Archos 45 and 50 Helium 4G LTE smartphones unveiled

Archos has announced the arrival of two new 4G compatible smartphones in its range. The 45 Helium and 50 Helium will be sold between 199 and 229 euros.

For the beginning of the year 2014, Archos argument holds in the world of smartphones with the following: 4G available on an Android device sold less than 200 euros, excluding any subsidy. A few days before the opening of the CES in Las Vegas, the French brand has just announced the imminent launch of two new models, the 45 Helium and 50 Helium 4G compatible smartphone (up to 150 Mb/s for operators that offer these rates), and posted to their respective prices of 199 and 229 euros.

For this price, the 45 Helium features IPS screen of 4.5 inches (11.43 cm, with a limited 854 x 480 pixels resolution), supported by a Qualcomm MSM8926 processor (A7 1.4 GHz quad-core) and 1GB of RAM. The phone has just 4 GB of flash memory dedicated to the storage, fortunately expandable via a micro-SD slot. It also embeds WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS chip and a 5 megapixel sensor, coupled with a VGA sensor on the front. Equipped with a battery of 1,700 mAh, it displays the dimensions of 135 x 67 x 9.75 mm, with a weight that has not yet been disclosed.

Archos 50 Helium passes meanwhile on a 5-inch (12.7 cm) screen with 1280 x 720 pixels. Its characteristics similar to those of 45 Helium, except that the storage to 8GB, the battery has 2000 mAh and the dimensions stand at 145 x 71.5 x 8.95 mm. Photo sensors are also revised upward with 8MP back and 2MP front camera.

Both will come with Android 4.3 OS without overlay. The characteristics of the Archos Helium range ia somewhat reminiscent to Moto G, an entry-level smartphone developed by Motorola (itself owned by Google), but it has neither 4G nor the location proposed by micro-SD which foreshadows here undoubtedly the democratization of 4G within ranges called low cost smartphones.