Archos has announced a new range of budget smartphones for those of limited means. While they may not be market leaders, they have value and stock Android going for them.
While the new handsets might not be challenging the HTC One anytime soon, there’s no denying their value. The 35 Carbon, for instance, offers up a 3.5-inch IPS screen, 4GB of internal storage, VGA cameras front and rear, 1GHz Qualcomm 7225A processor, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0, all running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Not setting the world on fire — but then it only costs $120 off-contract.
At the higher end, the 50 Platinum packs a 5-inch IPS display, quad-core Qualcomm 1.2GHz 8225Q processor, 1GB of memory, 4GB of internal memory, 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera, all running on Android 4.1.2. That will cost $275 — which, again, is pretty good value. The same phone with a bigger 5.3-inch screen and larger battery will cost $300.
All three are only available full price, off contract and carry dual-SIM card slots. They’re tied to HSPA 3G though — no LTE here. Initially available in Europe from May, there’s no word on exactly when or if they will make it to Australia. [Archos]