Archos 101 G9 review

Archos has also installed its own music and video apps, which both have interfaces that use up the entire space available. Both have a carousel view on the left that you can swipe up and down to browse files or left or right to access favourites, recently added files or all files. There’s also a list view on the right – if you click on an item here, the interface expands to make a more detailed view for the current item. Both apps let you access SMB shares and media servers, too.

If you already have an Android phone, you can also download a remote control app that lets you control the G9 from your Android mobile. This means you can pull out the tablet’s kickstand, fire up a video and sit back and watch it while having full control over media playback. The internal speakers are quite loud but don’t have much bass, so for a more immersive movie night you should plug in a set of speakers via the headphone port.

Our main complaint about the G9 is its build quality. The tablet’s plastic case creaks if you flex it, and there’s a small gap in the join between the two halves of the case. We also noticed a bug with the touchscreen; if you touch the very left or right edge of the screen, it activates the button on that side – the Back button on the left, or the tray menu on the right. This can be annoying, especially pressing Back whilst reading a web page or watching a video.

Still, such faults are forgivable considering that the G9 has the latest version of Android, 16GB of internal storage and yet costs only £270. Archos’s light touch with the software, the bright screen and the option of 3G make the G9 a worthy Budget Buy winner.