Archos may have been one of the first companies to launch an Android tablet, but it’s been a while since the French company has offered anything more interesting than a line of budget phones and tablets that do little to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
But this week the company did make a few interesting announcements ahead of next week’s Mobile World Congress show.
The upcoming Archos 101 Saphir tablet is a rugged device meant for outdoor use, while the Archos 50 Graphite and Archos 55 Graphite are low-cost phones with dual camera systems on the back.
The Archos 50 Graphite and Archos 55 Graphite smartphones both feature dual 12MP rear cameras with autofocus, LED flash, and support for bokeh-style depth effects.
There are fingerprint sensors on the phones, and both models feature MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processors.
The Archos 50 Graphite has a 5 inch, 720p display, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage, plus a microSD card slot, while the larger 55 Graphite has a 5.5 inch, 1080p screen, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage (plus microSD).
Both models have USB Type-C ports and both will ship with Android 7.0. when they launch this summer. Prices are expected to start at 130€ ($137), making these some of the cheapest dual-camera phones available.
The most interesting thing about the new Archos 101 Saphir tablet is its rugged design. It’s IP54 rated for water and splash resistance and has a thick case with reinforced corners to help protect it from drops and scrapes.
As far as specs? Those are pretty underwhelming. The tablet has a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel IPS touchscreen display, a quad-core MediaTek processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 6,000 mAh battery, a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera.
It does have a few nice features including GPS, micro HDMI output, and a USB Type-C port. And the tablet will come with Android Nougat software when it ships in June.
