Dithering escort. In December Archos announced the market launch of the Archos 97 Titanium HD tablet. Now the latest scion of Archos' Element Series is available and promises pictures in razor-sharp HD quality. But can the smart "Frenchman" really compete with the equally sized, 9.7 inch Apple iPad 4 Retina powerhouse? Or will the tablet escort get cold feet after all?
Editor's Note (February 13, 2013): The following review has not yet been edited for grammatical errors. A final draft of the review will be released soon.
For the original German review, see here.
There's no question that the slim tablet from France looks good. Its capacitive screen has a size of 9.7 inches and makes use of the IPS technology at a resolution of up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. That sounds promising. However, our review reveals whether the screen really comes as close to the equally sized Retina display in the iPad 4 as it wants to make the user believe. A dual-core A9 processor with a clock of 1.6 GHz from Rockchip beats in the 97 Titanium HD's aluminum chest, just like in the smaller 8 inch Titanium brother. The device sports an 8 GB internal memory, which is scanty even for this price range. A GPU in form of Mali 400 MP4 is responsible for graphics. According to the manufacturer's specs, the tablet promises a lot of processor power and fun with the latest 3D games owing to a quad-core graphics processor. We examined whether this works in HD mode which can be optionally selected in the screen settings, or whether the performance caves in when the computational demand is increased. Archos demands a price of approximately EUR 260 for the tablet based on the operating system Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This sounds like an inexpensive alternative to the Retina tablet from Cupertino. We checked whether the customer really finds a bargain when opting for the Apple duplicate made in France or whether it is ultimately just hot air.
The tablet companion is well-built. This starts with an "oh-la-la" for the plain white bezel and a continuous glass surface that seamlessly reaches to the edges of the 9 x 240 x 184 millimeter casing and which is framed by a white plastic bezel. It is very discreet and ensures that neither spines nor sharp edges unpleasantly mar the handling feel. Even the back of the good-looking French device is "wow". The entire tray is made of matte, brushed aluminum. If it weren't for Archos' logo engraved on the back, the device could easily be mistaken for the product of a famous Californian tablet forge from a distance. We can only guess what Apple thinks of the iPad twin. In any case, the chassis features a model figure with a weight of 640 grams and a thickness of 9 millimeter. In comparison with that, the iPad 4 weighs a bit more with 652 grams and is a bit thicker with 9.4 millimeters.
The shape, color and workmanship doubtlessly make the Archos 97 Titanium HD to an eye-catcher. The handling experience of the tablet is also pleasing. Rounded plastic edges and the brushed metal surface make it pleasant to hold. The chassis is flat, sleek and consequently really caress the hands. The casing's stability does not come too short. The aluminum back is quite rigid and defies any warping attempts quite well. A minor point deduction is made because the screen responds with clouding and streaks where selective pressure is applied with a fingertip on the casing's rear.
Connectivity
The available interfaces implemented in Archos' 97 Titanium HD are neither particularly diverse nor innovative. To make it short, only the essentials are installed. The device sports one micro USB 2.0 port, one 3.5 millimeter audio jack for connecting headphones, for example, and one microSD slot for expanding the memory up to 64 GB.
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Software
Archos' 97 Titanium HD is based on the quite new Android 4.1 version, aka Jelly Bean. Unlimited access to Google's Play Store is granted. A few apps are preinstalled on the device. Among them "OfficeSuite Viewer" for reading Office documents and "Brief Me", which groups Facebook, Twitter and news feeds.
Communication & GPS
The tablet supports Wi-Fi in the 802.11 b/g/n standards. Data sharing via Bluetooth is not featured. The tablet neither sports an integrated modem for Internet connections on the move nor will the user find a GPS module.
Cameras & Multimedia
Archos' 97 Titanium HD is quite suitable as a tablet camera owing to the front-facing camera's resolution of 2 megapixels and 5 megapixel rear-facing camera. Of course, the key question remains: why does a tablet need a camera and what is expected from it? The pictures are usually less than good in most cases and the 97 Titanium HD is no exception. But the tablet includes cameras and they are suitable for the occasional snapshot. The rear-facing camera's results are acceptable. The colors are not exceptionally brilliant but fairly focused, so the pictures don't look at all bad. And the front-facing camera is quite suitable as a "motion" pocket mirror besides its actual purpose, for example video chats. The result is a bit off-centered, the colors need of getting used to and unfocused. However, we can speak of overall solid camera equipment.
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Accessories
Besides a user's manual, we found a power supply unit with three different plugs for use abroad in the box. A USB cord is also included. Archos offers optional accessories, such as a stylus for inputting on capacitive screens for EUR 14.99, in its online shop.
Warranty
As to the warranty, Archos states that it complies with the statutory warranty, which equals 24 months in Germany. The retailer is the point of contact for the customer in such cases.
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