
Archos 605 WiFi
Pros
- Attractive, good value for money, well-designed, intuitive layout, high-quality screen
Cons
- There is no dedicated power cable, you have to charge via USB
Bottom Line
The Archos is attractive, good value for money and well-designed, with an intuitive layout and high-quality screen. Charging is a hassle, however.
-
Price
$ 579.00 (AUD)
Sleek, light and beautifully designed, this successor to the Archos 604 WiFi ups the ante in several ways. The screen resolution and battery life have both been boosted and there's more storage on offer -- the 605 range goes all the way up to a mighty 160GB, although we tested the 30GB version. In other respects, however, Archos largely sticks to a winning formula.
The 4.3in display reproduces video with clarity and precision. The decent size and quality of the touch screen make film playback on the move a pleasure rather than the trial it often is on portable devices.
You can use the bundled headphones -- the audio quality with these is nothing to write home about -- but the Archos also has a speaker built into the front panel. This produced fairly good sound.
At 150g the device is a breeze to lug around, far undercutting competing models with comparable screen sizes. It also feels comfortable in the hand, while the buttons are laid out intuitively. You can connect wirelessly to the Internet, but a Web browser is one of several software plug-ins that will add to the cost.
The only real down side is the charging procedure -- no dedicated power cable is supplied, so you have to charge via USB. This is extremely slow and occasionally flaky, with the device sometimes refusing to power up at all. This was worrying.
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A review: This 4K monitor plays nice with consoles
- 2 Firewalla Gold review: Powerful home network security in a tiny box
- 3 Alienware AW3423DW review: Quantum dot OLED renders rival monitors obsolete
- 4 Acer Aspire 5 review: An affordable laptop that’s enjoyable to use
- 5 Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 review: This gaming laptop oozes luxurious power
Latest News Articles
- Apple TV will serve as hub for remotely controlling HomeKit devices
- Sony Smart B-Trainer headset gives runners vocal advice
- The iPod classic plays its last
- Apple iPod Touch pricing slashed by up to 25 per cent in Australia
- Apple shows off iPod touch, nano updates
Resources
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Best Unlimited Internet Deals in 2022
- Microsoft’s universal ‘One Outlook’ client just leaked out
- Liquid Retina vs. Liquid Retina XDR: Which display is better?
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies