Skip to main content

Archos' two new phones are rugged and stylish — but not at the same time

archos 50 saphir 55 diamond selfie
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Archos’ latest phone lineup leaves a bit to be desired, however a couple of the phones are very interesting indeed. The new devices, which come only a few days before IFA this year, are called the 55 Diamond Selfie and the 50 Saphir, and come with a design unlike most other Android phones out there.

The 50 Saphir, for example, is being touted as “unsinkable,” and is aimed largely at those who like to enjoy the great outdoors. The look of the phone is extremely rugged, and probably not what you would call “sleek.”

Recommended Videos

On top of the interesting look, the phone features a 5-inch display and a hefty 5,000mAh battery. Under the hood we see a MediaTek MTK6737 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The rear-facing camera is 13MP, the front-facing camera 5MP, and the display is 720p. Sure, the specs are decidedly underwhelming, but they’re most certainly not the point of this phone.

When it comes to the 55 Diamond Selfie, things are a little more high tech. The phone seeks to offer a “chic design,” something that shows when it’s put side-by-side with its more hefty sibling. The phone is 5.5 inches, and the device is only 7.7mm thick, however it still features a decently sized battery, sitting at 3,000mAh. It also offers a pretty nice 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a 16MP rear-facing camera/8MP front-facing camera combination. Unfortunately those specs aren’t very well backed up with the decidedly mediocre Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 — not a bad processor, to be sure, but not one that you would expect on a phone with otherwise fairly decent specs.

The Archos 50 Saphir and 55 Diamond Selfie each cost a reasonable 200 euros, which equates to around $223. The 50 Saphir will be out in October, and the 55 Diamond Selfie will debut in September.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 13
Official OnePlus 13 product renders showing rear panel colors.

OnePlus is an excellent brand that offers powerful flagship phones at a great value compared to some of its competitors. We followed every rumor about the OnePlus 13 for months, but now it's here — and it's everything we hoped for. It might not be available in the Western market yet, but it will be soon.

So, what makes the OnePlus 13 so special? Here's everything you need to know about OnePlus' latest flagship.
When is the OnePlus 13 being released?

Read more
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. MediaTek Dimensity 9400: the race is on
Comparison of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processors.

The flagship mobile silicon race has entered its next phase, one that will dictate the trajectory of Android hardware heading into 2025. Merely weeks after MediaTek wowed us with the Dimensity 9400 system on a chip (SoC), Qualcomm also pulled a surprise with the reveal of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

But this time around, the battle is not as straightforward. Where MediaTek is working closely with Arm and adopting its latest CPU and graphics innovations, Qualcomm has firmly put its faith in custom cores. These are no ordinary cores, but a next-gen iteration of the same fundamental tech stack that powers Windows on ARM laptops.

Read more
Discolored line on your new Kindle? You aren’t alone
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition on a table.

The new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is the first full-color e-reader, and a lot of bookworms couldn't wait to get their hands on it. Sadly, many people are reporting the display has a discolored yellow area at the bottom of the screen. The problem is so widespread that the Kindle Colorsoft dropped to an average review rating of 2.6 out of 5, although it does remain the bestselling e-book reader at the moment.

The cause of the discoloration isn't clear. Some users report that it only happens when using the edge lighting feature on the Kindle, while others say it appeared after a software update. Either way, the yellowing is a problem, especially on a device that Amazon has marketed as being great for comics and graphic novel fans. It's hard to enjoy the colorwork in a comic when it's distorted.

Read more