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Archos Gen10 101 XS review: Archos Gen10 101 XS

The Archos 101 XS is the followup to the Gen 9. It includes a full keyboard for $400.

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Headshot of Eric Franklin
Eric Franklin Former Editorial Director
Eric Franklin led the CNET Tech team as Editorial Director. A 20-plus-year industry veteran, Eric began his tech journey testing computers in the CNET Labs. When not at work he can usually be found at the gym, chauffeuring his kids around town, or absorbing every motivational book he can get his hands on.
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Eric Franklin
6 min read

Given the myriad high-quality tablet choices out there, I've found it difficult to recommend previous Archos tablets.

6.3

Archos Gen10 101 XS

The Good

The <b>Archos 101 XS</b> includes a full QWERTY keyboard, memory expansion, Mini-HDMI, and great games performance.

The Bad

The tablet never feels like it's safely attached to the keyboard, and unless you have small hands, typing on the keyboard feels cramped. The tablet also features shoddy build quality and at $400 is too expensive for what's offered.

The Bottom Line

The Archos 101 XS makes performance improvements from the previous generation and includes a full keyboard, but doesn't offer enough to warrant its high price.

Unfortunately, its new 101 XS (also known as the Gen10) does little to change my opinion of the company's tablet-making abilities. While Archos is definitely starting to take performance more seriously, it still has a long way to go to breaking its habit of seemingly tacking on features without fully thinking them out and then charging too much for the package. While the tablet comes with a keyboard accessory, it still fails to be worthy of its $400 price.

A keyboard, a stand, and an Archos 101XS (pictures)

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Design
The Archos 101 XS sports a 10.1-inch screen and ships with both the tablet slate and an additional keyboard accessory, known as the coverboard. The coverboard will not be sold separately, and as of now, buying the tablet is the only way to get one. When on the go, you can attach the slate and coverboard to each other magnetically, with the keyboard facing the tablet's screen. While in this mode, the package stays together securely and can be easily transported, but it can also be difficult to separate them without getting a fingernail into the mix. A small cavity or "lip" along the edge would have solved this.

The tablet itself is one of the thinnest 10-inchers on the market, measuring a thin 0.31 inch and weighing 1.4 pounds. The coverboard is 0.2 inch thick and weighs 0.6 pound.

6.3

Archos Gen10 101 XS

Score Breakdown

Design 5Features 7Performance 7