Archos Diamond 2 Note

Hands-on with the budget, yet feature-rich, Archos Diamond 2 Note

Once the brand to beat when it came to personal media players, Archos has struggled to really transform itself into a company capable of making decent smartphones. They’ve often been poorly built and slow, and that just doesn’t cut it in such a crowded market.

But at MWC 2016 in Barcelona, the French company has come out with a new phone that appears to have a lot going for it. It has the specs to match even theSamsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, but at a fraction of the cost.

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ARCHOS DIAMOND 2 NOTE

1) It’s a big, big phone

After the Motorola-made Google Nexus 6, really, really big phones seem to have taken a step back. Most now agree that the screen sweet spot is somewhere between 5.1 and 5.7 inches, but Archos is thinking otherwise.

The Diamond 2 Note packs a 6-inch panel, which makes the whole phone enormous. One-handed use? No way. A slight curve to the aluminium back and some rounded-off sides does make it feel comfortable initially, but it’s also weighty.

Archos has done a good job putting this thing together, though, even if there is a slight whiff of the HTC One series to the back. It’s clean and metallic, without any unnecessary design choices.

2) An impressive display

Speaking of the display, the 6-inch screen boasts a quad-HD resolution – that’s 2560 x 1440 pixels – making this the highest-res Archos phone to date. It’s an IPS panel too, so viewing angles are good and it’s laminated right on to the glass, which makes it look even more vivid.

There’s also Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, adding an extra bit of protection.

As screens on budget phones go, this is very impressive.

3) An unskinned version of Android

Ah, now this is what we like to see. Instead of smearing an ugly over the now-beautiful Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, Archos is keeping things simple and giving us Google’s OS just as the search giant wanted.

The version I got my hands on was still running Android 5.1, but only because it’s a pre-production unit.

The only additions Archos will make will be to install its rather good media player that’ll play a whole load of file types. That aside, you’ve got all the features ofMarshmallow. The updated permission settings, Now on Tap and lots more.

4) Ticks all the specs boxes

Archos phones have often lost out in the past for feeling oh-so slow. That doesn’t seem to be the case with the Diamond 2 Note – at least on first impressions.

Running the show is an octa-core Mediatek X10 processor – that’s a new 64-bit chip running at 2GHz – paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

On the back there’s a 16MP camera with a Sony sensor that’ll shoot 4K video, while there’s a wide-angle 8MP selfie camera around the front with a flash. The camera app started up fast and autofocus seemed quick enough, though I can’t yet say for sure what the photos will come out like.

You’ve also got a microSD slot, and a pretty big 3,610 mAh battery that, Archos tell me, should easily get you through the day.

5) It’s seriously affordable

This is the biggie. While the specs of the Archos Diamond 2 Note can match up to the big boys, it massively undercuts them with its price tag.

When it hits the UK in the coming months, you’ll be able to pick up this phablet for £249. That's about a third of what the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge will likely cost, which is impressive by anyone's standards.

ARCHOS DIAMOND 2 NOTE IN PICTURES

The 2K display goes almost edge to edge

There's an 8MP wide-angle front camera

The back looks a bit like the HTC One M9's

ARCHOS DIAMOND 2 NOTE: PRICE AND RELEASE DATE

The Archos Diamond 2 Note will cost £249 when it goes on sale later in 2016.

ARCHOS DIAMOND 2 NOTE: OPENING IMPRESSIONS

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations when I rocked up to the Archos booth after trudging around a packed and sweaty convention centre for three days. But I came away pleasantly surprised.

Archos no longer has the brand exposure for this to be a massive hit, but it’s offering a load of specs in an attractive metal body for a price that can’t be sniffed at.

For the first time since it focused solely on PMPs, I’m a bit excited about getting an Archos product in for review.

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archos 50 platinum

                                                     HELLO EVERY BODY
NOW I TALK ABOUT (ARCHOS 50 PALTINUM)

KEY FEATURES

• 1.2GHz quad-core CPU
• Dual SIM
• 5-inch IPS display
• Manufacturer: Archos
• Review Price: £210.00

WHAT IS THE ARCHOS 50 PLATINUM?

The Archos 50 Platinum is a 5-inch Android smartphone that features dual-SIM functionality for those looking to better segregate their work-life balance. A mid-range handset with a price more akin to an entry-level device, the Archos 50 Platinum is available for just £210 on a SIM-free basis. It runs a stock version of Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel primary camera, but is this enough to compete with the big boys?

ARCHOS 50 PLATINUM: DESIGN

The Archos 50 Platinum’s design is markedly similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S3. The gloss plastic device features softly curved edges and is just 8.9mm thick, a mere 0.3mm thicker than Samsung’s past flagship phone. It is what you would expect from a wallet-friendly handset manufacturer by a bit-part player on the smartphone scene - it looks relatively cheap, basic and functional without ever really standing out from the crowd.

Like the S3 before it, the design of the Archos 50 Platinum is cheapened by the gloss plastic finish. It quickly becomes smeared with fingerprints, grease and grime. The Archos 50’s body looks grubby almost as soon as it is taken from the box. Short of handling the phone in gloves there is no way to counteract this, though it’s hardly a problem unique to it.

Despite weighing in at a considerable 160g, 30g more than the similarly sizedSamsung Galaxy S4, the Archos 50 Platinum does not feel particularly heavy. Its weight is spread evenly across the phone’s full 5-inch form leaving it feeling well-balanced and sturdy in the hand. It feels well made, too, with only a small amount of creak in the body when put under pressure and none of the serious issues we often see in cheap phones.

The physical buttons on the Archos 50 Platinum are not ideal and highlight the phone’s cheap nature. Both the volume rocker (left side) and power/sleep button (right side) are positioned in the way of your fingers when holding the phone in either a left or right-handed manner. What’s more they sit loosely in their housings and as such wobble and slide when held.

ARCHOS 50 PLATINUM: SCREEN QUALITY

There are few, if any, 5-inch phones in the Archos 50 Platinum’s £200 price bracket. Size doesn’t always mean quality, though, and the Archos 50 is testament to this. It features a 960 x 540 pixel resolution which, when stretched over the 5-inch panel results in a disappointingly low 220 DPI image quality. The end product of having a 5-inch screen that falls short of modern HD expectations is slightly grainy visuals with pixelisation effecting both video content and text equally.

Watching the Dark Knight Rises on the Archos 50 Platinum is a reasonably enjoyable experience. The expansive on-screen real estate undoubtedly helps make the Archos 50 a suitably entertaining platform for multimedia content, but it doesn’t possess that wow factor and pop we would have hoped for.

The explosion on the football field looks flat and hollow with colours and contrast throughout feeling washed out, bleak and lacking that little something extra found on high-end handsets. The phone’s blacks range is shallow, with expected subtleties in the colour spectrum not quite picked up.

Browsing the web sees text heavy pages suffer from slightly soft edges. The lack of a HD display becomes increasingly apparent the more you use the phone. For those after improved visuals at a similar price, the 4.7-inch Google Nexus 4 will be a better option, assuming you can do without dual-SIM capabilities that is.

The Archos 50 Platinum’s screen quality is not all doom and gloom, however. Viewing angles are strong and the screen is highly responsive with the IPS panel reacting promptly to all touch-based controls.

ARCHOS 50 PLATINUM: SOFTWARE

Unlike many Android smartphones, Archos has not bestowed the 50 Platinum with its own custom skin. Instead the 5-inch device runs stock Android. The French manufacturer hasn’t left Google’s OS completely alone, however. There are a pair a bespoke apps pre-installed on the device in Archos Music and Archos Video. Unlike Samsung and HTC, which both offer their own digital content stores, the Archos music and video services simply let you store your existing media collections in a slightly different location, hardly the most useful of additions.

Overall, the Archos 50 Platinum’s software setup is simple and efficient with a functional and almost utilitarian air to it. Transitions between the multiple homescreens are fluid with no stilted movements or stumbling. There is an array of pre-installed widgets available to let you personalise the phone’s homescreens to your wants and needs. The traditional Android app menu keeps the masses organised.

The Archos 50 Platinum comes pre-installed with two browser options. The stock Android browser lines up alongside the smartphone rendition of Chrome and, although the possibility of choice is sure to appease some, in truth it is largely unnecessary. Both offer fast load times and the usual array of bookmarking, favouriting and multi-tabbed browsing options. The only major difference between the two is that Chrome frequently throws the formatting of a web page out of kilter. The result is squashed and stretched content and web pages that are not conductive to relaxing reading.

Avoiding the mass of bloatware that comes pre-installed on many Android smartphones, the Archos 50 Platinum is powered by the ever-present array of Google branded apps. While this keeps things simple, it leaves the phone lacking that edge which separates it from the masses. The Archos 50’s UI is an all too familiar presence and one which fails to grip your imagination or provide that one must-have feature missing from its competitors.

ARCHOS 50 PLATINUM PERFORMANCE

The Archos 50 Platinum is not underpowered but neither does it set the smartphone world alight. For the most part things run smoothly and efficiently with a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU running the show alongside 1GB of RAM. Basic multitasking requirements are handled with consummate ease and app launches are not hit by the same faltering stutter as found on many similarly priced phones.

Gaming is smooth and engaging too thanks to the Archos 50’s strong spec. The likes of Real Racing 3 and the Temple Run-esque Despicable Me all run without issue or interruption other than slight display degradation and pesky download requirements. A microSD card will be required to install most games given the phone’s limited internal capacity.

Featuring just 4GB of internal storage, the Archos 50 Platinum’s capacity is extremely restrictive. It is made worse by the user available figure being significantly lower than this billed offering. Fortunately, Archos’s cost cutting has not forced it to overlook microSD expansion, with up to 64GB memory cards accepted. Unlike many modern smartphones, the Archos 50 Platinum does not possess either NFC or 4G connectivity options. Although sure to restrict some, the phone’s dual-SIM options act as a party-piece replacement of sorts.

The phone’s inbuilt speaker is a mixed bag of tricks. Audio quality is relatively strong, even at higher volumes, with little distortion or tininess. It does, however, feature one major, unexpected fault. Using the speaker causes the whole handset to vibrate. A problem we haven’t experienced before, this issue is rather severe with the phone physically moving in our hand during use.

ARCHOS 50 PLATINUM: CAMERA

On a camera front the Archos 50 Platinum is a pretty generic mid-range offering. It features an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera with a secondary 2-megapixel camera on the front. The primary one benefits from an integrated LED flash, autofocus options and 720p HD video recording capabilities.

As with many mid-market phones at a near entry-level price point, the Archos 50’s camera suffers from familiar white balance and light management issues. In changing light conditions or in areas of mixed light and shadow, the Archos 50 Platinum struggles to find an appeasing balance. It frequently over exposes bleak skies, turning landscapes into white-topped images with little definition to foreground detail. Focus times are longer than expected and can cause you to miss that all important shot. The Archos 50 Platinum’s camera produces images that are flat and lack a depth of colour and detail.

Although the integrated LED flash is an addition often omitted from lower priced phones, its integration on the Archos 50 Platinum is met with mixed emotions. It’s not powerful enough to illuminate entire dimly lit rooms, it frequently overpowers people within shots, whiting out faces. The phone’s forward-facing camera has even worse colour management. It casts a greyish tinge to all shots, causing you to look ill in anything but ideal lighting conditions.

The Archos 50’s rear-mounted camera is positioned extremely high on the centre of the phone’s back. Stray fingers can easily creep into shot when holding the phone in a landscape stance forcing extra care and consideration to be taken.

READ:- Archos 35 Home Connect and Smart Home Phone

Archos 35 Home Connect and Smart Home Phone

                                                               HELLO EVERY BODY

NOW I TALK ABOUT A NEW PHONE (ARCHOS 35 HOME )

Alongside its two new G9 Android tablets, Archos has launched the Home Connect and Home Phone, two other Android devices that are a little out of the ordinary. One is a DECT home phone with smartphone aspirations, the other a bedside alarm clock radio that takes a few design cues from game controllers. What do we think? Is Archos crazy or are these two slices of genius?

The Archos Home Connect is one of just a few devices that really strays from the Android norms of smartphones and tablets. It's an odd blend of bedside alarm clock, kitchentop internet radio and handheld games console.

To each side of the 3.5in touchscreen sit fairly large (for a diddy device) speakers, qualifying this as a portable radio-like gadget. The busy demo room we tested out the device in wasn't the optimum place to assess sound quality, so we'll wait to get a review unit in to test its sonic skills.

The screen uses a resistive touch layer, and so doesn't feel hugely responsive under your fingertips. The Home Connect's design encourages two-thumbed usage, its back curved ergonomically to accommodate the rest of your digits. In this sense it's rather like a handheld games system of old - like a Sega Game Gear, without the buttons. Unlike a Game Gear, it won't guzzle up all your AA batteries. It uses an internal rechargeable battery, letting you take it outside for barbecues or days out at the park, and so on. On the back are the Home Connect's small collection of sockets and ports. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack, full-size USB port, microSD card slot and the power button.

A key feature, in Archos's eyes, of the Home Connect is internet radio, which will require a Wi-Fi network as there's no 3G connectivity packed-in. This is powered by the TuneIn Radio app, so it's not really Archos's doing. It has simply provided a form that allows the app to shine a little more brightly than it does in a smartphone.

Archos's notion of the Home Connect as a baby monitor is a similar deal. Archos has tweaked the settings within Google Talk so that you can use the Home Connect's user-facing camera to look over your kids. It's simply a case of making the device respond to video calls automatically. Simple when you think about it, but not something we could imagine this Android gadget will be used for a great deal.

Is Archos clutching at straws for uses for something that's something of an uneasy fit in the busy consumer electronics space? Perhaps. Although the Archos 35 Home Connect's Android OS makes it wonderfully flexible, at £120 it has to take on a lot of competition, including the Squeezebox Radio, Nintendo DSi, iPod Touch and others. And like many non-phone Android devices, it doesn't have full Market access. Convergence in a smartphone is one thing, but convergence in a larger device that has to be moved about between various jobs is something else. Disagree? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

The Archos Home Phone is something we expected to see pop out into the market sooner. It's a DECT home phone that runs the Android OS, giving it access to thousands of apps that other home phones couldn't possibly start to contemplate dreaming about.

It doesn't have Android Market access though - common for Android 2.x devices that aren't smartphones. Although not entirely compatible with the Android experience, it claims to be able to work with just about any DECT base station, as it uses standard DECT protocols. The £129 package comes with a base station for that proper home phone look.

Aside from the DECT innards and the dock, the Smart Home Phone looks much like any Android smartphone. It has a 3.5in touchscreen, used to make calls as well as all those other Android tasks (yes, including playing Angry Birds).

Unfortunately, it uses a resistive touchscreen though, so lacks the super-slick feel of a device like the Apple iPod Touch. The display isn't great quality either, looking a little dull in out preview, not helped by the capacitive layer it peeps out from under.

There are plenty of tasks that make use of Android and don't demand touchscreen or display perfection. It'll make video calls, become a personal calendar and pull-down emails from the net. It makes us wonder though - how many people gagging for this kind of functionality have managed to avoid the lure of the smartphone, now that they're available for so little money? Pre-pay Android handsets are available for half the price of the Smart Home Phone.

If there's still space in your gadget life for an Android home phone, this has much of what's needed to make use of the Android basics. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD slot and the usual navigational soft keys, plus access to the AppsLib app store for additional app downloads. We still don't know everything about this intriguing device though. The CPU and built-in memory (we can't imagine there's much) are a mystery, but its average performance suggests that this device isn't particularly high-powered.

The Archos Smart Home Phone will be available towards the end of September, and will retail for around £129.

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