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Archos 50c Oxygen Smartphone Review

The power of eight cores. Care for a five-inch HD screen alongside an octa-core SoC for 200 Euros (~$268)? Archos delivers on specs that are anything but common for this price range. Thus, we remain curious as to whether the manufacturer manages to fuse the components to a rounded total package. In that case, it would be a small deal breaker.

For the original German review, see here.

As can be seen based on the good test results of contenders like Motorola's Moto G, smartphones from the 200 Euro (~$268) range are slowly emerging from their grubby corner, and are developing to serious alternatives for buyers with medium to high demands. Users who do not need one of the present, high-speed SoCs, innovative features, extra software, a Full HD screen (or an even higher resolution), will often find everything that they want here. An example of this pleasing trend is our Archos 50c Oxygen. Its 5-inch HD screen (IPS, 1280 x 720 pixels, 294 ppi), Mediatek MT6592 octa-core SoC, and integrated Mali-450 MP4 GPU even stands out in this price range, where 960 x 540 pixels and slower dual or quad-core SoCs, such as the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926 / MSM8922 with integrated Adreno 305 are still often found. An 8 MP primary camera is not a matter of course in this price range either. A real highlight of our review sample is the option of inserting two SIM cards simultaneously (dual-SIM). Android 4.2.2 is the operating system used for all models currently in the market. We were lucky enough to have 4.4 KitKat preloaded on our review sample, which has (yet) only undergone very few modifications compared with Vanilla Android.

We selected a few phones based on the aforementioned Snapdragon SoC for comparison in our benchmarks: Sony's Xperia M2 (4.8 inches, approx. 250 Euros (~$335)), Motorola's Moto G (4.5 inches, approx. 170 Euros (~$228)), and Huawei's Ascend G6 (4.5 inches, approx. 250 Euros (~$335)). The 5.5-inch Huawei Ascend G730 that sports a slower Mediatek MT6582 (four cores, 1.3 GHz, Mali-400 MP2) is also in the race.

Case

Slim, angular, plain: The design is appealing.
Slim, angular, plain: The design is appealing.

The plastic casing is black (screen bezel) and dark charcoal gray. When looking at the phone from the front, it is noticed that both short sides are rounded in contrast to the long ones. It is the exact opposite when looking at the back. That looks stylish, but has the disadvantage that both lower corners are pressed into the hand when holding the device. However, that was only slightly annoying in practical use. The back's velvety soft, slip-resistant surface attracts fingerprints. The overall rigid casing can be warped marginally with a bit of effort, but does not produce noises. A quiet crackling is heard when pressing around on the easy-to-remove back.

151.5 mm / 5.96 inch 78.3 mm / 3.08 inch 9.6 mm / 0.378 inch 187 g0.4123 lbs145 mm / 5.71 inch 69 mm / 2.72 inch 7 mm / 0.2756 inch 140 g0.3086 lbs139.6 mm / 5.5 inch 71.1 mm / 2.8 inch 8.6 mm / 0.3386 inch 149 g0.3285 lbs129.9 mm / 5.11 inch 65.9 mm / 2.59 inch 11.6 mm / 0.4567 inch 143 g0.3153 lbs130 mm / 5.12 inch 65 mm / 2.56 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 115 g0.2535 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The only two ports are found where they are usually expected: The micro-USB 2.0 port is on the lower right edge, the compulsory 3.5 mm jack is on the upper edge, slightly left from the center. Both SIM slots (1x mini, 1x micro) and the micro-SD slot for cards with up to 64 GB can be accessed easily after removing the back.

Software

The preloaded Android 4.4.2 on our review sample has barely been modified compared with the Vanilla Android on, for example, the Nexus smartphones from Google / LG. Users who highly value the additional and partly performance-devouring extra features, such as known from Samsung's TouchWiz user interface or HTC' Sense, will not be satisfied. Archos installs a few apps that we listed on the right. The manufacturer has announced an update to Android 4.4 KitKat for the fall.

Communication & GPS 

The GPS quality was reliable when playing the augmented reality game Ingress. Satellites were found just as fast as with a Nexus 4 both outdoors and in rooms with a window. The accuracy was also compelling.

Telephony & Speech Quality

The included phone app only provides the most necessary features, such as call lists, hands-free, and microphone mute, and uses Google's contact app. Numbers from contacts can at least be found using a matchcode search via the letters of the keypad.

The in-call voice quality in the German E-Plus net is acceptable, but not overwhelming. The called person is very well intelligible, the voice sounds rich though a bit too prominent, sometimes slightly tinny, and marginally distorted. A landline contact reported a similar audio impression, and preferred the more restrained balance of a Nexus 4 microphone in a direct comparison. The decent volume cannot be criticized.

Cameras & Multimedia

Eight million pixels in a smartphone of this price range is awesome, at least on paper. However, it does not say much about the real picture quality. We noticed a tendency toward overexposed pictures in "normal" mode in practical use. The aggressive noise suppression does not quite manage to cancel out image noise in mono-colored surfaces, such as a blue sky, even in very good light conditions, and completely blurs low-contrast surfaces like a lawn. The contrast range that the camera can display is satisfactory.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3

Accessories

In addition to the power supply with an output of one ampere and a one-meter long USB cord, there is also a stereo headset and a tiny, multilingual user guide, as well as a small booklet with warranty and safety notes in the box.

Warranty

Besides the limited two-year retailer's warranty, Archos includes its own warranty for the same period. Details can be found here.

Input Devices & Controls

The capacitive touchscreen proves to be accurate, up into the outermost edges and corners, and free from lags. It can detect up to a maximum of five fingers at the same time. Three well responding sensor buttons are under the screen. It is difficult to see them when unlit. However, their use is easy when the position has been memorized.

A proprietary keyboard app is not installed, and the user has to rely on the stock Google keyboard. Although it is clearly arranged, it does not provide many features and does not even include a smiley button. The adaptive word completion is preloaded, but the dictionary is unfortunately saved locally.

The wonderfully clear arrangement...
The wonderfully clear arrangement...
...is paid for with lack of feature diversity.
...is paid for with lack of feature diversity.

Display

The resolution of the glossy, 5-inch IPS screen is 1280 x 720 pixels, which results in an ample dot density of 294 dpi. That is considerably more than a healthy human eye can distinguish from a distance of 45 cm (~17.7 inches).

The average maximum brightness (center) of all smartphones tested in the past eight months is 408 cd/m². Archos' phone is brighter with 426 cd/m², and places itself in the upper midfield. The illumination of 90% is also just above average.

393
cd/m²
422
cd/m²
414
cd/m²
403
cd/m²
426
cd/m²
416
cd/m²
417
cd/m²
437
cd/m²
427
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
TBW978121_9405_V019101 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 437 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 417.2 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 426 cd/m²
Contrast: 418:1 (Black: 1.02 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 8.06 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 9.64 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.46

Archos' 50c Oxygen does not stand out even in the mid-range with a contrast of only 418:1. That is also true for the poor color accuracy, although the color reproduction looks vivid. That is expressed in the DeltaE rate of 8 (ColorChecker) and 10 (Grayscale), and is seen in a light greenish cast. With 1.02 cd/m², the black level that corresponds to the maximum brightness and contrast is also worse than in all other smartphones that we tested in the past eight months, and leads, subjectively, to a too bright black.

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Color Management
CalMAN Color Management

We could easily read the screen using maximum brightness on a sunny day, even when brighter areas, such as the sky, were in the background - as long as no direct reflections were produced. Thus, nothing stands in the way of outdoor use.

It is the...
It is the...
...viewing angle...
...viewing angle...
...that's important.
...that's important.

The viewing angle stability does not give reason for complaint. The image only loses brightness and contrast to a very moderate extent even in small viewing angles. The colors remain virtually unchanged.

Performance

MediaTek's MT6592 is an SoC with eight processing cores that are, however, based on the less powerful, but in return more economical ARM A7 architecture, and which clock with frequencies ranging from approximately 0.7 to 1.7 GHz in Archos' 50c Oxygen. The integrated GPU dubbed Mali-450 MP4 reaches a maximum of 700 MHz, and supports Ultra HD, H.264, and H.265 in hardware for video decoding. The wireless module with dual-band Wi-Fi n, Bluetooth 4.0, and Miracast is also a part of the SoC. Beyond that, it integrates an FM tuner and GPS.

Archos' device achieves a very decent score of 27,979 in the widely used AnTuTu benchmark, and is thus on par with other smartphones powered by the same SoC. The score is located in the premium range. For comparison, the popular Samsung Galaxy S5 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC, Adreno 330 graphics) achieves 37,353 points here. As can be seen in the charts below, our review sample outperforms some comparison devices in almost all benchmarks. However, the access time of the internal storage seems to be a weak point (PassMark DiskTests, AndroBench 3).

3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
11211 Points
Sony Xperia M2
8159 Points -27%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
6150 Points -45%
Huawei Ascend G6
7366 Points -34%
Huawei Ascend G730
7858 Points -30%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
6336 Points
Sony Xperia M2
4322 Points -32%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
4068 Points -36%
Huawei Ascend G6
3503 Points -45%
Huawei Ascend G730
2454 Points -61%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
7014 Points
Sony Xperia M2
4826 Points -31%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
4399 Points -37%
Huawei Ascend G6
3965 Points -43%
Huawei Ascend G730
2897 Points -59%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
9877 Points
Sony Xperia M2
7235 Points -27%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
6229 Points -37%
Huawei Ascend G6
6922 Points -30%
Huawei Ascend G730
8191 Points -17%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
4262 Points
Sony Xperia M2
5435 Points +28%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2392 Points -44%
Huawei Ascend G6
1947 Points -54%
Huawei Ascend G730
1683 Points -61%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
4878 Points
Sony Xperia M2
5753 Points +18%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2771 Points -43%
Huawei Ascend G6
2317 Points -53%
Huawei Ascend G730
2044 Points -58%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
9246 Points
Sony Xperia M2
7495 Points -19%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
6279 Points -32%
Huawei Ascend G6
6942 Points -25%
Huawei Ascend G730
8158 Points -12%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
6272 Points
Sony Xperia M2
5437 Points -13%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
5237 Points -17%
Huawei Ascend G6
4053 Points -35%
Huawei Ascend G730
2533 Points -60%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
6755 Points
Sony Xperia M2
5790 Points -14%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
5438 Points -19%
Huawei Ascend G6
4466 Points -34%
Huawei Ascend G730
2991 Points -56%
AnTuTu v4 - Total Score (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
27979 Points
Sony Xperia M2
17678 Points -37%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
17360 Points -38%
Huawei Ascend G6
16356 Points -42%
Huawei Ascend G730
17307 Points -38%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia M2
1057 Points
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
1169 Points
Huawei Ascend G6
1148 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
1160 Points
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia M2
314 Points
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
341 Points
Huawei Ascend G6
331 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
352 Points
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1
System (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
2981 Points
Sony Xperia M2
2319 Points -22%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2414 Points -19%
Huawei Ascend G6
2152 Points -28%
Huawei Ascend G730
2387 Points -20%
CPU Tests (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
25034 Points
Sony Xperia M2
7608 Points -70%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
7468 Points -70%
Huawei Ascend G6
7191 Points -71%
Huawei Ascend G730
9349 Points -63%
Disk Tests (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
4268 Points
Sony Xperia M2
14582 Points +242%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
9223 Points +116%
Huawei Ascend G6
9058 Points +112%
Huawei Ascend G730
3972 Points -7%
Memory Tests (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
2095 Points
Sony Xperia M2
1817 Points -13%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
1724 Points -18%
Huawei Ascend G6
1559 Points -26%
Huawei Ascend G730
1987 Points -5%
2D Graphics Tests (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
2730 Points
Sony Xperia M2
2837 Points +4%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2448 Points -10%
Huawei Ascend G6
2511 Points -8%
Huawei Ascend G730
2346 Points -14%
3D Graphics Tests (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
951 Points
Sony Xperia M2
644 Points -32%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
765 Points -20%
Huawei Ascend G6
634 Points -33%
Huawei Ascend G730
754 Points -21%
AndroBench 3-5
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
0.56 MB/s
Sony Xperia M2
0.64 MB/s +14%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2.52 MB/s +350%
Huawei Ascend G6
0.21 MB/s -62%
Huawei Ascend G730
0.27 MB/s -52%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
12.17 MB/s
Sony Xperia M2
13.7 MB/s +13%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
13.61 MB/s +12%
Huawei Ascend G6
9.33 MB/s -23%
Huawei Ascend G730
11.12 MB/s -9%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
16.59 MB/s
Sony Xperia M2
11.62 MB/s -30%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
12.54 MB/s -24%
Huawei Ascend G6
5.54 MB/s -67%
Huawei Ascend G730
5.64 MB/s -66%
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
83 MB/s
Sony Xperia M2
123.5 MB/s +49%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
103.3 MB/s +24%
Huawei Ascend G6
47.54 MB/s -43%
Huawei Ascend G730
43.56 MB/s -48%

Legend

 
Archos 50c Oxygen Mediatek MT6592, ARM Mali-450 MP4, 8 GB SSD
 
Sony Xperia M2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 8 GB SSD
 
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8226, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 8 GB SSD
 
Huawei Ascend G6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8226, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 4 GB Flash
 
Huawei Ascend G730 Mediatek MT6582, ARM Mali-400 MP2, 4 GB Flash

The scores achieved in the browser-based benchmarks presented a similar picture of the superiority compared with the contending models in the test. This awesome performance was confirmed during practical browsing, which was a lot of fun on Archos' smartphone.

Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
13236 ms *
Sony Xperia M2
18774 ms * -42%
Huawei Ascend G6
19051 ms * -44%
Huawei Ascend G730
28996 ms * -119%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
2793 Points
Huawei Ascend G6
1364 Points -51%
Huawei Ascend G730
894 Points -68%
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
796 Points
Sony Xperia M2
558 Points -30%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
488 Points -39%
Huawei Ascend G6
684 Points -14%
Huawei Ascend G730
582 Points -27%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
1046 ms *
Sony Xperia M2
1665 ms * -59%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
1414 ms * -35%
Huawei Ascend G6
1296 ms * -24%
Huawei Ascend G730
1381 ms * -32%
WebXPRT 2013
Offline Notes (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
1793 ms *
Sony Xperia M2
2332 ms * -30%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2074 ms * -16%
Huawei Ascend G6
3186 ms * -78%
Huawei Ascend G730
4796 ms * -167%
Stocks Dashboard (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
2144 ms *
Sony Xperia M2
2380 ms * -11%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2219 ms * -3%
Huawei Ascend G6
2108 ms * +2%
Huawei Ascend G730
3743 ms * -75%
Face Detection (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
2340 ms *
Sony Xperia M2
3395 ms * -45%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
3046 ms * -30%
Huawei Ascend G6
5216 ms * -123%
Huawei Ascend G730
7866 ms * -236%
Photo Effects (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
1283 ms *
Sony Xperia M2
1744 ms * -36%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
1700 ms * -33%
Huawei Ascend G6
2840 ms * -121%
Huawei Ascend G730
2584 ms * -101%
Overall (sort by value)
Archos 50c Oxygen
225 Points
Sony Xperia M2
173 Points -23%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
188 Points -16%
Huawei Ascend G6
132 Points -41%
Huawei Ascend G730
96 Points -57%

* ... smaller is better

Games

The MP4 version of the Mali-450 features four cores that clock with 700 MHz. Thus, the power of the popular Adreno 320 GPU is almost achieved. It is installed, for example, in Qualcomm's Snapdragon 4 in devices such as the Nexus 4, Sony's Xperia Tablet Z, among others. Like it, the Mali-450 does not yet support OpenGL ES 3.0. Current, graphically intricate games can be rendered smoothly on it, as our test with the new and very appealing 3D puzzle game The Room Two proved. The race game Asphalt 6 served to check the position sensor, which did not give any reason for complaint.

Emissions

Temperature

The surface temperatures are no issue during routine use. A maximum of still uncritical 42 °C (107.6 °F) is reached in some areas under load, for example when playing demanding games.

 32.2 °C
90 F
31.4 °C
89 F
34.7 °C
94 F
 
 32.9 °C
91 F
31.6 °C
89 F
36.1 °C
97 F
 
 32 °C
90 F
30.8 °C
87 F
32.9 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 36.1 °C = 97 F
Average: 32.7 °C = 91 F
32.2 °C
90 F
31.2 °C
88 F
31.1 °C
88 F
32.3 °C
90 F
31.3 °C
88 F
31.2 °C
88 F
32.4 °C
90 F
31.3 °C
88 F
30.6 °C
87 F
Maximum: 32.4 °C = 90 F
Average: 31.5 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  33.3 °C = 92 F | Room Temperature 23 °C = 73 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.9 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.2 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.7 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

The installed mono speaker does a good job. It is not possible to fill more than a small room with sound in maximum volume. The playback is mid-heavy, clear, and never distorts or changes its volume. There are no dynamics or surround sound to speak of. Owing to tiny spacers adjacent to the rear-sided speaker in the lower middle, it never lies directly on the table. The position is well chosen because when held in the hand the phone never entirely blocks the speaker. 

Energy Management

Power Consumption

When comparing the power consumption of 5-inch smartphones that we tested in the past eight months, Archos' 50c Oxygen places itself on the average in almost all single tests. It would make more sense to compare smartphones based on the same SoC. The review sample's consumption rates deviate only a few tenths of a Watt from the average here too. Most striking is the full load consumption of only 4.6 Watts, which still oppose the 5.6 Watts of the iOcean X7S.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.1 / 1.9 / 2.6 Watt
Load midlight 3.2 / 4.6 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

Archos' phone achieved a satisfactory 10 hours in the practical Wi-Fi test performed with disabled power consumers, such as mobile data and Bluetooth and a screen brightness reduced to approximately 150 cd/m². It thus is marginally above the average of equally sized, modern smartphones.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
15h 50min
WiFi Surfing
10h 06min
Load (maximum brightness)
3h 12min

Verdict

Archos 50c Oxygen
Archos 50c Oxygen

We really liked the Archos 50c Oxygen in the test. In addition to the very decent configuration for this price range, in the form of an HD screen, premium octa-core SoC and integrated upper mid-range graphics, above all, was the basic, stylish and rigid casing, and the bright screen, that convinced us subjectively. The drawbacks mentioned in the test are more theoretical. There is no LTE, NFC or message LED, but this cannot really be expected in the 200 Euro (~$268) price range. Besides the impeccable gaming performance and lag-free playback of HD videos, the very good sound for smartphone conditions is important in the multimedia sector. The somewhat penetrating speech quality during calls and the lean storage configuration did not make quite such a good impression; SD memory cards with up to 64 GB can help here though. Of course, we should not forget the option of using two SIM cards simultaneously.

As can be seen in the total score, we can give the review sample a purchase recommendation. When looking around in the 200 Euro price range, it will be noticed that most contenders come with considerably slower SoCs and / or lower resolution screens. Buyers who do not need LTE and the associated future security will find an all-around smartphone with a very good money for value ratio in the Archos 50c Oxygen. In any case, it certainly roused longing in the tester.

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In Review: Archos 50c Oxygen. Test sample courtesy of Archos Germany
In Review: Archos 50c Oxygen. Test sample courtesy of Archos Germany

Specifications

Archos 50c Oxygen (Oxygen Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT6592 8 x 1.7 GHz, Cortex-A7
Graphics adapter
Memory
1024 MB 
Display
5.00 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel, multi-touch (5), capacitive, TBW978121_9405_V019101, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
8 GB SSD, 8 GB 
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm jack, Card Reader: microSD/SDHC/SDXC max. 64 GB, Sensors: motion sensor (6 axis), accelerometer, gyroscope (position sensor), proximity sensor, brightness sensor
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, dual-SIM: 1x micro-SIM, 1x mini-SIM, both 2G/3G (GSM/GPRS/ EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz) (WCDMA 900/2100 MHz)
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7 x 145 x 69 ( = 0.28 x 5.71 x 2.72 in)
Battery
Lithium-Polymer, 2000 mAh, non-removable
Operating System
Android 4.2
Camera
Webcam: primary camera: 8.0 MP, BSI, AF, LED flash; videos: 1080 p; front-facing camera: 2.0 M,
Additional features
Speakers: mono speaker, Keyboard: virtual, stereo headset, Google apps, Archos: video, music, system monitor, files, media server, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
140 g ( = 4.94 oz / 0.31 pounds), Power Supply: 48 g ( = 1.69 oz / 0.11 pounds)
Price
200 Euro

 

Black and charcoal gray are the dominating colors; other colors are not offered.
Black and charcoal gray are the dominating colors; other colors are not offered.
The matte surface on the back attracts fingerprints. The camera and LED flash are seen at the top.
The matte surface on the back attracts fingerprints. The camera and LED flash are seen at the top.
The stylish design will likely most appeal to the men of this world.
The stylish design will likely most appeal to the men of this world.
A balanced exposure is usually achieved.
A balanced exposure is usually achieved.
The noise suppression smooths out low-contrast areas,...
The noise suppression smooths out low-contrast areas,...
...as can be seen very well in the picture...
...as can be seen very well in the picture...
...on the right.
...on the right.
Agreeable: Objects with high contrasts...
Agreeable: Objects with high contrasts...
...do not completely disappear in the background.
...do not completely disappear in the background.
Reluctant HDR-looks,...
Reluctant HDR-looks,...
...and ghost images at the edge at 1/2900 seconds?
...and ghost images at the edge at 1/2900 seconds?
Image noise and blurriness increase considerably in poor light conditions due to the even more aggressive noise suppression.
Image noise and blurriness increase considerably in poor light conditions due to the even more aggressive noise suppression.
Android 4.2.2 is preloaded. An update to the review sample's KitKat will be available for all Oxygens in the fall.
Android 4.2.2 is preloaded. An update to the review sample's KitKat will be available for all Oxygens in the fall.
The eight cores clock with 0.7 to 1.7 GHz.
The eight cores clock with 0.7 to 1.7 GHz.
More details about the system, e.g. resolution and RAM.
More details about the system, e.g. resolution and RAM.
The available storage...
The available storage...
...is tight.
...is tight.
The preloaded phone app only provides fundamental features.
The preloaded phone app only provides fundamental features.
The "CPU Power Saving Mode" largely proved useless.
The "CPU Power Saving Mode" largely proved useless.
Dual-SIM Manager (only one SIM inserted).
Dual-SIM Manager (only one SIM inserted).

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Links

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Pros

+Slim and stylish
+Immaculate build
+SIM and memory slots easy to access
+Dual SIM
+HD resolution
+Bright, colorful, viewing angle stable IPS screen
+Dual-band Wi-Fi
+Mono speaker's decent sound
+Fast enough for current, demanding games
 

Cons

-No message LED
-No NFC
-Screen's inaccurate color reproduction and too high black level
-In-call voice quality sounds slightly obtrusive
-Tight internal storage

Shortcut

What we like

The design and the looks would even fit an expensive smartphone.

What we'd like to see

NFC, message LED

What surprises us

The benchmark results remain the same regardless of "CPU Power Saving Mode".

The competition

Sony Xperia M2

Motorola Moto G

Huawei Ascend G6

Huawei Ascend G730

HTC Desire 610

LG G2 Mini

Samsung Galaxy Core LTE

Rating

Archos 50c Oxygen - 07/30/2014 v4(old)
Sven Kloevekorn

Chassis
82%
Keyboard
69 / 75 → 92%
Pointing Device
87%
Connectivity
53 / 60 → 88%
Weight
93%
Battery
90%
Display
79%
Games Performance
54 / 63 → 86%
Application Performance
33 / 70 → 47%
Temperature
86%
Noise
100%
Audio
64 / 91 → 70%
Camera
67%
Average
74%
82%
Smartphone - Weighted Average
Sven Kloevekorn, 2014-08- 6 (Update: 2018-05-15)