ARC X1 is a new Android gaming handheld ready to challenge the market

Android gaming handhelds have long been dominated by Chinese manufacturers such as Ayaneo, Ayn, Anbernic, and Retroid, but that is about to change as Indian brand Arc prepares to launch its first device. The Arc X1 combines a 7-inch high-refresh display with Qualcomm hardware and an unusually large battery, giving it plenty of endurance for portable gaming.

The X1 features a 7-inch 1920 x 1080 LCD touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate, more than 500 nits of peak brightness, and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Under the hood is Qualcomm's Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, the same processor used by the now-discontinued Retroid Pocket G2. It comes with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, while a microSD slot supports cards of up to 1TB.

Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port with display output. Arc has also equipped the handheld with stereo speakers, noise-cancelling microphones, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Perhaps the most notable feature is the 9,300mAh battery, which is considerably larger than the 8,000mAh unit found in most competitors. The X1 supports up to 27W USB Power Delivery charging, with Arc claiming more than eight hours of usage and up to 10 days of standby time. As a result, that big battery makes it a bit heavy - with the handheld coming in at almost 500 grams.

The black polycarbonate chassis has an oleophobic rear coating, textured ergonomic grips, asymmetrical TMR thumbsticks with RGB rings, and an owl-shaped ventilation opening for the cooling system. Its textured shoulder buttons sit alongside adjustable triggers with trigger locks, while two rear buttons, a six-axis gyroscope, and micro-switch D-pad and ABXY controls round out the input options.

Arc is also developing its own OwlOS software, built on AOSP and designed around a controller-first interface. The system supports native Android and cloud gaming, while PC titles can be played through applications such as Winlator, GameNative, and GameHub. Users will be able to create per-game performance profiles and switch between different performance modes. Arc also says it plans to provide OTA updates and sell replacement components, including batteries, joysticks, and daughterboards.

The Arc X1 is priced at ₹33,500 (about $349 / €300 / £258), while community members can get it for ₹29,500 (about $307 / €264 / £227). A waitlist is already available, although reservations will not open until October 2 and require a token payment. The first units are expected to ship in Q1 2027.

As always, for the latest news on Android gaming handhelds, Qualcomm hardware, portable gaming devices, and developments across the handheld gaming industry, be sure to follow our dedicated hardware coverage.