While we are still picking away at the remains of oliebollen between our teeth, HMD announced two simple Android Go phones. We won't remember the HMD Key and Arc because of the simple in late 2025, but they are the first phones of the new year.
The HMD Arc seems to be coming out worldwide while the Key seems to be destined for the UK, Australia and New Zealand. We are therefore limiting ourselves here to the Arc for now. This is not a bad thing because both phones are very similar.
.So there's a 6.5-inch screen with a striking resolution of 1280 by 576 pixels. It doesn't deliver extremely sharp images, and with a peak brightness of 460 nits, the screen isn't very bright either. There is a 13MP autofocus camera on the back with support for portrait photos, night mode and slow motion.
Android 14 (Go edition)
The HMD Arc's battery is 5000 mAh and can be charged at 10W. It's not fast, but it does provide 51 hours of battery life, according to HMD. The whole thing runs on an insignificant Unisoc 9863A processor. But since it uses a stripped-down Android Go version, it will still be quite workable in practice.
On the side is a fingerprint scanner, something missing from the Key. You get 2 years of security updates but they are rolled out once a quarter. The device is partially self-repairable thanks to the availability of spare parts from iFixit. When these will become available is not yet known.
Prices HMD Arc
The starting price is €99 for the model with 2/64GB of storage and €119 for the model with 4/64GB. HMD claims in the press release to be able to deliver the device as early as January 2. A quick search, however, yields this good intention has fallen apart after only 1 day.
