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Archos 43 Android PMP First Impression

At 4.3 inches, I wouldn’t really call the Archos 43 an internet tablet but more like a personal media player (PMP). In a way, it’s pretty close to the iPod Touch (more like the Android equivalent really).

Yugatech 728x90 Reno7 Series

Compared to the other smartphones which are also in the 4.3-inch category, the Archos 43 seems a bit taller than the rest. It’s got a slender built though and a slimmer frame.

Archos 43
4.3-inch display @ 480×854 pixel resistive screen
1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU
720p HD video playback
VGA camera
HDMI, USB ports
8GB or 16GB model
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1

It’s pretty intriguing why Archos would put a resistive screen on the 4.3 inch tablet when all the other models in the line-up are using capacitive screens.

Placed side-by-side the 4.3″ Desire HD and the 4.0″ Galaxy S, the Archos 43 is much taller than the two but since the display is typically measured via the the diagonal length, the width ended up a little narrower than the other Android smartphones (some principles of trigonometry at work here).

Just like its bigger siblings, the Archos 43 comes with small kickstand at the back for when playing a movie or watching a photo slideshow. Battery life seemed pretty impressive. Let it for 7.5 hours on standby and got back to it at 55% battery life.

The device runs on Android 2.1 Eclair out of the box but is ready for 2.2 Froyo anytime. Just has to be done manually.

It comes built-in with 16GB of internal storage but the inclusion of a microSD card slot allows it to be upgraded with a 32GB card as an option.

Played Angry Birds on the device just fine (actually runs very smoothly). However, since the display is a resistive screen, there’s no multi-touch and I could not zoom in or out of the game scene.

I would not call it a serious challenger to the iPod Touch considering the prices and specs but it’s an Android alternative nonetheless.

The suggested retail price is Php12,990 and pretty much puts it in the same price range as the 8GB iPod Touch 4G.

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Avatar for Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

17 Responses

  1. Avatar for John Ray Ebora John Ray Ebora says:

    sana may pacontest din po kayo na ang price eh ito, o archos 70 :)

  2. Avatar for sonny sonny says:

    ipod touch 8g is only 10300 already.

  3. Avatar for McTechieGuy McTechieGuy says:

    Resistive screen is definitely a turn-off.
    I’ll just go with the iPod Touch i saw at a shop in SM Manila Cyberzone. 32GB for 13k. 10 peso difference. =))

  4. Avatar for Joeyoliver Joeyoliver says:

    @jhoravi – Even if it’s resistive, i really can’t tell the difference between it and a capacitive.

    It’s really really responsive!

    And the good thing about it being really responsive is that it acts like a capacitive yet i’m not limited with using only my fingers like a capacitive screen!

  5. Avatar for Joeyoliver Joeyoliver says:

    It’s pretty good. It’s got the highest pixel density from all the Archos tablets. Not comparable to the Retina display but really good! Feels just right on the hand too! It runs 2.1 but upgradeable to 2.2 OTA. 100,000 plus apps! Not to forget that GBA and PSX emulators work just fine too. For a 4.3 inch device, It’s price tag is just right! The US price, at least. It’s P3000 more expensive here in the Philippines.

    @Jonai – Yhep it’s available. I’m not sure if they still have stocks left. I heard it was selling fast.

  6. Avatar for Benchmark33 Benchmark33 says:

    I thought it has a cheaper price tag coz it is in resistive screen. but then again, their mistake. It should have a lower price tag.

  7. Avatar for jhoravi jhoravi says:

    resistive screen??? eeewwww!!

  8. Avatar for mr. bogus mr. bogus says:

    i pick ipod touch to this kung ganito lang kalaki… (because of the music player…)

    but for the REAL tablet (7-9inch).. archos 70 and galaxy tab pa rin…

  9. Avatar for riccillego riccillego says:

    @chester

    youre much better off with the optimus one:it has capacitive touchscreen,froyo out of the box,and…its a smartphone…

  10. Avatar for QWERTBVCXZI QWERTBVCXZI says:

    it means on the size.

  11. Avatar for Chester Chester says:

    ah, i thought phone din sya, sabi kasi sa taas “compared to other smartphones…”

  12. Avatar for QWERTBVCXZI QWERTBVCXZI says:

    @Chester. its not a smartphone,its a mini tablet

  13. Avatar for Chester Chester says:

    may sim card din po ba sya?

  14. Avatar for Chester Chester says:

    ito or LG optimus One? hmmmn..

  15. Avatar for Jonai Jonai says:

    Matibay kaya ito compared to nokia models? Anyone want to answer please?

  16. Avatar for Jonai Jonai says:

    nice specs.. Sir abe, saan store ito available sa MM?

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