Panasonic Eluga Arc2 now available in India

Panasonic hasn’t been able to make the kind of impact that Xiaomi or Motorola have in the budget-conscious Indian smartphone market, but you can’t accuse the company of not trying. The good response received from Indian consumers for the Eluga Arc, launched in April this year, has encouraged Panasonic to now come out with its metallic version, the Eluga Arc2, along with some improvements in features and specs.

Panasonic has upped the display size from 4.7-inch to a 5-inch one when compared to its predecessor, but it is still an IPS LCD screen, that comes with On-Cell Touch technology and the Outdoor-Pro Display feature for up to 500nit brightness, to improve outdoor readability. The Eluga Arc2 is powered by a 1.3GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor supported by 3GB RAM, and 32GB of on-board storage, which is further expandable to 128GB via a micro SD card. Other features include an 8MP rear camera with a LED flash, along with a 5MP front-facing shooter and a 2,450mAh battery, and the device runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

While the Eluga Arc2 does miss the mark when it comes to camera and processing performance, it makes up for that with its design and metallic body. Weighing just 147 grams, the handset sports a 7.6mm thick metal frame made of aircraft grade aluminum alloy using CNC technology. Its front and back comes with 2.5D curved Asahi Dragontrail glass finishing, which is scratch resistant. Panasonic claims that the Eluga Arc2’s metallic body allows the smartphone to withstand everyday wear and tear.

Panasonic had launched the Eluga Arc at Rs 12,490 (~$187) and is now offering its upgraded iteration at a slightly more affordable Rs 12,290 (~$184) for both the Gold and Rose Gold color options, bundled with a protective screen guard. If you’re looking for a great-looking smartphone that won’t break the bank, but can live with some sacrifices in the camera and processing departments, then the Eluga Arc2 may be a great option for you.

The Eluga Arc2 will be available on all offline retail channels, but amidst stiff competition, the company  still has a lot of work to do if it hopes to win over Android users in the Indian market in a big way. Interestingly, during the press briefing for the Eluga Arc2, Panasonic said that it plans to launch “something unique” in the next six to nine months without dropping any hints. It might be worth the wait though, and we’ll be keeping an eye out on that one for you.

Let us know in the comments section below if you think the Eluga Arc2 could be the right smartphone for you!