the Galaxy SL is around 18k already.

Its a decent phone that can stay with you for two years. A good buy, but if youre really that tech conscious and you want to be “in” then shelve out 12k more and just get the Galaxy SII

Mikhail · 15 years ago

Yup, it’s a wrap. Optimus Black is the clear winner here.

marvin · 15 years ago

Yep. Waging wagi nga ang optimus black. Definitely a bang for the buck smartphone. You get the best display among the three. Masyadong overpriced kasi ang arc di naman ganun kaganda specs and materials used. Mas nahal pa ang arc kaysa mga dual core. Maganda din camera ng optinus black. :)

Marvin · 15 years ago

I agree with Kael… Im really with my ARC, aside from having the best camera, reality display and very sleek design- its very user friendly too. If given the chance with these selections, I would still choose ARC.

Marvin · 15 years ago

I agree with Kaelâ€¦ Im really happy with my ARC, aside from having the best camera, reality display and very sleek design- its very user friendly too. If given the chance with these selections, I would still choose ARC.

winwin1777 · 15 years ago

the optimus black seems to be a very great buy for its price and features!!!!

Bryan · 15 years ago

Sir yuga, you should also include to compare samsung galaxy i9003 and the samsung nexus. They are in the same class.

Kael · 15 years ago

You forgot to mention that the Arc clearly has the advantage of having a better camera than the other 2. It’s the main reason why I bought my Arc and I’m quite satisfied. :)

part-timer · 15 years ago

wow! ok na ok ang LG!

ito kukuhaan ko ng pambili –
http://truehealthphils.multiply.com/

Winziph · 15 years ago

Waging wagi nga yung LG sa labanang ito.

Fleeb · 15 years ago

Desire S pixel density for me SRP is too much though.

Sony WX9 · 15 years ago

huwaw, hanggang pangarap na lang tong mga smartphones na to :-(

name · 15 years ago

but i like the HTC Desire S more, because of the HTCSense.com integration in it, the aluminum body is also a plu for me. LOVE HTC. And I think SE Arc is a bit expensive and unreasonably priced for it’s specs