The Thomson brand is probably best associated with cutting edge audio and visual consumer tech, but it can also be found gracing household appliances, home automation systems and LED lighting. Now its portfolio is expanding into the competitive world of mobile communication with five new Android smartphones.
The new X-Link and X-View devices are being made available in Europe by French distributor ADMEA under the Thomson brand and have all been designed for intensive use, feature Dual SIM functionality and run on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with a modified interface. David Deux, Director of Mobile Telephone division, Admea/Thomson France, introduced Gizmag to the new smartphones at IFA 2012 in Berlin, starting with the X-Link 3.5 (TH1125M).
A trio of X-Link smartphones
As its name suggests, this model sports a 3.5-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen display supporting up to five simultaneous touch points. Like all of its X-Link cousins, it's powered by a 1 GHz single-core Cortex A9 MT6575 processor supported by 512 MB of system memory and 4 GB of onboard storage with microSD card expansion.
The 3.5 packs GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, has anti-slip dimpling to the rear that feels good in the hands, is 12.1 mm thick and weighs 3.59 ounces (102 g). Its 1200 mAh Li-ion battery is claimed to be good for one full day of usage. Photo and video needs are answered by a 5-megapixel camera on the back with LED flash and a VGA webcam on the front.
The X-Link 4.0 (TH1127M) shares many of the features of its smaller relative but sports a 4-inch touchscreen display, has been treated to a more powerful 1500 mAh Li-ion battery and gets a shiny plastic black or white back instead of dimples. It's a little heavier at 4.26 ounces (121 g) but is a tad slimmer at 11.8 mm.
At the top of the X-Link tree sits the X-Link 4.5 (TH1128M), with a 4.5-inch qHD display. This 11.9 mm thin, 4.47-ounce (127 g) model is also available in black or white and includes a 1500 mAh Li-ion battery. While the model currently shown on the company website has a 5-megapixel camera at the rear, the production model has been upgraded with an 8-megapixel camera.
Bring on the X-Views
The first of the X-View models is the X-View 2 (TH1129M). In a break from naming convention, this smartphone doesn't feature a 2-inch display but rather a 5.3-inch WVGA resolution multi-touch screen. Elsewhere there's a 1 GHz (M6575) processor, 512 MB of system memory and 4 GB of included storage plus microSD expansion, and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.
This model is just 11.8 mm thin, packs a 2500 mAh Li-ion battery and has an 8-megapixel AF camera with LED flash to the rear and a VGA cam at the front.
The star of the Thomson smartphone show is the X-View 3 (TH1130M). Like its X-View stablemate, it also has a 5.3-inch display, but this one has been nudged up to 960 x 540 pixel resolution. The thinnest of all the new smartphones at 10.9 mm slim, it features a 1 GHz Dual-Core Cortex A9 MT6577 processor, 1 GB of system memory and 16 GB of onboard storage, a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and a 3-megapixel snapper to the front.
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS technologies are all included, and the 2300 mAh Li-ion battery is claimed to last for two days' usage.
The release market for these models is currently restricted to Europe and North Africa. The X-Link 3.5 is set for an October release in France (and beyond about a month later). The X-Link 4.0 is already available in France, the X-Link 4.5 release window is currently unkown but the X-View 2 should appear in France this month. The X-View 3 will hit the shelves in France during November.
Product index: Thomson EU smartphones
