Archos has launched three new tablets with quad-core processors and silver aluminium casing to fall under a new Platinum brand.
The new range consists of an 8-inch, a 9.7-inch and an 11.6-inch tablet all of which arrive with Googles latest version of Android, Jelly Bean.
The french manufacturer hasnt always impressed with its tablets - check out our Archos GamePad review for evidence why - but hasnt pulled any punches with the spec of the Platinum line-up.
The three tablets will all feature an aluminium chassis and HD IPS display. Each tablet will feature a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 2GB RAM and - keeping to Archos track record - astonishingly cheap price points.
Going up against the likes of the Kindle Fire HD, the 8-inch Archos 80 Platinum features a 1,024 x 768 resolution and will be available for £179 this month. Scaling up, the Archos 116 Platinum will feature an 11.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 screen and will be available for £299 in April.
Of the three devices, the mid-level Archos 97 Platinum HD is likely to be the most interesting. This 9.7-inch tablet will go squarely up against Apples iPad with a 2,048 x 1,536, 9.7-inch IPS screen. But, at only £249 is almost half the price. Its set to become available later this month, and is already listed on the companys website.
Its probably fair to say that Archos has never quite recaptured its glory days of 2002-2005, when its PVPs went up against Apples first iPods. But the French company isnt giving up without a fight and has continued to release tablets with varying amounts of success.
Keep tuned to T3.com for an in-depth review of the new Archos Platinum tablets soon.
