Sony Ericsson smartphone to debut in Korea in April

Sony Ericsson on Monday said it will be releasing its new smartphone, “Xperia Arc” in South Korea next month through SK Telecom.

South Korea will be the second nation to see the launch of Xperia Arc, following the firm’s home turf of Japan.

“We want Xperia Arc to be known not only for its design, but as a phone defining new smartphone standards,” said Han Youn-hee, head of the firm’s South Korean market.

As one of the latest phones in the Xperia lineup, Xperia Arc touts a curved profile offering an ergonomic design. It also is the lightest and the slimmnest in the market, weighing at just 117 grams and measuring 8.7 millimeters at its thinnest point.

The new phone, as with the Sony Ericsson’s other Xperia phones Play and Neo, runs on the 2.3 Gingerbread Android operating system. Market watchers said the choice of the Android signals the firm’s determination to compete local phonemaking giants such as Samsung and LG.

What is most significant about Xperia Arc is its technological tie-up with Sony, company executives said.

Xperia Arc is fitted with the Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor taken from Sony’s digital cameras to help take brighter and clearer pictures even under dim lighting or at night.

Arc users also can hook up their phones to their televisions and use a remote control to use their phones.

Xperia Arc will join the growing line of smartphones that have been hitting the local scene, including those from homegrown players like Samsung and LG. So far, Apple’s iPhone, now distributed by both KT and SK Telecom, has been dominating the competiton among foreign brands.

As of last year, Sony Ericsson held a 4 percent market share in the global markets in terms of sales.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)