Archos Unveils Platinum Line of Tablets with 11.6-Inch Flagship; May Make Smartphone

[dgstorm]

We have some intriguing official news and some unofficial news from Archos this morning. First, we will share the rumint. Supposedly, we are hearing that Archos may be developing an Android smartphone. Here's a quote with the details,

The Archos Carbon 35 is touted to be the smallest model with a modest 480 x 320 pixel display, a single core processor and a paltry 512MB RAM as well as an equal amount of storage. Needless to say, this is clearly a budget handset that ought to retail for approximately 90 Euros. As for the Archos 48 Platinum, this higher end handset sports a 4.8-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, a quad-core 1.7GHz Mediatek MT6589 ARM Cortex-A7 processor and a 249 Euro price tag. Last but not least, the Archos 52 Titanium might feature the most generous display at 4.8-inches, but it has a relatively low pixel count at 800 x 480 pixels, alongside a dual-core 1.2GHz processor.

While none of this is confirmed, the intel seems very solid, so more than likely we can expect to see a new competitor enter the smartphone world sometime this year.

Our second bit of news is an official announcement from Archos themselves. They are launching their new Platinum lineup of Android tablets. These new higher-end products even include an 11.6-inch flagship. As usual, the manufacturer is pricing their products very aggressively. Here's a quick spec breakdown followed by the official press release which includes pricing info.

Archos 80 Platinum: 8-inch 1024x768 IPS display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, front and rear cameras, mini-HDMI, microSD, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Archos 97 Platinum: 9.7-inch 2048x1536 IPS screen, 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, front and rear cameras, 2GB RAM, mini-HDMI, microSD, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Archos 116 Platinum: 11.6-inch 1920x1080 IPS display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, front and rear cameras, 2GB RAM, mini-HDMI, microSD, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Here's that press release,

ARCHOS Introduces the New Platinum Range

The Platinum tablets are amongst the first Android tablets to offer a super high resolution IPS screen combined with the performance of a Quad-Core CPU

Denver, CO – February 14, 2013 - ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, introduces the Platinum range, a new line of tablets that feature a sleek aluminum design combined with the best high definition IPS displays, quad-core processors and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. There will be three tablets in the range including an 8-inch, 9.7-inch and 11.6-inch all of which deliver true vivid colors, sharper text and amazingly fast performance.

The entire Platinum range will all share the following features:

High-Definition IPS display with capacitive multi-touch screen
QUAD core CPU at 1.2 GHz with 8-core GPU, with 1080p video decoding
2 GB RAM
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Full access to the 700,000 applications
Archos Media Center applications
Front and Back Cameras
Mini-HDMI and Micro SD ports
The ARCHOS 80 Platinum, an 8” tablet, features a 1024x768 resolution IPS screen and when compared to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 it is almost twice as fast, has double the RAM and has a back camera for a fraction of the cost. The 80 Platinum will be available in February for $199.

The ARCHOS 97 Platinum HD, a 9.7” tablet, features a stunning 2048x1536 resolution IPS screen, which is comparable to the Retina display found in the iPad, but is 40% less expensive. The 97 Platinum HD will be available in February for $299.

The ARCHOS 116 Platinum, an 11.6” tablet, features a 1920x1080 resolution IPS screen, unlike anything currently on the market. The 116 Platinum will be available in April for $349.

ARCHOS at CeBIT 2013 – Come and see the ARCHOS Platinum range first hand during CeBIT 2013 in Hannover 5th to the 9th of March. The ARCHOS booth is located in Halle 15 Stand D72.

Source: Phonedog & Ubergizmo