Kobo Arc
Key specs
Critic consensus
“The Kobo Arc tablet straddles two Android tablet personality types. It’s a basic, $200 tablet with a friendly user interface meant to be easily grasped by less tech-savvy users. But it also offers the openness and full access to the Google Play app store, like a standard Android tablet.The in-between-two-world’s nature of the Arc could throw some potential customers off, but here’s what you need to know: It runs well, the interface is well done, and there aren’t any limits on the apps and media you can load on it. The Kobo Arc is a good value for the price and worthy competition for the Nook HD, Kindle HD, and even the Google Nexus 7.”
“The Arc succeeds where the Vox fell flat: Kobo's newest 7-inch e-reader tablet has a longer lasting battery, full access to the Google Play Store, and processing power comparable to Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD. While we wish it ran the latest version of Android, the Arc's Tapestry feature helps set it apart from other 7-inch tablets. If you're seeking a good alternative to the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the Kobo Arc is a compelling option.”
“The Kobo Arc shows that, after the poor Vox tablet, Kobo does know how to do things other than make E-ink eReaders. With a keen price, decent innards and a respectable, if not great, screen, it’s a serious contender in the low-cost tablet space that the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD all live in. We prefer the Google tablet, but without the limitations of the rigid Amazon and Barnes & Noble UIs, it’s a solid choice for those who want an eReader experience integrated into their tablet.”
“The Kobo Arc's closest competitor happens to also be the best 7-inch tablet currently available, the Nexus 7. Given that, it's difficult to make a strong case for the Arc. The Arc's blocky design, older shipping OS, and lack of significant exclusive features make it feels like the poor man's Nexus 7. However, since Kobo charges the same $200, maybe the less discerning man's Nexus 7 would be more appropriate. The Kobo Arc isn't a bad tablet by any stretch. It's good, however, in the last year the bar has been raised for 7-inch tablets, and now there are clearly better choices out there.”
Watch before you decide
What people say
Only a few ratings so far, not enough to show a trend yet.
2 ratings so far
I won a Kobo Arc as a prize in a draw. Very great to start with given I have had a first generation kindle for years that I like but it is limited to black and white. The price (zero) was about right. The unit is a power hog, buggy and has a very long/complicated setup. the current issue (unresol...
I love this tablet, I have been using tapestries to help keep myself organized with school notes. The front facing speakers add a better experience for games and movies, as well as audio novels. The value is definitely there.
For a person with poor vision, tablets are a way to continue enjoying reading. The font choices and the sizes available are inadequate to enable me to read this tablet. I was lead to believe that font sizes could be adjusted via touch screen (thumb & finger) but not so.The available adjustment ju...
In Depth
The Kobo Arc is not your ordinary Android tablet. Unlike many other low-cost Android tablets on the market today, it comes with a number of high-end features and little or no restrictions on the default software. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the pre-installed operating system, and the Arc handles it quite well with its 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor. On the front, it has a 1280×800 7-inch touchscreen display, as well as a dual-speaker setup that makes it useful for listening to audio no matter what orientation it is being used in. It even has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera that can be used for all kinds of applications. In other words, it’s more than just another e-book reader running Android software.
Unlike the similarly-sized Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, the Arc doesn’t run a forked version of Android. Instead, it uses the full version of Ice Cream Sandwich, albeit with a custom home screen that’s made to look like the social sharing website Pinterest. It offers users full access to Google’s Play software store, in which there are thousands of free and paid apps available for download. This extends the functionality the Arc even further, and with its high-def screen and built-in speakers, it can transform into a full-fledged media player of sorts when it isn’t being used to read e-books.
Kobo provides Arc a reasonably large content catalog. Alas, it’s no Amazon, but it appears to get many important elements right. For one thing, it has what is being referred to as the “Discover Bar” which is an ad-free source of recommended items for Arc users. It’s seen by most reviewers as a non-distracting source of useful information. And users will have plenty of time to really dive into the recommendations as they come along, because the standard battery lasts for up to 10 hours of continuous usage per charge.
Kobo started out making simple e-book readers to take on bigger outfits like Sony and Amazon. And now, it looks ready to go against the rest of the Android tablet market with a well-equipped offering. Based on price-to-features ratio alone, the Arc is a hard one to pass up on. Users will likely agree with many of the early reviewers: the Arc is an excellent deal.
Need to Know: Kobo Arc
1. 1280×800 7-inch IPS touchscreen display offers great picture quality. (The Good)
2. The use of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with little or no restrictions allows users to take advantage of and fully enjoy the hardware features. (The Good)
3. The standard battery life could be a little longer. (The Bad)
4. Lacks a camera at the back. (The Bad)
What people actually want to know
When was the Kobo Arc released?
The Kobo Arc was released on November 16, 2012.
Does the Kobo Arc have a headphone jack?
Yes, the Kobo Arc has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Where can I get support for the Kobo Arc?
Visit Kobo's official support page for warranty info, repairs, and troubleshooting.
Where can I download the Kobo Arc manual?
You can view and download the Kobo Arc manual on our dedicated manual page.
Questions & answers
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