Hands on: Archos 64 Xenon review

Archos has unleashed a beast in the 64 Xenon. With its 6.4-inch display, this is a phablet to put the HTC One Max and LG G Pro 2 to shame.

That is, if bigger is always better. In the case of the Xenon, I'd argue that's not the case.

This behemoth will prove slightly too unwieldily for most hands, and it feels like removing some of the unnecessary excess bezel would go to some way to fixing that problem.

But if you don't mind a phone that will demand both hands to use, there are some solid positives - including the £199 (around US$335, AU$375) price tag.

That 6.4-inch HD IPS display has a 1280 x 720 resolution, the same as the Archos 50c Oxygen's 5-inch screen. However we found it to be pleasingly bright and crisp, especially when we tested it with some videos.

Another pro packed into this affordable phone is the rear 8MP camera with LED flash, which is also capable of 1080p video. We were really able to appreciate how good the pictures looked, especially on that big display.

There's less to be enthusiastic about on the back of the device though. The brushed metal finish doesn't feel too classy, while the power and volume buttons, rather than being placed on the sides, are actually on the back towards the edges.

It felt awkward to use them, and especially considering the size it took our fingers a while to find the right button when needed.

Inside, the quad-core 1.3GHz processor and 1GB of RAM are unremarkable, but felt sufficient and provided smooth performance during our play. It's just a shame that it feels a tad behind the times with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

4GB of internal memory also feels a bit too meagre. Luckily that can be changed via the MicroSD slot.

Early verdict

The Archos 64 Xenon is as big as it gets, but if the size doesn't put you off then you're looking at a reasonably-spec'd, budget-priced phablet with a decent screen to boot.