I'm such a glutton for tech, I dropped £109 on an Archos 80 Titanium 8GB today and thought I'd do some quick comparisons on them.
Archos 80 Titanium and Pad MiniHardware:
The Archos 80 titanium looks very much like a full sized iPad, shrunken down to accommodate an 8" screen. It features a front facing cam and a rear facing cam but they're both inferior compared to the iPad Mini.
Build quality is surprisingly good having aluminium on the back and glass front, especially for the price category it is in.
The screen is another surprise, being an IPS panel, it's bright enough but is a lot cooler (bluer) than the Mini. The Mini also trumps it at maximum backlight too but it's very capable considering the price again.
iPad mini half brightness, Archos full brightness.
Mine has 8GB internal memory (6.34GB usable). The addition of an SD card slot and native USB OTG support means there are plenty of expansion options. It also supports min HDMI output too which could be a useful addition!
Archos Max brightness, iPad Mini max brightness..
It does miss out on some hardware. I've read it lacks both Bluetooth and GPS which is a shame.
Software:
The A80Ti runs stock Android 4.1.1 which is a few releases behind my Nexus. The good news is bloatware is at a minimum and you are given the choice if you want to install some select apps before setting it up which is a nice bonus. If you choose not to install the bloat, all you are left with is an Archos music player, video player and a file manager.
It features Google Play giving you access to Google services and all the applications on offer. I've tried a few apps and games with no issue.
As you are all aware, the tablet app selection on iOS is far better than on Android so if Apps were your priority, the iPad mini will likely be the better buy but, the A80Ti seems to be a very capable Android tablet so far from what I've used it for.
Geekbench Benchmarks:
The Archos 80 Ti did a little better than the iPad Mini on Geekbench but it does have an additional 600MHz on each core.
Here are some scores compare to other tablets I own and have owned:
Links to scores:
iPad Mini: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1905231
Archos 80 Ti: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1905226
iPad 2: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1822739
PMP5597D: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1686178
Acer B1: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1655890
Nexus 7: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1629364
Of course, CPU is just one aspect of performance with Memory and GPU also being an important cmponent towards overall performance. The Archos has a Mali 400 GPU which seems to be fine for all that I've thrown at it so far but more demanding games may be a struggle for the tablet.
Pluses for the Archos:
Over half the price.
Expandibility.
Stock Android.
Good for those into the Android ecosystem.
Pros for the iPad Mini:
App selection.
Overall performance.
Cameras.
Software updates.
Good for those that use the Apple ecosystem.
Very surprised to see such a low end tablet use premium-like build materials and the screen is very nice for the price. I couldn't straight recommend the A80Ti over the iPad mini but, as a second tablet or for the budget conscious user, it isn't at all bad!
Archos 80 Titanium and Pad Mini
The Archos 80 titanium looks very much like a full sized iPad, shrunken down to accommodate an 8" screen. It features a front facing cam and a rear facing cam but they're both inferior compared to the iPad Mini.
Build quality is surprisingly good having aluminium on the back and glass front, especially for the price category it is in.
The screen is another surprise, being an IPS panel, it's bright enough but is a lot cooler (bluer) than the Mini. The Mini also trumps it at maximum backlight too but it's very capable considering the price again.
iPad mini half brightness, Archos full brightness.
Mine has 8GB internal memory (6.34GB usable). The addition of an SD card slot and native USB OTG support means there are plenty of expansion options. It also supports min HDMI output too which could be a useful addition!
Archos Max brightness, iPad Mini max brightness.
It does miss out on some hardware. I've read it lacks both Bluetooth and GPS which is a shame.
Software:
The A80Ti runs stock Android 4.1.1 which is a few releases behind my Nexus. The good news is bloatware is at a minimum and you are given the choice if you want to install some select apps before setting it up which is a nice bonus. If you choose not to install the bloat, all you are left with is an Archos music player, video player and a file manager.
It features Google Play giving you access to Google services and all the applications on offer. I've tried a few apps and games with no issue.
As you are all aware, the tablet app selection on iOS is far better than on Android so if Apps were your priority, the iPad mini will likely be the better buy but, the A80Ti seems to be a very capable Android tablet so far from what I've used it for.
Geekbench Benchmarks:
The Archos 80 Ti did a little better than the iPad Mini on Geekbench but it does have an additional 600MHz on each core.
Here are some scores compare to other tablets I own and have owned:
Links to scores:
iPad Mini: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1905231
Archos 80 Ti: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1905226
iPad 2: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1822739
PMP5597D: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1686178
Acer B1: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1655890
Nexus 7: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1629364
Of course, CPU is just one aspect of performance with Memory and GPU also being an important cmponent towards overall performance. The Archos has a Mali 400 GPU which seems to be fine for all that I've thrown at it so far but more demanding games may be a struggle for the tablet.
Pluses for the Archos:
Over half the price.
Expandibility.
Stock Android.
Good for those into the Android ecosystem.
Pros for the iPad Mini:
App selection.
Overall performance.
Cameras.
Software updates.
Good for those that use the Apple ecosystem.
Very surprised to see such a low end tablet use premium-like build materials and the screen is very nice for the price. I couldn't straight recommend the A80Ti over the iPad mini but, as a second tablet or for the budget conscious user, it isn't at all bad!
