Windows 10 has already been downloaded onto more than 75 million devices since its July launch, but we've yet to see the first smartphones ship running Windows 10 Mobile out of the box. Middle-tier phone maker Archos is looking to be among the first out of the gate with the Archos 50 Cesium.
Set for release in November, the budget-priced Windows 10 smartphone was announced alongside the Archos 50e Helium, which is essentially the same hardware running Android 5.1 Lollipop.
"By providing a choice between two almost identical hardware models, we allow the customer to focus on what they like on the inside: the user interface," said Archos CEO Loic Poirer.
The twin devices are both 5-inch, 4G LTE quad-core devices with specs that will make early adopters feel like they've been transported back to 2013. Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 CPU running at 1.1 GHz with an Adreno 304 GPU, a single gig of RAM and 8 GB of onboard storage.
The display isn't much to crow about either, with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels in an IPS screen capable of 294 pixels per inch. Front and rear cameras are also middling at 2 and 8 megapixels, respectively.
Archos is clearly hoping that these underwhelming specs will be overlooked by consumers far more interested in another key figure, the price. For only £99 (US$153), it's a pretty affordable dual-sim phone offering an early opportunity to play around with Windows 10 and Microsoft's increasingly powerful Cortana personal assistant on a phone.
Both the Archos 50 Cesium and 50e Helium will be on display at IFA in Berlin next month and on sale in November.
Source: Archos (PDF)
