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lthough not a household name, Archos has
a long history in producing budget-
orientated Android devices, but has yet to
have a real breakthrough phone.The 50b Platinum
is the French firm’s latest device and from the
outset it’s a positive experience. The
predominantly plastic design feels robust and
there’s a range of colourful accompanying
backplates that can be interchanged at the user’s
discretion. It’s not too heavy either, considering the
5-inch display, but the slight curved edges of the
device make it uncomfortable to hold in one hand.
Removing the backplate shows some of the 50b
Platinum’s defining features. First and foremost,
the 1900mAh battery is removable, and there’s
also room for dual SIM cards and expandable
memory via a microSD card slot. Many of these
features are left out of pricier devices, so it’s a nice
surprise that Archos made it happen here.
The problems with the 50b Platinum start when
youfirstturnonthedevice.Ingeneraluse,the
phone suffers from some noticeable lag. It’s
important to note that it isn’t apparent in all areas,
but multitasking puts the MediaTek processor under
severestrain.The512MBofRAMisconsiderablylow
for a device of this size, especially when Android 4.4
is a pretty intensive OS update. The lag continues
into the 8-megapixel camera, where although quality

is generally good, it’s a slow process to not only
shoot photos but also edit them. When you do
manage to get your images into the editing suite,
there’s a wealth of options on offer, however.
This isn’t a device with a superb display either.
Whereas in past time we could forgive budget
devicesforalowresolution–theArchos50b
Platinumsportsa260ppidisplay–nowadayswhen
the likes of the £130 Moto G offer phenomenal
screens, there are really no excuses.
Oneareathatalwaysprovescontroversialis
where manufacturers put their own custom skin
ontheAndroidOS.Archos’sofferingisn’ttheworst
we’ve seen, but it’s a fairly clunky affair that
includes several bloatware apps that you’ll never
want to use. Fortunately, this can be removed if
you so wish – and we’d recommend it, as the 4GB
of internal storage will soon be eaten up otherwise.
Sadly for Archos, the time when we could forgive
major cutbacks in budget devices has past.
Motorola and HTC are constantly striving to bring
high-endspecstothoseonastrictbudget,andthe
50bPlatinumjustfeelsalittletoolatetotheparty
tocompetewiththebigboys.WeapplaudArchos
for bringing dual SIM capabilities and a removable
batterytoasub-£200device,butit’spointless
having them when both the processing power and
display just aren’t up to scratch.

ot enough power
paper, the quad-core
diaTek processor would seem
d, but it’s let down by 512MB
AM that makes using the
ce feel slow and sluggish.
e power is needed for a
ce of this size

Plenty of option
Removing the backpla
reveals a microSD slot, roo
for dual SIM cards and even
removable battery. It
remarkable to see all thes
features in a budget devic
and some of the bigg
names should really ta
note of

odgy display
IPS display is a particularly
r effort by Archos and there’s
ceable pixelation throughout.
ough the bigger screen
sn’t help matters, when
orola is producing better for
same price, there’s no
use here

Solid desig
Okay so it isn’t metal, but t
plastic design of the 5
Platinum feels well p
together. It’s a little too la
to realistically hold in o
hand, but those wantin
big-screen device won’t m
too mu

Arch num


Enjoy a dual SIM, expandable storage and a removable


battery for under £120


There’s lot of potential here,
but a better display and
processor is needed before
we can recommend

»Verdict


Price£119.99
»More informationwww.archos.com
»Supplied bywww.archos.com

information


Archos 50b


Platinum


Battery life
It’lllastadayof
medium usage and
canbereplacedby
a second battery

»Operating system...............Android 4.4
»Processor...................................MediaTek 1.3GHz quad-core
»Memory.......................................512MB RAM, 4GB storage
»Dimensions..............................73x146.8x8.3mm
»Weight..........................................160g
»Display size...............................5-inch
»Display resolution...............540 x 960 pixels
»Connectivity.............................3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
»Expansion slot.......................microSD

technical specs


better tha worse than


Archos 50b Platinum

GOCLEVER
Fone 570Q

Moto G
(2014)
issue 030 ssue 044

Reviews


Value for money
You get a much better experience from
Motorola and HTC for the same price

Features
Dual SIM and a removable battery are the
defining features here

Design
Remarkably robust and interchangeable
backplates are a good addition

Performance
Slow and sluggish, let down by just
512MB of RAM
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