Archos 50b Platinum is a quad-core, dual-SIM bargain
At £119 or $149, the Archos 50b Platinum smartphone doesn't require a platinum credit card.
Platinum may be one of the most precious metals, but you don't need a platinum credit card to buy the new Archos 50b Platinum: this 5-inch quad-core Android smartphone costs just £119 in the UK, $149 in the US and €129 in Europe. Archos is yet to reveal pricing or availability for Australia, but the Euro price converts to around AU$180.
Follow-up to last year's Archos 50 Platinum, the 50b goes on sale in September. It will also be joined by a smaller version, the 45c Platinum, which cuts the price to £99, $129 or €99 (roughly AU$140).
The 50b Platinum is powered by a quad-core processor with Android KitKat software, although Archos hasn't said which specific version.
The 8-megapixel camera has autofocus and an LED flash, backed by a 2-megapixel camera on the front for video chat. For your money you get an 8GB microSD card in the box and three coloured cases to customise the style of your phone.
There's a dual-SIM version that holds two SIM cards in one phone, giving you two numbers without having to juggle two separate phones. That's useful if you have different numbers for business and personal use, but it isn't common in every country: UK networks, for example, don't sell dual-SIM phones although they do work.
The 50b Platinum joins the new 101 Oxygen Android tablet in the Archos lineup, along with the 40 Cesium Windows Phone smartphone and 80 Cesium Windows tablet .
The new devices will make their debut at IFA, the annual technology trade show, where we'll be on hand to bring you the first pictures, videos and hands-on first impressions of the coolest kit heading your way in the next few months.