The Nokia C7 is one of our favourite Symbian ^3 handsets, offering a stunning design, impressive quality and an excellent set of features. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is one of its rivals. Join us after the break to see how they match up against each other…
Size
At 4.2 inches, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is one of the biggest smartphones yet, and despite being pretty skinny, it’s one for big pockets only. The Nokia C7, on the other hand, features a more pocket-friendly 3.5-inch screen, along with a slimline casing of its own.
At 4.2 inches, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is one of the biggest smartphones yet, and despite being pretty skinny, it’s one for big pockets only. The Nokia C7, on the other hand, features a more pocket-friendly 3.5-inch screen, along with a slimline casing of its own.
Camera
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and the Nokia C7 are closely matched when it comes to photography, with both handsets sporting 8-Megapixel cameras. Both are capable of shooting HD video content as well.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and the Nokia C7 are closely matched when it comes to photography, with both handsets sporting 8-Megapixel cameras. Both are capable of shooting HD video content as well.
Operating systems
The Nokia C7 comes with Nokia’s latest Symbian ^3 OS, while the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc features the latest version of Android. Both operating systems have their pros and cons – while Android currently has more apps on offer, the Ovi Store is catching up quickly, and we also like the greater power efficiency on offer from Symbian ^3.
The Nokia C7 comes with Nokia’s latest Symbian ^3 OS, while the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc features the latest version of Android. Both operating systems have their pros and cons – while Android currently has more apps on offer, the Ovi Store is catching up quickly, and we also like the greater power efficiency on offer from Symbian ^3.
NavigationBoth the Nokia C7 and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc feature integrated GPS, but for navigation we’d take the Nokia C7 every time. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc does get Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation, but it’s no match for Nokia’s Ovi Maps service – a class leading product that can easily rival stand-alone GPS devices.
ScreenThe Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc comes out top if you’re after a high-res screen, but then again at 4.2 inches – one of the largest smartphone displays currently available – it’s no surprise. The Nokia C7 has less pixels – at 640 x 320 vs 854 x 480, – but it’s not something that’s overly noticeable until you look very closely at the AMOLED panel.
StorageAlong with 8GB of internal storage, the Nokia C7 also supports microSD cards of up to 32GB. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is firmly beaten in this respect, offering just 512MB of internal storage to suppliment external microSD cards.