I've been chopping and changing between the Neo and the Arc the last couple months, really just because I can (!), but also to really gauge how, despite running the same operating system, how different each handset is. And also so I could decide which handset was worthy of the 16GB microSD card I've had my eye on for a bit on Amazon.
Surprisingly, the Arc wins out overall. Sure, I raved about the Neo in the summer and I really do still like the Neo and it's stubby coolness, but the disappointing lack of memory (380MB compared to 512MB) means the Neo is more prone to getting mired in its own, er, mire, and I constantly have to restart it and that's only using the bare minimum of apps - I've only got 3.5 pages of apps on both my phones. Not something that's entirely useful when the option to restart is provided by third-party apps, although this also applies to the Arc until I reinstall Quick Boot.
Personally, with regards to flash memory, I still think it a little cheap of SE to only offer 8GB cards with the Xperia range (and I think certain models in this years' range only come with a 4GB card). The smartphone to beat in the marketplace is of course the iPhone, and that comes in 8, 16 and 32GB variations. Again and again, we see SE offering the bare minimum when it comes to besting the competition - 8GB is the bottom of the scale, why not at least TRY and compete and bundle a 16GB card? Based on their position in the sales market, surely it's worth a gamble?
That said, there are strong and persistent rumours some of 2012 Xperia range will come with integrated onboard storage, somewhere in the region of 32GB if the stories are true. If this is the case, I would hope for consumers moving away from iOS and it's strict hand-holding and migrating to SE. IF the rumours are true, the 2012 handsets are game-changers for SE, in a big way. I can't wait for the New Year and MWC.
