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Archos heads to MWC with an onslaught of budget Android smartphones

archos announces budget android smartphones 52 platinum 59 xenon 62
Image used with permission by copyright holder
In what’s becoming a trend, Archos unveiled its upcoming lineup of smartphones before Mobile World Congress officially starts on March 2. As customary with the company’s previous offerings, all of its upcoming smartphones carry budget price tags.

First up is the 50 Oxygen Plus, powered by an octa-core 1.4GHz Mediatek processor coupled with 1GB of RAM, all backed up by a Mali 450MP4. It packs a 5-inch 1280 x 720 pixel display that shows Android 4.4 KitKat in all its glory. While it’s unknown whether this 3G version will be upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop in the future, there will be a 4G LTE version of the 50 Oxygen Plus that will come with Lollipop out of the box.

50 Oxygen Plus 2
50 Oxygen Plus Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 50 Oxygen Plus is equipped with a dual SIM card setup. Interestingly, while the primary slot is used for Micro SIM cards, the second slot can be used for either Nano SIM cards or MicroSD cards up to 128GB in storage. It’ll need all the storage it can, since the handset only comes with 16GB of built-in storage, which can be used for pictures taken with the 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel selfie camera.

The 3G variant of the 50 Oxygen Plus will be available this March for less than $200, while the 4G LTE version will arrive this June.

Moving on to the trifecta that is the 52 Platinum, 59 Xenon, and 62 Xenon. They all pack the same 1.3GHz quad-core Mediatek processor and 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, and MicroSD card slot for expandable storage. Even though each of them come with the same rear 8-megapixel camera, the 52 Platinum and 59 Xenon come with a 2-megapixel selfie camera while the 62 Xenon rocks a 5-megapixel front shooter.

52 Platinum 59 Xenon 62 Xenon
(from left to right) 52 Platinum, 59 Xenon, and 62 Xenon Image used with permission by copyright holder

Each of the three runs Android 4.4 KitKat shown on the same 1,280 x 720 displays, though screen size differs between the three; the 52 Platinum is equipped with a 5.25-inch screen, with the 59 Xenon and 62 Xenon equipped with 5.9-inch and 6.27-inch screens, respectively.

The 52 Platinum, 59 Xenon, and 62 Xenon will be available sometime in the near future for $145, $158, and $170, respectively.

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