CES 2014: Archos Launches ‘Affordable’ 4G Smartphones And Smartwatch

French phone maker Archos has announced that its first 4G/LTE handsets, the 45 and 50 Helium, will be unveiled at CES this week, and also promised a smartwatch

Both devices will run on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and are powered by a quad-core 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. When hooked up to a 4G/LTE network, they will be able to download at up to 150 Mbps.  But crucially, the devices will retail from £189 and £229 respectively, marking them as some of the cheapest 4G smartphones available on the market.

“Mobile devices have become the centre of our life and our demand for instant access to information creates the need for even more interconnectivity,” said Loic Poirier, chief executive of Archos.

“Archos’ new lineup of connected objects exemplifies the ability to share and access information and represents our vision of creating a universe where all devices complement and work together.”

Low-cost 4G for the masses?

The Archos 50 Helium has a 5-inch HD screen, an 8MP rear camera, 2000 mAh battery, and comes with 8GB of internal storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card. The Archos 45 Helium 4G, meanwhile, features a 4.5-inch screen, 5MP rear camera, a 1700mAh battery, and  4GB of internal storage, which is also expandable with a microSD card.

Both devices are a notable step up from the previous ‘platinum range’ devices offered by the company back in April 2013 which marked its entry into the smartphone market. No release date for the new devices has been confirmed yet, with more information expected at CES this week.

Archos also announced that it would be unveiling a low-cost wearable technology range, including  smartwatches and fitness bands, at CES as part of a new push into ‘connected objects for home and self’. The smartwatches, costing less than £50, will be similar in design to others on the market, and feature compatibility with both iOS and Android devices.

Wearable technology, however, is only a small part of Archos’ connected portfolio, as the company also plans to launch a weather station providing information on both indoor and outdoor environments, and a Smart Home App which will allow users to control their home environment from anywhere in the world.

Can you remember what was hot at CES 2013? Take our quiz!