Galaxy S (Captivate) or Xperia Arc S or ?

[foosion]

I'd like to get an unlocked (no contract) Android phone for around $300 to use when traveling. It should run 3g on 850/1900/2100

The best I've found so far are the Samsung Galaxy S (Captivate) and the Sony Ericcson Xperia Arc S.

Main uses would be google stuff (maps, gmail, calendar), web browser, music, videos, e-reader. I'm not likely to run many apps at once.

Since I'm likely to be on a prepaid data plan, the ability to limit data usage is a plus, although I suppose Juice Defender runs on everything.

What would you recommend?

 

[AntimonyER]

Hey foosion, Welcome to AF! We have started a new Device/Carrier comparison forum, and your thread is an excellent candidate to be moved in there. So I did. Hopefully you get the help you are looking for in there.

 

[rui-no-onna]

Stock, the Arc S should run faster. Not only does it have a higher clock rate, Sony's Timescape UI seems to be less resource intensive compared to Samsung's TouchWiz. Android 4.0.4/Ice Cream Sandwich is also available for the Arc.

If you plan on installing custom ROMs, there appear to be more ROMs available for the Captivate.

Price-wise, though, the Captivate is usually cheaper by $30-50. That said, if you can stretch your budget another $100, the Galaxy Nexus is excellent.