Archos 101 G9 Pro Reviews

It’s hard to stratify tablet manufacturers into market categories; they don’t distribute themselves neatly into bargain, mainstream and high-end. Certainly some have cemented their place; you won’t find us arguing that Coby’s products are high-end. And some are trying to be all things to all players (Samsung and Asus come to mind). Even hardware platforms transcend pricing, with the same chipsets being used in bargain and high-end devices. This lack of clarity between the high-end and low-end is Archos’s opportunity and its hurdle. With no clear way to stratify based on cost, simply pick a price and offer features of a particular flavor. The 80 and 101 G9 Turbo line are no better or worse than other dual-core Android tablets at being just that, Android tablets. But where they rise above is in targeting the media hungry user that’s not interested in signing up for another movie rental service, and knows their way around an SD card adaptor. Measured against the early class of Tegra 2 tablets, Archos puts up a good fight and hits the right price. Where things start to get fuzzy is when you look at the top of the line 101 G9 Turbo equipped with a 250GB HDD. At $369, this spec is just $30 short of the Transformer Pad 300, whose screen, battery life and performance outpace the G9 in key areas.

The G9's bright screen, decent software and optional 3G dongle help make up for some slightly suspect build quality

Although the Archos 101 G9 now has a marginally upgraded processor and the newest Android OS, the tablet still doesn't have enough going for it. The kickstand may be its design's saving grace, but its button placement is still awkward and it has a humdrum and heavy build. Its internal speeds feel perpetually bogged down and the subpar camera just doesn't make this device a worthy buy.

A powerful Ice Cream Sandwich tablet for under £300, but plasticky build and an average screen sour the deal

Archos certainly owes Google a few words of thanks for the work it put into Ice Cream Sandwich, and improving the Android tablet experience. Although the 101 G9 Turbo ICS tablet does offer a minor speed bump over its predecessor, the biggest improvements come as a result of the upgraded operating system. It's not perfect, but the Archos 101 G9 Turbo ICS is one of the better Android tablets available.

The Archos 101 G9 isn’t a looker. It’s chunky, with a plastic build that does it no favours. But it is competent, attractively priced and the optional 3G dongle is potentially quite a draw.

If you’re in the market for a tablet that is cheap, and incredibly good at playing videos of all kinds (and is at least decent at most other tablet tasks), then look no further – if you’re going to be doing things that eat up RAM though I would look elsewhere (for now).

The G9 101 is not without some niggling annoyances but it still represents decent value if you want a tablet that plays HD video in any format. The stand and 3G dongle are simple ideas that make the G9 rather versatile too. The only reason I can’t give it more of a recommendation is the Flash problem and the Biblically long recharging time. Here's to the next firmware fix.