ARC has announced the X1, an Android gaming handheld built around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 platform and designed with replaceable battery and joystick modules. The device is scheduled to launch in India on October 2 at a price of about €268; availability in other markets has not been confirmed.
The X1 has a 7-inch LTPS LCD with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. The panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and is rated to cover roughly 100% of the sRGB color gamut.
Inside, ARC pairs the 4nm Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. A microSD card slot supports cards up to 1TB, while an integrated fan provides active cooling during demanding games. The handheld is listed at 450g to 500g.
- TMR joysticks designed to resist drift
- Hall-sensor triggers
- ABXY buttons using microswitches
- Two programmable rear buttons
A 9,300mAh battery supports 27W charging, with ARC claiming around eight hours of use in Silent mode. The company’s OwlOS software, based on AOSP, combines Android games, emulators and cloud-gaming services in one interface. It also lets users set performance levels, control mappings and fan speeds individually for each game.
Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C 3.1 with video output and a 3.5mm audio jack. With Android handhelds increasingly differentiating on controls and thermal design as much as raw chip performance, ARC’s repairable modules could be a notable part of the X1’s pitch—if the device reaches markets beyond India.
