The Archos 80 Cobalt boasts a slightly larger screen than the budget Android tablet norm at 8-inches, but its retail price will ultimately help determine the fate of the device.
Interestingly, the 8-inch 1024 x 768 display sports an aspect ratio of 4:3 rather than widescreen – the very same aspect ratio of Apple’s wildly popular iPad.
The tablet is loaded with Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) – which is slightly out of date as Jelly Bean is more common on new devices today.
The 80 Cobalt is powered by a a 1.6 GHz dual-core processor paired with a quad-core GPU. Additional specs include 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage, two-megapixel rear camera, front camera with VGA resolution, micro USB port, a 3.5 mm audio port, integrated speaker/mic and a G-sensor.
Yes, we can all agree that 8 GB isn’t much internal storage, but the good news is that the tablet is also equipped with a microSD card slot that facilitates easy expansion – up to 32 GB of additional storage.
The 80 Cobalt measures 153.5 x 203 x 11.5 mm and weighs 470 g. The tablet screen may not support full HD resolution playback, but it can render full HD video on an external device.
Pricing for the latest Cobalt remains uknown and without standout specifications it seems as if the price tag will determine how well it does in the market. However, we suspect the tablet will sell for approximately $200 – putting it on par with other Android offerings like the Kindle Fire HD.
Nevertheless, even at a similar price point, the Cobalt 80 may very well be a hard sell, as Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD offers better specifications – even if the screen is slightly smaller. A $200 price point should be a reasonable expectation, especially considering that the larger Archos 97 Carbon tablet sells for a cool $250.
