Sony Xperia Arc S will cost less than the Xperia Arc

PHONE MAKER Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc S will tip up on 26 September for £349, £9 less than its original Xperia Arc.

Online retailer Clove.co.uk has put the Xeperia Arc S smartphone up for per-order with a lower price than the Xperia Arc. Although you can get it cheaper elsewhere, the Xperia Arc will cost you £9 more at £358 from Clove.

Clove said, "We can today confirm that the first stock is expected on the 26th September (only a few weeks away) and the price will be £349.99 including VAT."

It was only last week that Sony Ericsson announced the Xperia Arc S. We imagined then that the update to Android 2.3.4 to its existing range of Xperia phones would happen before the Xperia Arc S arrived because of the vague fourth quarter availability quoted.

That isn't the case anymore, with the Xperia Arc S due to tip up in a few weeks pre-loaded with Android 2.3.4, while the Android 2.3.4 update for existing Xperia smartphones is expected in October.

Other than being available in blue or white the difference in the Xperia Arc S compared to the Xperia Arc is mostly an upgrade to the processor from 1GHz to 1.4GHz. The camera has also been improved with the addition of an Exmor R sensor.

Sony Ericsson claims that the upgrades mean the Xperia Arc S is 25 per cent quicker at starting the camera app and can load web pages 20 per cent faster than the Xperia Arc. µ