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Archos Diamond Gamma Smartphone Review

A diamond is rarely this cheap. The Archos Diamond Gamma aims to prove itself with a lot of storage space and its good single-cam. Find out in this review whether you know this phone by another name and if it is worth purchasing.
Archos Diamond Gamma

Archos has been more than a tablet and smartphone manufacturer for some time now: They currently also offer electric scooters and smart-home products. However, the Archos Diamond Gamma is a classic mid-range phone that can be purchased for a low price. The device does not originate from Archos but from ZTE, where it is known under the name Nubia M2 Play. The Archos Diamond Gamma is fully compatible with European LTE networks, making it an obviously superior choice in our region.

The Archos Diamond Gamma can be purchase for just short of 200 Euros (~$232), putting it in a price class that also encompasses devices such as the Honor 9 Lite, the Gigaset GS185 and the Motorola Moto G6.

Archos Diamond Gamma (Diamond Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 8 x 1.4 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
3 GB 
Display
5.50 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel 267 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 21 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5mm audio jack, Card Reader: microSD up to 128GB, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, 2G (850/​900/​1800/​1900), 3G (B1/​B8), 4G (B1/​B3/​B7/​B20), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 0.8 x 143 x 70 ( = 0.03 x 5.63 x 2.76 in)
Battery
11.4 Wh, 3000 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 7.1 Nougat
Camera
Primary Camera: 13 MPix Samsung 3L8, f2.2, 1080p/30fps
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix f2.4
Additional features
Speakers: mono speaker on the bottom edge, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, charger, USB cable, headset, SIM tool, 24 Months Warranty, SAR value: 0.264W/​kg (head), 1.534W/​kg (body); LTE: 150 Mbit/s (download), 50 Mbit/s (upload), fanless
Weight
161 g ( = 5.68 oz / 0.35 pounds), Power Supply: 49 g ( = 1.73 oz / 0.11 pounds)
Price
249 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case – Plastic Case with red Accents

The straightforward plastic case of the Archos Diamond Gamma has red highlights, for example around the camera, which make the smartphone stand out to some extent. Otherwise, it is hard to distinguish when laid down next to other devices. Currently, the only available color variant is black; the case is matte on the back, although it is still not completely immune to fingerprints. The smartphone is a 1:1 copy of the ZTE Nubia M2 Play, which unlike the Archos Diamond Gamma, also comes in a white variant.

While, at 161 grams (~5.7 oz), it is not a super light device, it does have good handling. The smartphone is fairly robust; the only thing it does not handle well is pressure on the display.

Archos Diamond Gamma
Archos Diamond Gamma

Size Comparison

153.8 mm / 6.06 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 8.3 mm / 0.3268 inch 167 g0.3682 lbs151 mm / 5.94 inch 71.9 mm / 2.83 inch 7.6 mm / 0.2992 inch 149 g0.3285 lbs147 mm / 5.79 inch 70.6 mm / 2.78 inch 8.8 mm / 0.3465 inch 149 g0.3285 lbs143 mm / 5.63 inch 70 mm / 2.76 inch 0.8 mm / 0.0315 inch 161 g0.3549 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Features – Archos Diamond Gamma with a suitable Amount of Storage Space

The Archos Diamond Gamma comes with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of mass storage, which is standard for this device range. The storage can be expanded with a microSD card, although in doing so, you sacrifice a SIM slot. The microSD card is recognized as an external memory card and apps cannot be transferred to it.

Software – Comprehensive, but dated

The smartphone uses the Android 7.1.1 based Nubia UI 5 as its operating system. However, even after two updates during testing, the security patches date back to March 1st 2018, making them already quite outdated at the time of testing. The manufacturer installs few additional apps, keeping the system rather slim. Infrequently used apps are grayed-out by the user interface or even put into a separate folder, at which point users may decide whether they want to delete or keep them.

It is possible to install multiple instances of apps, for example to manage two Facebook or WhatsApp accounts and to run multiple apps simultaneously on the smartphone in split-screen mode. There are numerous possibilities for gesture controls as well. The system is user-friendly overall and offers a lot in terms of settings.

Software Archos Diamond Gamma
Software Archos Diamond Gamma
Software Archos Diamond Gamma
Software Archos Diamond Gamma
Software Archos Diamond Gamma
Software Archos Diamond Gamma
Software Archos Diamond Gamma
Software Archos Diamond Gamma

Communication and GPS – Wi-Fi sluggish, GPS OK

The Archos Diamond Gamma supports the Wi-Fi standards 802.11 b/g/n, although the transfer speeds in our tests were abysmal. The device is also able to connect to LTE networks, but while it supports the most essential frequencies for Central Europe, those frequently traveling to more distant foreign countries will not get a lot of enjoyment out of the device, since their local LTE networks often use other frequencies that are not supported by the Archos phone. The LTE reception in the German D2 network is good, even inside of buildings.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Motorola Moto G6
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 MBit/s +577%
Gigaset GS185
Adreno 308, 425, 16 GB eMMC Flash
53.7 MBit/s +222%
Honor 9 Lite
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
49.9 MBit/s +199%
Archos Diamond Gamma
Adreno 505, 435, 32 GB eMMC Flash
16.7 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s +2441%
Motorola Moto G6
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 MBit/s +664%
Gigaset GS185
Adreno 308, 425, 16 GB eMMC Flash
54.7 MBit/s +270%
Honor 9 Lite
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
52.6 MBit/s +255%
Archos Diamond Gamma
Adreno 505, 435, 32 GB eMMC Flash
14.8 MBit/s
GPS test indoors
GPS test indoors
GPS test outdoors
GPS test outdoors

Whereas the smartphone is unable to locate us inside of buildings with a concrete ceiling, its accuracy quickly increases to within 6 meters (~20 ft) outdoors.

The Archos Diamond Gamma shows precise locating capabilities in our real-world test. This consists of a bike ride on which we also take the professional navigation system with us. While it takes more shortcuts than the professional Garmin Edge 520, the overall course of the track remains accurate and it is, in part, possible to discern which side of the road we rode on. This is a good result, making the Archos Diamond Gamma recommendable for occasional everyday navigation tasks.

GPS Archos Diamond Gamma – Overview
GPS Archos Diamond Gamma – Overview
GPS Archos Diamond Gamma – Grove
GPS Archos Diamond Gamma – Grove
GPS Archos Diamond Gamma – Bridge
GPS Archos Diamond Gamma – Bridge
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Grove
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Grove
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Bridge
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Bridge

Telephony and Call Quality - Weak Microphone on the Diamond Gamma

The Nubia contacts app handles telephony on the smartphone. Unfortunately, the app requires location privileges to function, which is aggravating from a data conservation standpoint, particularly for a necessary and irreplaceable app.

The call quality is good when using headphones and a small amount of booming can only be heard at maximum volume. On speakerphone, the person on the other end of the line sounds rather thin. The microphone is not great regardless of whether you hold the phone up to your ear or use speakerphone: Our voice sounds dull and if you do not talk loudly enough, your conversational partner will not be able to hear you at all.

Cameras – Archos Phone Camera with good Color Accuracy and sharpness-lacking Areas

Image captured with front camera
Image captured with front camera

The 13 megapixels main camera only offers one lens, whereas most of the time, comparable smartphones have a secondary lens that is used to calculate depth of field effects. Since the quality of these effects can vary widely in this price range, this is not a big loss by itself. The general image quality is quite reasonable, even though some parts of objects lack sharpness and areas are represented rather inaccurately. That said, the color accuracy and dynamic range of very bright and very dark areas are fairly high. In low-light conditions, pictures unfortunately end up lacking sharpness and the brightening is mediocre as well.

1080p Video can be recorded at 30 FPS. Here, the exposure adjusts very quickly and smoothly to match the lighting conditions. The image quality is decent, although areas with significant image noise show up here as well.

The front camera has a maximum resolution of 5 megapixels, which no longer matches the current standard in its class; there are already dual-cameras and at least main lenses with a higher resolution by now. The image exposure is decent, but details tend to lack sharpness and areas have image noise in them as well.

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
click to load images

Under controlled lighting conditions in the laboratory, the main camera shows a significant decrease in sharpness towards the edges. On top of that, the contrast ratio is too low and the outline of font becomes frayed. The color accuracy, while slightly too dark, is good.

Test chart photographed
Test chart photographed
Test chart detail
Test chart detail
ColorChecker colors photographed. The bottom half of every color patch depicts the original color.
ColorChecker colors photographed. The bottom half of every color patch depicts the original color.

Accessories and Warranty - The Usual

Aside from a USB cable and the charger, the package also includes a SIM tool that is used to open the SIM tray.

Archos offers a 24-month warranty period for their smartphones. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Handling – Good Touchscreen, good Fingerprint sensor

Operating the touchscreen feels smooth, it is sensitive all the way towards the edges and it has a surface with good gliding properties. The fact that the quick settings menu is accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the display is unusual, but something you will grow accustomed to, quickly.

Below the display, three touch buttons can be used to navigate the menus. They are labeled with red markings. The button in the middle acts as both a home button and a fingerprint scanner, which is reliable in its function to wake up the device from standby in a rather short amount of time.

Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard portrait mode
Keyboard portrait mode

Display – Dark, but good content representation

Subpixel array
Subpixel array

For its smartphone, Archos promises a brightness of 320 cd/m² and following our own testing, we can confirm this statement. However, this still makes the smartphone significantly darker than many comparable devices, since at 622 cd/m², the Honor 9 Lite is almost twice as bright. At 89%, the Archos Diamond Gamma's distribution of brightness is rather precise, which causes even larger color areas to appear homogeneous.

299
cd/m²
303
cd/m²
332
cd/m²
295
cd/m²
310
cd/m²
331
cd/m²
310
cd/m²
308
cd/m²
326
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 332 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 312.7 cd/m² Minimum: 1.47 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 310 cd/m²
Contrast: 1348:1 (Black: 0.23 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.51 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.6 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
92.8% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.903
Archos Diamond Gamma
IPS, 1280x720, 5.50
Motorola Moto G6
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.70
Honor 9 Lite
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.65
Gigaset GS185
IPS, 1440x720, 5.50
Screen
12%
25%
-23%
Brightness middle
310
488
57%
627
102%
426
37%
Brightness
313
478
53%
622
99%
412
32%
Brightness Distribution
89
95
7%
82
-8%
86
-3%
Black Level *
0.23
0.42
-83%
0.41
-78%
0.7
-204%
Contrast
1348
1162
-14%
1529
13%
609
-55%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
6.51
3.9
40%
4.5
31%
5.3
19%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.21
6.8
33%
7
31%
10.2
-0%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.6
5.3
5%
5.1
9%
6.3
-13%
Gamma
2.903 76%
2.41 91%
2.26 97%
2.4 92%
CCT
7498 87%
7146 91%
7201 90%
8073 81%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 100 Hz ≤ 10 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 100 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 100 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18100 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The black value of 0.23 cd/m², which is to say the brightness of black areas at maximum brightness, is good since it is quite low. This leads to a good contrast ratio of 1,348:1 as well.

We take an even closer look at the depiction accuracy of the display by using a spectrophotometer and the software CalMAN. Grayscales are displayed very inaccurately and at an average color difference value of 6.51, the color representation deviates significantly compared to the reference color space sRGB.

CalMAN color accuracy
CalMAN color accuracy
CalMAN color space
CalMAN color space
CalMAN grayscales
CalMAN grayscales
CalMAN saturation
CalMAN saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 11 ms rise
↘ 15 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 57 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 25 ms rise
↘ 23 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

When looking at the display from sharp angles, distinct changes in color and brightness can be observed, although they remain within reason. Outdoors, the rather dark display struggles in direct sunlight, even at maximum brightness, though the Archos Diamond Gamma can be used in the shade.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles
Outdoor use
Outdoor use

Performance – Sufficient for day-to-day use

The Snapdragon 435 comes with 8 cores and a 1.4 GHz core clock. It is a popular mid-range SoC, although at the time of testing, its release already dates back 2.5 years. The Archos Diamond Gamma is unable to match the more modern Snapdragon 450 of the Motorola Moto G6 in our benchmarks; the Honor 9 Lite is significantly faster as well. While, the Archos Diamond Gamma offers slightly less performance overall than what could be expected in this price range, the power suffices for day-to-day use and we did not encounter stutters when navigating the menus during our tests.

The Adreno 505 serves as the graphics chip and does a better job of matching the competition than the processor part of the SoC.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
42643 Points
Motorola Moto G6
59454 Points +39%
Honor 9 Lite
67727 Points +59%
Gigaset GS185
37339 Points -12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (42643 - 46814, n=11)
44884 Points +5%
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
56895 Points
Motorola Moto G6
71352 Points +25%
Honor 9 Lite
89639 Points +58%
Gigaset GS185
45092 Points -21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (56672 - 59326, n=4)
57644 Points +1%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
4779 Points
Motorola Moto G6
5321 Points +11%
Honor 9 Lite
5887 Points +23%
Gigaset GS185
3961 Points -17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (4316 - 5438, n=10)
4876 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +216%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
3707 Points
Motorola Moto G6
4552 Points +23%
Honor 9 Lite
4911 Points +32%
Gigaset GS185
3229 Points -13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (3538 - 3928, n=11)
3737 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +193%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
935 Points
Motorola Moto G6
1069 Points +14%
Honor 9 Lite
1423 Points +52%
Gigaset GS185
676 Points -28%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (282 - 1072, n=9)
792 Points -15%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points +510%
System (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
1758 Points
Motorola Moto G6
2560 Points +46%
Honor 9 Lite
3058 Points +74%
Gigaset GS185
1217 Points -31%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1489 - 1980, n=9)
1734 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points +447%
Memory (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
758 Points
Motorola Moto G6
770 Points +2%
Honor 9 Lite
1757 Points +132%
Gigaset GS185
617 Points -19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (557 - 1224, n=9)
831 Points +10%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points +722%
Graphics (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
789 Points
Motorola Moto G6
965 Points +22%
Honor 9 Lite
859 Points +9%
Gigaset GS185
440 Points -44%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (591 - 789, n=9)
759 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +1662%
Web (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
726 Points
Motorola Moto G6
688 Points -5%
Honor 9 Lite
888 Points +22%
Gigaset GS185
632 Points -13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (10 - 744, n=9)
543 Points -25%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +105%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
676 Points
Motorola Moto G6
743 Points +10%
Honor 9 Lite
945 Points +40%
Gigaset GS185
683 Points +1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (637 - 691, n=10)
663 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +649%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
2584 Points
Motorola Moto G6
3868 Points +50%
Honor 9 Lite
3730 Points +44%
Gigaset GS185
1871 Points -28%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2210 - 2889, n=10)
2610 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +424%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
2321 Points
Motorola Moto G6
2777 Points +20%
Honor 9 Lite
3117 Points +34%
Gigaset GS185
1460 Points -37%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1782 - 2512, n=8)
2115 Points -9%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points +356%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
9211 Points
Motorola Moto G6
12756 Points +38%
Honor 9 Lite
12278 Points +33%
Gigaset GS185
6125 Points -34%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (8137 - 9961, n=10)
9688 Points +5%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
10069 Points
Motorola Moto G6
12441 Points +24%
Honor 9 Lite
11712 Points +16%
Gigaset GS185
5474 Points -46%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (7924 - 10302, n=10)
9970 Points -1%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
7095 Points
Motorola Moto G6
13997 Points +97%
Honor 9 Lite
14780 Points +108%
Gigaset GS185
10496 Points +48%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (7095 - 9345, n=10)
8887 Points +25%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
615 Points
Motorola Moto G6
800 Points +30%
Honor 9 Lite
230 Points -63%
Gigaset GS185
68 Points -89%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (465 - 635, n=11)
599 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3548 Points +477%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
543 Points
Motorola Moto G6
690 Points +27%
Honor 9 Lite
184 Points -66%
Gigaset GS185
54 Points -90%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (404 - 566, n=11)
525 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3905 Points +619%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
1149 Points
Motorola Moto G6
1803 Points +57%
Honor 9 Lite
1788 Points +56%
Gigaset GS185
867 Points -25%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (995 - 1360, n=11)
1188 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
3005 Points +162%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
316 Points
Motorola Moto G6
442 Points +40%
Honor 9 Lite
312 Points -1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (230 - 341, n=11)
313 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2685 Points +750%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
263 Points
Motorola Moto G6
363 Points +38%
Honor 9 Lite
253 Points -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (188 - 281, n=11)
258 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2675 Points +917%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
1097 Points
Motorola Moto G6
1834 Points +67%
Honor 9 Lite
1748 Points +59%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1016 - 1340, n=11)
1192 Points +9%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3127 Points +185%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
26 fps
Motorola Moto G6
20 fps -23%
Honor 9 Lite
18 fps -31%
Gigaset GS185
13 fps -50%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (9.7 - 28, n=11)
20.2 fps -22%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=177, last 2 years)
83.6 fps +222%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
18 fps
Motorola Moto G6
22 fps +22%
Honor 9 Lite
19 fps +6%
Gigaset GS185
7.6 fps -58%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (11 - 25, n=11)
17 fps -6%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=177, last 2 years)
243 fps +1250%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
15 fps
Motorola Moto G6
8.9 fps -41%
Honor 9 Lite
8.4 fps -44%
Gigaset GS185
5.6 fps -63%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (4.5 - 16, n=11)
11.1 fps -26%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
71.3 fps +375%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
7.6 fps
Motorola Moto G6
9.4 fps +24%
Honor 9 Lite
8.6 fps +13%
Gigaset GS185
2.8 fps -63%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (4.6 - 15, n=11)
7.51 fps -1%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=178, last 2 years)
137.9 fps +1714%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
11 fps
Motorola Moto G6
5.8 fps -47%
Honor 9 Lite
5 fps -55%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (3.5 - 12, n=11)
8.68 fps -21%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=178, last 2 years)
60.2 fps +447%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
4.9 fps
Motorola Moto G6
6.1 fps +24%
Honor 9 Lite
3.2 fps -35%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2.3 - 5, n=11)
4.11 fps -16%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=178, last 2 years)
97 fps +1880%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
5.6 fps
Motorola Moto G6
3.3 fps -41%
Honor 9 Lite
2.9 fps -48%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2.1 - 5.9, n=11)
4.21 fps -25%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 117, n=178, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +666%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Archos Diamond Gamma
2.7 fps
Motorola Moto G6
3.4 fps +26%
Honor 9 Lite
3.2 fps +19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2.1 - 2.8, n=11)
2.55 fps -6%
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=178, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +2070%

Legend

 
Archos Diamond Gamma Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Qualcomm Adreno 505, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto G6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Honor 9 Lite HiSilicon Kirin 659, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Gigaset GS185 Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917), Qualcomm Adreno 308, 16 GB eMMC Flash

Surfing the web on the Archos phone is not quite as fast as on similarly priced devices, images may occasionally take a while to load. The loading and waiting times on well-optimized web pages stay within reason however.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 104.3, n=2, last 2 years)
85.2 Points +377%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
26.42 Points +48%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
22.56 Points +26%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (16.5 - 20.6, n=11)
18.2 Points +2%
Archos Diamond Gamma (Chrome 69)
17.88 Points
Gigaset GS185 (Chrome 66)
17.76 Points -1%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33355 Points +914%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
4742 Points +44%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
3943 Points +20%
Archos Diamond Gamma (Chrome 69)
3289 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2689 - 3314, n=11)
3112 Points -5%
Gigaset GS185 (Chrome 66)
3084 Points -6%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Gigaset GS185 (Chrome 66)
13666 ms * -3%
Archos Diamond Gamma (Chrome 69)
13316 ms *
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (11007 - 13586, n=11)
12667 ms * +5%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
11751 ms * +12%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
10250 ms * +23%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1658 ms * +88%

* ... smaller is better

We measured the microSD access times with our reference card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501. Here, the Archos Diamond Gamma achieves common results; the card is recognized without any issues, too. In terms of internal storage access times, it is on par with its class, even though other devices in the same price range have better random access times.

Archos Diamond GammaMotorola Moto G6Honor 9 LiteGigaset GS185Average 32 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
89%
108%
-12%
15%
1045%
Sequential Read 256KB
276.5
238.2
-14%
269.6
-2%
275.7
0%
242 ?(25.8 - 452, n=247)
-12%
1468 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
431%
Sequential Write 256KB
117.2
117.2
0%
138.2
18%
45.54
-61%
100.5 ?(14.8 - 196, n=247)
-14%
1078 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
820%
Random Read 4KB
27.7
69.9
152%
68.4
147%
31.71
14%
43.2 ?(3.59 - 117.2, n=247)
56%
242 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
774%
Random Write 4KB
11.8
59.9
408%
66.8
466%
9.05
-23%
22.4 ?(0.75 - 91, n=247)
90%
266 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
2154%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
84.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
75.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-11%
83.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-1%
84.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
0%
71.8 ?(8.2 - 96.5, n=178)
-15%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
61.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
61.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
0%
71.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
17%
59.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-3%
52.9 ?(3.4 - 87.1, n=178)
-14%

Gaming – Gaming possible

The Archos Diamond Gamma lends itself well to playing games. The controls via touchscreen and gyroscope are very precise and the graphics chip supports many of the latest graphics interfaces. Only in more demanding games, such as Arena of Valor, can you expect stutters, particularly in the menu. The in-game performance at HD resolution and medium detail settings is good (a higher detail setting is not available on this smartphone). Although if you wish to always play the latest and greatest games and expect smooth frame rates even in demanding games such as PUBG Mobile, you will have to look elsewhere.

Temple Run
Temple Run
Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor

Emissions – Substantial heat development

Temperature

When the Archos Diamond Gamma is processing a high workload, it heats up quite a lot: We measure up to 47.5 °C (~117.5 °F) on the front and while this temperature decreases slightly towards the bottom of the case, the device is still warm here as well. The maximum temperature almost reaches critical levels and definitely feels uncomfortable. If you often use your smartphone for gaming or similarly taxing tasks, you should take that into consideration when deciding whether you want to put it into your pocket afterwards. We did not notice the rise in temperature during idle however.

Max. Load
 45.3 °C
114 F
41.4 °C
107 F
38.3 °C
101 F
 
 46.5 °C
116 F
41.4 °C
107 F
38.3 °C
101 F
 
 47.5 °C
118 F
41.6 °C
107 F
38 °C
100 F
 
Maximum: 47.5 °C = 118 F
Average: 42 °C = 108 F
38.4 °C
101 F
40 °C
104 F
42.8 °C
109 F
39 °C
102 F
40.7 °C
105 F
44 °C
111 F
38.9 °C
102 F
41.6 °C
107 F
44.8 °C
113 F
Maximum: 44.8 °C = 113 F
Average: 41.1 °C = 106 F
Power Supply (max.)  43.3 °C = 110 F | Room Temperature 22.2 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 42 °C / 108 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 47.5 °C / 118 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 44.8 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.9 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heatmap front
Heatmap front
Heatmap back
Heatmap back

Speakers

Speaker test pink noise
Speaker test pink noise

The Archos Diamond Gamma possesses a mono speaker on the bottom edge, which, as usual in this class of devices, is unsuitable for prolonged music consumption. Of course, watching a quick YouTube video is possible, but a lack of bass and an exaggerated treble lead to a rather thin sound experience.

Audio output via the 3.5mm audio jack and Bluetooth on the other hand, work well and without any issues.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs203236.62531.931.23131.729.14031.133.25036.240.36326.330.28022.23110022.525.312525.426.616018.920.320017.122.125016.926.33151433.340013.543.550013.849.363012.557.580012.163.1100011.464125011.262.816001163.4200010.864.5250010.565.1315010.866.2400010.371500010.370.8630010.463.7800010.5601000010.461.11250010.359.61600010.443SPL5370.765.523.877.8N7.52718.20.536.8median 11.2median 60median 41.9median 12.1median 57.3Delta4.213.523.711.620.535.243.432.939.137.24531.741.439.640.128.333.227.334.526.932.926.7322433.120.938.420.940.119.541.418.549.417.555.317.559.215.762.115.862.816.661.415.860.915.463.615.566.3166615.871.71674.616.373.316.366.116.265.216.46516.450.728.680.41.142.5median 16.4median 61.42.29.1hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseArchos Diamond GammaGigaset GS185
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Archos Diamond Gamma audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (77.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 34.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 71% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 84% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Gigaset GS185 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.1% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.1% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.7% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 55% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 38% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 72% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 22% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life – Archos Diamond Gamma is a power hog

Energy consumption

In the class comparison, the Archos Diamond Gamma consumes a high amount of energy. During idle, it already requires 0.8 watts to keep the device up and running and in every scenario all the way up to a stress test, the energy consumption values exceed those of the other devices in the comparison. Usually, the SoC of the Archos smartphone is known for being rather economical in terms of energy consumption, but there are other outliers with the Snapdragon 435 as well, which likely means it requires good energy management by the manufacturer, which does not seem to be a given in this case.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.8 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.7 / 2.6 / 3.8 Watt
Load midlight 6.3 / 7.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
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.
Archos Diamond Gamma
3000 mAh
Motorola Moto G6
3000 mAh
Honor 9 Lite
3000 mAh
Gigaset GS185
4000 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
49%
40%
47%
19%
30%
Idle Minimum *
1.7
0.6
65%
0.85
50%
0.54
68%
1.369 ?(0.57 - 4.02, n=11)
19%
0.894 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
47%
Idle Average *
2.6
1.81
30%
2
23%
1.74
33%
2.55 ?(1.4 - 6, n=11)
2%
1.452 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
44%
Idle Maximum *
3.8
1.86
51%
2.04
46%
1.78
53%
2.86 ?(1.62 - 6.64, n=11)
25%
1.632 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
57%
Load Average *
6.3
2.78
56%
3.23
49%
3.55
44%
4.38 ?(2.89 - 7.34, n=11)
30%
5.55 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
12%
Load Maximum *
7.4
4.04
45%
4.93
33%
4.66
37%
5.95 ?(4 - 9.6, n=11)
20%
8.23 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-11%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The Archos Diamond Gamma struggles with its 3,000 mAh battery, something that can be attributed to the high energy consumption rather than the capacity of the battery: Whereas 8:38 hours in our Wi-Fi test are acceptable in practice, it is significantly less than what similarly expensive devices with a large battery can offer. The Honor 9 Lite, for example, manages an hour more. The included charger fully charges the smartphone in about 2 hours.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
8h 38min
Archos Diamond Gamma
3000 mAh
Motorola Moto G6
3000 mAh
Honor 9 Lite
3000 mAh
Gigaset GS185
4000 mAh
Battery Runtime
7%
16%
27%
WiFi v1.3
518
553
7%
601
16%
658
27%
Reader / Idle
1170
965
H.264
600
622
Load
338
253

Pros

+ solid GPS
+ good fingerprint sensor
+ both cameras with good color accuracy
+ good touchscreen

Cons

- dated security patches
- sluggish Wi-Fi
- mediocre call quality
- pictures lack sharpness
- dark screen
- heats up significantly
- fairly poor battery life

Verdict – Viable, but no Highlight

Review: Archos Diamond Gamma. Test device courtesy of Archos Germany
Review: Archos Diamond Gamma. Test device courtesy of Archos Germany

The Archos Diamond Gamma is a ZTE Nubia M2 Play clone and, in many respects, a sound smartphone: It has good performance values for its class, the color accuracy of the cameras is solid, the GPS is fairly precise and it has good handling. That said, it lacks real highlights compared to other smartphones in this price class, which offer significantly more: Software that is more up-to-date, better cameras as well as a longer battery life. You will also have to come to terms with the rather dark display, which makes outdoor use difficult.

All in all, the Archos Diamond Gamma offers a decent user experience, but it suffers from poor battery life and a dark display.

While the Archos Diamond Gamma is not a bad buy per se, it might be worth looking at a few alternatives first.

Archos Diamond Gamma - 10/06/2018 v6(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
68%
Keyboard
66 / 75 → 88%
Pointing Device
95%
Connectivity
35 / 60 → 59%
Weight
91%
Battery
91%
Display
79%
Games Performance
21 / 63 → 33%
Application Performance
42 / 70 → 59%
Temperature
84%
Noise
100%
Audio
53 / 91 → 58%
Camera
59%
Average
68%
79%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Florian Wimmer, 2018-10- 9 (Update: 2019-02-26)