14 DAY TRIAL // Archos is a brand that’s gradually starting to make a name for itself in the mobile ecosystem. So far, they have released a bunch of smartphones and tablets, and with MWC 2014 around the corner, we should expect to see more products on display.
According to ArcTablet, in Barcelona Archos will display its newest 80 Helium 4G tablet, which it claims will be the world’s first 8-inch 4G tablet to go on sale for less $249 / €182. This is pretty good considering the hefty rates you have to pay for a 4G device this days (the Nexus 7 sells from Verizon $349.99 / €256).
Putting aside the daring claim, let’s see what else this amount of cash will bring to the tablet. The 80 Helium is supposed to come with an 8-inch display boasting a pretty bland resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.
The product will be powered by a quad-core Qualcomm MSM8926 processor clocked at 1.2GHz combined with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Apart from that, the device is fitted with dual cameras (5MP on the back capable of 1080p full HD video capture and 2MP in front), Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, and GPS.
Keeping everything running is a pretty mediocre 3500 mAh battery, quite disappointing considering there are some smartphones on the market packing bigger packs than this, like the Ascent Mate 2 for example.
Disappointing for a new model, the default operating system is only Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but we guess that’s better than having Android 4.2 and an update to Android 4.4 KitKat might arrive at some point in the future, although we can’t say we ever heard of Archos pushing out new builds.
At MWC Archos is going to put on display a couple of new smartphones, including the 50c Oxygen which is advertised as being one of the cheapest octa-core smartphone on the market.
