HMD ARC First Look Review: A Surprisingly Capable Android Go Phone
HMD Arc, the company’s latest entry smartphone, is finally in the country, and I got to play around with it after landing on my review desk. I’m pretty impressed with what it brings to the table, considering it comes powered by the Android Go platform, which usually means very basic features. Here’s my unboxing and first impressions review.
What’s in the Box:
You get various accessories with the phone inside the box – HMD has been generous enough to include a transparent plastic case and a pre-applied screen protector on the phone plus a sim ejector tool, a 10W charging brick, pair of earphones(the phone has 3.5mm a headphone jack), a Type-C cable and a user guide. For a budget phone, this is a solid package, and you don’t have to buy the extras separately.
Design
HMD Arc is very sturdy and well-built for its price. You have a sleek finish on the back, which is fingerprint resistant, and I loved the clean and minimalistic design. It comes in two colours—Shadow Black and Electric Purple
The 6.52-inch LCD screen has a 20:9 aspect ratio, sporting a resolution of 576 by 1280 pixels. Its brightness is sufficient enough when you’re out and about. The screen is sizable enough for one-handed use, and its colours are decent enough for browsing and scrolling through your social media feeds.
This is a dual SIM smartphone with easy-to-access buttons – the power button also functions as the fingerprint scanner for biometrics. Additionally, the phone also supports face unlocking.
You get a mono speaker that’s pretty decent – loud and clear, which makes listening to podcasts or watching videos a pleasant experience.
The phone sports Gen1 repairability, so it’s easy to fix at the local service centre when it gets knocked down.
Performance
Unisoc SC9863A chipset powers the phone – it’s a modest processor, but when coupled with 4GB of RAM and an additional 4GB of Virtual RAM helps with smooth multitasking. You also get 64GB of onboard storage, which you can expand with an external microSD card.
Android 14 Go runs the phone and has been optimized for lightweight performance. The Arc handled basic tasks, social media browsing, and light gaming without feeling sluggish. HMD has promised quarteley security updates for 2 years.
However, I experienced lag when using the camera, especially when switching between modes.
Battery Life
Battery life is where the phone stands out, as the phone comes with a 5000mAh battery and lasts for days. Granted, the specs are basic. I was pushing two full days without the need to plug the phone on moderate use and light use will probably do close to three full days.
The 10W charger is a bit slower, but with the larger battery, I think it’s a fair compromise.
Cameras
The Arc comes with three cameras – a dual rear setup and a single selfie camera. You get a 13MP main camera with a 2MP depth sensor and a 5MP selfie camera. You get decent images from the cameras, including night mode photos. Video is capped day 1080p resolution.
Early Verdict
For an Android Go smartphone, the HMD Arc is surprisingly powerful and packed with standout features – a large battery, solid performance, good audio, sturdy build, and extra accessories which make it a compelling choice.
I’ll spend more time with it in the coming days to take the phone through its paces. Stay tuned!
Where to Buy and for How Much
HMD Arc is available starting from Ksh 11,000 and you can purchase it from HMD’s website, Kilimall, FoneXpress, Avi Communication, and PhonePlace Kenya.
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