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Archos Diamond S Smartphone Review

Mid-range from France. Archos' Diamond S is a solid mid-range smartphone that does not present many shortcomings in the test. But is that enough to stand up to the strong competition?

For the original German review, see here.

The Diamond S by the French manufacturer Archos offers state-of-the-art mid-range technology for an RRP of 229 Euros (~$260). A 5-inch AMOLED panel, octa-core SoC, 2 GB of RAM and a micro-SD slot for expanding the storage is part of the bundle. The user does not have to accept limited connectivity; in addition to LTE, two SIM card slots can be utilized.

The Diamond S has plenty of rivals and there are now really good smartphones in this price range. We used Honor's 5X, OnePlus' X, Motorola's Moto G3, Samsung's Galaxy J5 and Allview's E4 for comparison in this test.

Archos Diamond S (Diamond Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT6753 8 x 1.3 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
5.00 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel 294 PPI, capacitive, 5 touch points, Super AMOLED, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 10.8 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headset, Card Reader: micro-SD max. 128 GB, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: accelerometer, proximity sensor, magnetometer, position sensor, USB OTG, WiFi Direct, DLNA, SAR-head: 0.331 W/Kg, SAR-body: 1.66 W/Kg
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, 2G GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), 3G UMTS (900/2100 MHz), 4G LTE Cat. 4 (800/1800/2600 MHz), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 6.5 x 145 x 71.5 ( = 0.26 x 5.71 x 2.81 in)
Battery
2300 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Camera
Primary Camera: 16 MPix LED flash, 1080p video
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix HD video
Additional features
Speakers: mono, Keyboard: virtual, 5 W power supply, USB cable, headset, quick-start guide, SIM tool, Google apps, Archos Video, 24 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
118 g ( = 4.16 oz / 0.26 pounds), Power Supply: 45 g ( = 1.59 oz / 0.1 pounds)
Price
229 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The casing of Archos' Diamond S is made of a plastic and glass composition. The plastic bezel of our white review sample has a light gold color which looks elegant alongside the white Gorilla Glass 3 surfaces. The back is also absolutely sleek and is highly susceptible to fingerprints. However, they are not as obvious on the white version. The smartphone can also feel very smooth due to that. The relatively large surfaces above and below the screen are striking, and they make the Diamond S the lengthiest smartphones in our comparison group reaching 145 mm (~5.7 in). However, it is also the slimmest smartphone with 6.5 mm (~0.23 in), and the camera lens does not jut out. In total, the smartphone is pleasant to hold and does not need much room in the pants pocket, either.

The build and stiffness do not quite convince us. The smartphone can be warped and twisted visibly with little effort, and it produces loud cracking noises. Furthermore, both physical keys on the right are very wobbly, and the micro-SD slot's cover is a bit too deep in the casing and does not close absolutely flush. The battery is integrated and cannot be replaced.

151.3 mm / 5.96 inch 76.3 mm / 3 inch 8.2 mm / 0.3228 inch 158 g0.3483 lbs142.1 mm / 5.59 inch 72.4 mm / 2.85 inch 11.6 mm / 0.4567 inch 155 g0.3417 lbs145 mm / 5.71 inch 71.5 mm / 2.81 inch 6.5 mm / 0.2559 inch 118 g0.2601 lbs142.1 mm / 5.59 inch 71.8 mm / 2.83 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 147 g0.3241 lbs140.5 mm / 5.53 inch 70.3 mm / 2.77 inch 8.6 mm / 0.3386 inch 131 g0.2888 lbs140 mm / 5.51 inch 69 mm / 2.72 inch 6.9 mm / 0.2717 inch 138 g0.3042 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

Archos Fusion Drive
Archos Fusion Drive

Mediatek's MT6753 octa-core SoC alongside an ARM Mali-T720 MP4 graphics unit and 2 GB of working memory are inside the Diamond S. The internal storage has a capacity of 16 GB. Roughly 10.8 GB of that are available after initial setup. However, this volume is reduced to just 9.3 GB as soon as all preloaded apps have been updated. Expanding the storage via a micro-SD card is possible (max. 128 GB). Apps cannot be moved to the SD card after they have been downloaded. However, Archos offers a feature dubbed "Fusion Drive", which allows using the additional storage as internal memory like in the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

A micro-USB 2.0 port that also provides USB OTG for easily connecting peripherals is situated on the upper edge. We could connect a USB flash drive without problems in the test. Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA are present for wireless data transmission. Furthermore, an FM radio that can be used with headphones is installed.

Software

Archos ships the Diamond S with an unmodified version of Android 5.1 Lollipop. We are therefore dealing with the Vanilla edition of the operating system. The manufacturer leaves it up to us whether we install third-party apps ("Asphalt Nitro", "Modern Combat 4", "Spider Man Ultimate Power", "News Republic" and "Office Suite"). In case this offer is not needed, the user only gets a file manager and Archos Video, a player that can search the Internet for videos and TV series. Otherwise, solely the usual Google apps are available. It is not yet known whether an update to Android 6.0 will be launched.

Home screen
Home screen
Preloaded apps 1/2
Preloaded apps 1/2
Preloaded apps 2/2
Preloaded apps 2/2
Optional third-party apps
Optional third-party apps
Stagefright Detector app
Stagefright Detector app

Communication & GPS

GPS Test: indoors
GPS Test: indoors
GPS Test: outdoors
GPS Test: outdoors

Two micro-SIM cards can be inserted in Archos' Diamond S. Both slots support 3G, but LTE can only be used with SIM slot 1. LTE Cat. 4 with transfer rates of up to 150 Mbit/s in downstream (50 Mbit/s upstream) is the maximum here. However, the frequency coverage is limited (see specs earlier in the report). Therefore, the smartphone is not the best choice for frequent travelers. The integrated Wi-Fi module only supports the 802.11 b/g/n standards in the 2.4 GHz network. Consequently, the high-speed ac standard and 5 GHz network cannot be used, as the case in many of the comparison devices. The reception was unremarkable during the test.

Archos' Diamond S utilizes A-GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou for localization. We had a signal within seconds in the apartment (near a window) with an accuracy of 5 meters (~16 ft). The accuracy improves by one meter (~3 ft) outdoors. We also test the accuracy on a bike tour, and compare the outcomes with the Garmin Edge 500 navigation system. However, we noticed that the smartphone did not track as regularly, which sometimes resulted in clear shortcuts. The performance is still satisfactory with a total deviation of approximately 400 meters (~0.25 mi). That should still be enough for navigating in a car. Better solutions exist for more accurate application fields, for example navigating on a bike.

Archos Diamond S: Total
Archos Diamond S: Total
Archos Diamond S: Crossing
Archos Diamond S: Crossing
Archos Diamond S: Turning point
Archos Diamond S: Turning point
Griming Edge 500: Total
Griming Edge 500: Total
Griming Edge 500: Crossing
Griming Edge 500: Crossing
Griming Edge 500: Turning point
Griming Edge 500: Turning point

Telephone & Call Quality

Phone app
Phone app

The stock phone app should not puzzle anyone, and it offers direct access to contacts. It is also possible to favor one of both SIM cards for making calls. The call quality did not convince us because in addition to background noise (cracking, static), minor interruptions were noticed occasionally. The earpiece's decent volume has to be highlighted. The included headset is not particularly high-quality, but it will fulfill its purpose.

Cameras & Multimedia

Front-facing camera photo
Front-facing camera photo
Primary camera photo
Primary camera photo

The camera app in Archos' Diamond S provides fairly extensive setting options including many photo settings, such as white balance, ISO rate, saturation and focus. Furthermore, various photo modes are available like a picture-in-picture mode, live photos and panoramas. Only slow motion shots are not possible.

An 8 MP sensor is on the front, but its results are rather disappointing. Details are muddy and colors are pale even in good light. Image noise is visible in low-light and the colors look unnatural. Better handsets exist for selfie fans. The front-facing sensor records videos in HD quality (1280x720 pixels).

The rear-facing primary camera takes photos in a maximum of 16 MP and records videos in Full HD. It does a much better job than its front-facing counterpart, and enables making average photos. The high resolution is noticed positively at the edges in our test chart, but the pictures are not really sharp in practice. That is easily noticed, for example, when zooming in on the photo in scene 1. Furthermore, the pictures are too dark and some details are lost. The good brightness appealed to us right away in the low-light scene (scene 3), and we could recognize all details although image noise is comparatively high. The camera in Archos' Diamond S is absolutely sufficient for occasional snapshots.

Test chart
Test chart
Test chart section (center)
Test chart section (center)
Screenshot of ColorChecker colors. Original colors are displayed in the lower half of each patch.
Screenshot of ColorChecker colors. Original colors are displayed in the lower half of each patch.

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

Accessories

Besides the smartphone, a 5-watt power supply, USB cable, headset, SIM tool, quick-start guide and warranty information is found in the box. Archos also offers some universal accessories.

Warranty

Archos' Diamond S comes with a 2-year warranty.

Input Devices & Handling

The stock Android keyboard in preloaded. Apart from swipe inputs, there are no limitations in terms of functions. Of course, other keyboards can be installed from the Play Store.

The capacitive touchscreen detects inputs using up to 5 fingers at the same time, and offers decent gliding properties. The inputs are still detected reliably at the edges. We find it a bit too bad that the Android buttons are implemented as onscreen buttons that reserve a part of the screen. Especially in view of the available space, sensor keys could certainly have been incorporated below the display. As said, the physical keys are rather wobbly but they function reliably.

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

Display

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

Archos furnishes the Diamond S with a 5-inch Super AMOLED panel. It has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, which equals a pixel density of 294 PPI. Some rivals offer the Full HD resolution (Honor 5X, OnePlus X), and the reproduction is not razor-sharp subjectively, either - especially when used to smartphones with higher resolutions. However, that is complaining on a high level; there are no restrictions in practice.

The maximum resolution in a pure white image is 375 cd/m² and increases to just over 400 cd/m² when bright and dark image components are distributed equally (APL50). Those are good results that lead to a very high-contrast picture alongside the low black level (0.0 cd/m²), and are in no way inferior to LCD opponents. The brightness does not increase further when the brightness sensor is enabled.

375
cd/m²
362
cd/m²
357
cd/m²
373
cd/m²
357
cd/m²
356
cd/m²
370
cd/m²
359
cd/m²
355
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 375 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 362.7 cd/m² Minimum: 41.86 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 95 %
Center on Battery: 357 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.11 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.12 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.24
Archos Diamond S
5.00, 1280x720, Super AMOLED
Honor 5X
5.50, 1920x1080, IPS
OnePlus X
5.00, 1920x1080, Active Matrix OLED
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
5.00, 1280x720, IPS
Samsung Galaxy J5
5.00, 1280x720, Super AMOLED
Allview E4
5.00, 1280x720, IPS
Screen
15%
-27%
15%
2%
19%
Brightness middle
357
535
50%
312
-13%
418
17%
349
-2%
534
50%
Brightness
363
521
44%
314
-13%
407
12%
353
-3%
503
39%
Brightness Distribution
95
85
-11%
91
-4%
95
0%
93
-2%
82
-14%
Black Level *
0.43
0.49
0.57
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
6.11
4.88
20%
6.28
-3%
3.92
36%
5.22
15%
5.65
8%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
9.91
8.66
13%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.12
5.2
-26%
8.24
-100%
3.81
8%
3.96
4%
3.69
10%
Gamma
2.24 98%
2.26 97%
2.12 104%
2.27 97%
2.08 106%
2.15 102%
CCT
7272 89%
7766 84%
8145 80%
7361 88%
7308 89%
7289 89%
Contrast
1244
853
937

* ... smaller is better

CalMAN ColorChecker (sRGB)
CalMAN ColorChecker (sRGB)
CalMAN Grayscale (sRGB)
CalMAN Grayscale (sRGB)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (sRGB)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (sRGB)
CalMAN Colorspace (AdobeRGB)
CalMAN Colorspace (AdobeRGB)


Display profiles
Display profiles

Devices based on SAMOLED panels normally offer different color profiles for adapting the color reproduction to personal needs. That is also the case in Archos' handset. However, the options are hidden under "MiraVision". In addition to the preset profiles, the user mode provides extensive settings starting with contrast, saturation, sharpness up to color temperature - very good. We performed our measurements in factory settings - the results are overall middling. The average shifts are 6.11 (colors) and 4.12 (grayscale) compared with the sRGB color space reference where the target rates are less than 3. The image impression is subjectively very good. Videos and photos are displayed very vividly primarily thanks to the high contrast.

Settings user's mode
Settings user's mode

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
12 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 26 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
36 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 18 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. » 44 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

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 250 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 250 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 250 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

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 outdoor legibility is good even in bright environments. As with all glossy screens, direct light sources should be avoided because nothing can be recognized otherwise. The SAMOLED panel's viewing angles convinced us, and content could be recognized easily even from extreme angles - as long as there were no reflections.

In the sun
In the sun
In the shade
In the shade
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

Mediatek's MT6753 SoC is a member of the upper mid-range and is composed of eight Cortex A53 cores that, in contrast to the reference design of maximum 1.5 GHz, clock at 1.3 GHz. ARM's Mali-T720 MP4 takes care of video output. The subjective performance is sufficiently high also thanks to the 2 GB of working memory. Although minor lags are noticed primarily in multitasking, it does not lead to restrictions.

The handset is usually placed between the Snapdragon 410 and its Adreno 306 GPU and the Snapdragon 616 alongside Adreno 405 GPU. The Allview E4 based on the same MT6753 SoC (also 1.3 GHz) is normally on par. Only the former Snapdragon 801 high-end chip in OnePlus' X is out of reach. The Diamond S is also on par with the Allview E4 in the storage benchmarks, which is not good news. Apart from the sequential read performance, both devices are always situated at the end of the comparison field. We unfortunately could not measure the card reader's performance since AndroBench did not identify our reference card.

Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2570 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1563 Points
32 Bit Single-Core Score
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
913 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
528 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3047 Points +5%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3023 Points +4%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2898 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1561 Points -46%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1403 Points -52%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
698 Points +13%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
638 Points +3%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
620 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
526 Points -15%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
464 Points -25%
3DMark
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1172 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1098 Points -6%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
150 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
148 Points -1%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1)
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
186 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
183 Points -2%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1172 Points
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1117 Points -5%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1115 Points -5%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1089 Points -7%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
758 Points -35%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
734 Points -37%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
643 Points +170%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
238 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
236 Points -1%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
103 Points -57%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
42 Points -82%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
39 Points -84%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
710 Points +146%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
289 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
286 Points -1%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
129 Points -55%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
53 Points -82%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
49 Points -83%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
17156 Points +65%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10387 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10385 Points 0%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
10148 Points -2%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9079 Points -13%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8174 Points -21%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
14541 Points +131%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7764 Points +23%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6338 Points +1%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6288 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3789 Points -40%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3782 Points -40%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
15051 Points +118%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7852 Points +14%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6939 Points +1%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6892 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4402 Points -36%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4345 Points -37%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9544 Points +4%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9346 Points +2%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9204 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8732 Points -5%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8445 Points -8%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5056 Points +28%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3959 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3952 Points 0%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2193 Points -45%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2135 Points -46%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5551 Points +22%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4533 Points 0%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4533 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2631 Points -42%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2580 Points -43%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9411 Points +2%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9385 Points +1%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9252 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8697 Points -6%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8343 Points -10%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10045 Points +28%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7832 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7830 Points 0%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4712 Points -40%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4692 Points -40%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9609 Points +18%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8133 Points 0%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8109 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5298 Points -35%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5227 Points -36%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
23 fps +10%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
21 fps
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
20 fps -5%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
14 fps -33%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9.5 fps -55%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
21 fps +75%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
14 fps +17%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
12 fps 0%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
12 fps
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5.3 fps -56%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10 fps +11%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9 fps
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8.6 fps -4%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5.9 fps -34%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3.8 fps -58%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3.7 fps -59%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8.6 fps +105%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5.4 fps +29%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4.2 fps 0%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4.2 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.8 fps -57%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.7 fps -60%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
fps
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2.1 fps
BaseMark OS II
Web
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
843 Points +16%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
731 Points 0%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
729 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
615 Points -16%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
484 Points -34%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9 Points -99%
Graphics
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1975 Points +369%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
763 Points +81%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
423 Points 0%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
421 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
315 Points -25%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
314 Points -25%
Memory
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
949 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
877 Points -8%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
787 Points -17%
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
662 Points -30%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
399 Points -58%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
394 Points -58%
System
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2225 Points +24%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1792 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1694 Points -5%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1378 Points -23%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1166 Points -35%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1058 Points -41%
Overall
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1252 Points +47%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
850 Points
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
823 Points -3%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
534 Points -37%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
515 Points -39%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
297 Points -65%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4450 Points +17%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3966 Points +4%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3841 Points +1%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3819 Points
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3794 Points -1%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3701 Points -3%
AndroBench 3-5
Random Write 4KB
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
14.22 MB/s +156%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10 MB/s +80%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
7.2 MB/s +30%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5.55 MB/s
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5.39 MB/s -3%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5.11 MB/s -8%
Random Read 4KB
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
22.79 MB/s +44%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
19.25 MB/s +21%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
17 MB/s +7%
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
16.31 MB/s +3%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
16.24 MB/s +2%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
15.85 MB/s
Sequential Write 256KB
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
78 MB/s +536%
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
49.31 MB/s +302%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
39.4 MB/s +221%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
22.33 MB/s +82%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
12.55 MB/s +2%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
12.26 MB/s
Sequential Read 256KB
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
235.5 MB/s +70%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
145.5 MB/s +5%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
144 MB/s +4%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
143.3 MB/s +4%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
138.3 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
131.4 MB/s -5%
Octane V2 - Total Score
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4810 Points +75%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3595 Points +31%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3296 Points +20%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3177 Points +15%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3038 Points +10%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2754 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
14074 ms * -5%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
13398 ms *
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
13149 ms * +2%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
12510 ms * +7%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
11843 ms * +12%
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7264 ms * +46%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
28 Points +56%
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
21.92 Points +22%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
20.83 Points +16%
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
20.1 Points +12%
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
18.42 Points +2%
Archos Diamond S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
18 Points

* ... smaller is better

Games

The smartphone benefits from the lower HD resolution (1280x720 pixels) in the gaming performance, and renders even demanding games decently. The racing game "Asphalt 8" still runs well even in high details, although we preferred medium settings for a smoother gameplay. There were no problems with simpler games like "Angry Birds 2". The sensors did not disturb our gaming fun, although fingers easily covered the speaker on the lower edge.

"Asphalt 8" (high)
"Asphalt 8" (high)
"Angry Birds 2"
"Angry Birds 2"

Emissions

Temperature

Archos' Diamond S is always an extremely cool smartphone. We measured at most 34.3 °C (93.74 °F) even during load, which is barely palpable. Furthermore, the heat is distributed quite evenly over the entire surface.

Max. Load
 34.3 °C
94 F
32.5 °C
91 F
32.2 °C
90 F
 
 34 °C
93 F
33.1 °C
92 F
32.4 °C
90 F
 
 33.3 °C
92 F
32.4 °C
90 F
32.6 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 34.3 °C = 94 F
Average: 33 °C = 91 F
31.2 °C
88 F
33.5 °C
92 F
33.7 °C
93 F
31.1 °C
88 F
33.6 °C
92 F
33.5 °C
92 F
30.6 °C
87 F
31.2 °C
88 F
32.9 °C
91 F
Maximum: 33.7 °C = 93 F
Average: 32.4 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  33.3 °C = 92 F | Room Temperature 21.9 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33 °C / 91 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 34.3 °C / 94 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 33.7 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.4 °C / 89 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speaker

Speaker evaluation
Speaker evaluation

The rear-sided mono speaker is sufficiently loud with a maximum of almost 85 dB(A). However, the sound quality is very treble-heavy already at low volumes. Furthermore, the little speaker also starts to hum and produces a quiet background noise at about 50% of maximum volume. Output functions better via the 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The power consumption of Archos' Diamond S is average. We measured 0.8 to 1.32 watts in idle mode. A comparison with the identically configured Allview E4 is interesting here, as it consumes considerably more power. Note: Not all devices in the chart below were assessed with the same instrument, and thus the results are only meant as reference points. The Diamond S consumes 3.73 to a maximum of 4.97 watts during load. The 5-watt power supply is therefore just sufficient to cover the energy requirement. The user should expect long charging times when the smartphone is loaded and recharging at the same time.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.12 / 0.47 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.8 / 1.21 / 1.32 Watt
Load midlight 3.73 / 4.97 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Gossen 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 S
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Honor 5X
Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
OnePlus X
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AA, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Allview E4
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Power Consumption
-44%
24%
19%
-49%
-164%
Idle Minimum *
0.8
0.87
-9%
0.6
25%
0.4
50%
1.5
-88%
3.11
-289%
Idle Average *
1.21
2.08
-72%
0.91
25%
1
17%
2.2
-82%
4.06
-236%
Idle Maximum *
1.32
2.22
-68%
1.12
15%
1.2
9%
2.4
-82%
4.23
-220%
Load Average *
3.73
5.26
-41%
3.04
18%
2.9
22%
3.5
6%
5.53
-48%
Load Maximum *
4.97
6.34
-28%
3.2
36%
5
-1%
4.8
3%
6.33
-27%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The 2300 mAh battery integrated in Archos' Diamond S enables a decent life for our review sample. The smartphone lasted for almost 8 hour in our Wi-Fi test (150 cd/m², Wi-Fi script) - a good time. However, the rivals last much longer (+4 to +35%) in some cases, except for Allview's E4. The smartphone easily lasted a day of normal use; it should even manage 2 days when not used as intensively.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
7h 55min
Archos Diamond S
 Wh
Honor 5X
11 Wh
OnePlus X
 Wh
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
 Wh
Samsung Galaxy J5
10 Wh
Allview E4
8 Wh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
475
643
35%
549
16%
526
11%
495
4%
315
-34%

Pros

+ Super AMOLED display
+ dual-SIM + micro-SD
+ decent battery life
+ optional third-party apps

Cons

- call quality
- front-facing camera
- speaker
- limited frequency coverage
- 2.4 GHz WiFi only

Verdict

In review: Archos Diamond S. Review sample courtesy of Archos Germany.
In review: Archos Diamond S. Review sample courtesy of Archos Germany.

The mid-range smartphone by Archos made a good impression in our test. The buyer gets a fast processor, decent display and good battery life. Furthermore, the Diamond S features useful functions like dual-SIM without having to waive expanding the memory via a micro-SD card. The biggest shortcomings are certainly the call quality and front-facing camera. Users who often use their smartphone for making calls and like to take selfies should look around among the competition. They also offer a lot of smartphone for the money, but they also have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Archos' Diamond S is a solid mid-range handset. However, better devices exist in this price range for those who frequently use their phones for making calls or selfie fans.

Archos Diamond S - 03/26/2016 v5(old)
Andreas Osthoff

Chassis
70%
Keyboard
69 / 75 → 92%
Pointing Device
80%
Connectivity
39 / 60 → 65%
Weight
95%
Battery
90%
Display
82%
Games Performance
13 / 63 → 21%
Application Performance
31 / 70 → 45%
Temperature
92%
Noise
100%
Audio
38 / 91 → 41%
Camera
61%
Average
66%
79%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Andreas Osthoff, 2016-04- 7 (Update: 2018-05-15)