Archos has beaten the World Mobile Congress crowd to the starting line by introducing a trio of tablets prior to the show as it has taken the wraps off of its Platinum lineup that will have tablets that range in size from 8-inches to 11.6-inches.
The three tablets start with the Archos 80 Platinum, an 8-inch model, the Archos 97 Platinum that is a 9.7-inch device and the Archos 116 Platinum that is a 11.6-inch tablet. All three share many f the same internal features.
All of them will run the Android 4.1 operating system and will be powered by a 1.2GHz quad core processor and feature a 8-core GPU that is capable of driving 1080p video decoding. They include 2GB of RAM and both a mini-HDMI and Micro SD ports for expansion.
The 8-inch Platinum tablet features a 1024 × 768 resolution screen and will be priced at $199, while the 9.7-inch Platinum HD tablet will have a high resolution 2048 × 1536 resolution display and will sell for $299. The company said that both of these tablets are expected to be available by the end of the month.
The largest of the three, the Archos 116 Platinum will have a 1920 × 1080 resolution screen and is expected t ship in April with a for $349 price tag.
The tablets look sharp and appear to be a solid offering, yet the company has not yet made available how much storage the devices will have makes it impossible to give a solid assessment of them at this time. With Apple and Microsoft offering 128GBs and others have or will follow suit, it is an important factor when making comparisons.
Another new series of Quad Core Android tablets is coming from Ainol Electronics – including the Novo 9 Spark – featuring a Quad Core processor along with a 9.7 inch 2048×1536 (Retina) screen – and a performance 10,000 mAh battery, 4K Digital HDMI, and a 5 Megapixel Rear Camera with AF and Flash – one of the first Resellers in the U.S. which carries this new product is TabletSprint – and priced at $269.
Also available through TabletSprint is the Novo 7 Venus – which launched last week
for $149 – and compares to the Nexus 7 tablet – matching key features, including a Quad Core processor, a 7″ high resolution multi-touch 1280×800 IPS screen, 16GB memory, a front camera, Android O/S and Google Play Store preinstalled — while also offering features the Nexus 7 doesn’t include… a 2-megapixel rear camera, a MicroSD memory card slot, an HDMI 1080p port; plus more ways to connect to the internet, including Ethernet as well as 3G/4G Wireless connection through its USB port. TabletSprint also includes $25 in Bonus Apps and a free plan for 3G connection with 500MB of Data each month.
It should be interesting to see how much gain these tablet makers have in the marketplace – because both Archos and Ainol are aiming high with some quality specs and features with prices that certainly grab your attention.