MWC 2016: Archos Diamond 2 Note and Diamond 2 Plus bargain phablets revealed

Home / News / Archos phablets could be a Diamond in the rough at MWC

A pair of Diamonds? Archos, you’re spoiling us ahead of Mobile World Congress!

The French phone maker announced the Diamond 2 Note and Diamond 2 Plus last night, a few days before the inevitable Galaxy S7 and LG G5 madness eclipses just about everything else on show at MWC.

It’s worth remembering this pair of Diamond geezers, though; they’ve got crazy good specs for the price.

First up, the Diamond 2 Plus. It’s got a 5.5in Full HD screen with iPhone-like 2.5D glass that curves at the edges for that premium look. You get an 8MP snapper on the front and a tried-and-tested 20MP Sony sensor for the rear camera, along with a fingerprint sensor for extra security.

A Mediatek octa-core CPU is running the show, backed up by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. There’s no custom skin slowing things down either; it’s stock Android 6 Marshmallow all the way. A USB Type-C connector is cutting edge too, which proves Archos isn’t content to stick with budget phones any more.

It’s on the way in may for £199. You’d better look out, OnePlus.

The larger Diamond 2 Note has a near borderless 6in screen and a QHD resolution. Archos reckons it’s squeezed that screen into a chassis that’s the same size as most 5.5in phones, so it shouldn’t be a handful to hold.

The octa-core Mediatek chip is paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which should be more than quick enough for most jobs. A massive 3600mAh battery should mean it’ll last for ages on a full charge, and you’ll be able to top it back up to 80% in 45 minutes.

Camera credentials get a boost over the Diamond 2 Plus, with a 16MP rear sensor that can shoot 4K video and an 8MP front camera with a wide-angle f/2.2 lens

It has the same back-facing fingerprint sensor as the Diamond 2 Plus, and runs stock Android Marshmallow too.

The May release date isn’t too far away, and the £249 price looks seriously tempting if you’re after a high resolution phablet.

We’ll be getting a closer look at both phones next week at Mobile World Congress, so check back for some hands-on impressions.

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A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews. When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.