A (165)

A

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