Archos Launches 40 Cesium Smartphone Running Windows Phone 8.1 in Europe at €89, Device to Hit UK Soon Costing £70

France-based consumer electronics manufacturer Archos, known for its budget technology offerings, has now made official a new Windows Phone smartphone that costs just €90 Euros (£71, $114). The device is already up for sale in Germany, and is slated to hit the United Kingdom shortly.

For those of you living in Germany, the Archos 40 Cesium is available online via MediaMarkt. Being an ultra low-cost device, the Cesium 40 incorporates low-end hardware aspects that first time smartphone buyers should find attractive.

The USP of the Archos 40 Cesium, apart from its ultra budget price-tag, is the fact that the device runs Windows Phone 8.1 straight out of the box, and offers users the dual SIM-card functionality.

Key technical specifications of Archos 40 Cesium:

• 4in LCD touchscreen
• Windows Phone 8.1 operating system; straight out of the box
• 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• Dual SIM-card support
• 5MP rear camera
• 2MP front camera
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage
• MicroSD card slot for expansion of internal storage up to 128GB
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and microUSB connectivity
• 1,700mAh Lithium-Polymer battery

The above key tech-specs seem unimpressive on paper. Besides, buyers of the Archos 40 Cesium should keep in mind the performance of the Windows Phone 8.1 platform which is coupled with a 512 MB RAM.

However, the Archos 40 Cesium is a potential value-for-money device for those looking at buying Windows phones, on a shoestring budget.

A couple of months ago, IBTimes UK had reported about an ultra-affordable smartphone called Karbonn A50S that was launched in India (and can be ordered from UK), costing £26. Now with Archos having announced the 40 Cesium, the latter will in all probability compete with the Karbonn A50S.

Other predominant recent budget smartphone launches in the UK include the Asus Zenfones, the Kogan Agora 4G enabled smartphones, the EE Kestrel, Vodafone's affordable Smart 4 Power, Smart 4 Turbo and the Moto G.