One to watch in 2013: Archos 9.7 Titanium HD

Nick Thawley (Update 13 June 2013)

Archos 9.7 Titanium HD [Update- From June 2013, a confusingly similar product -the Titanium 97b - has become available from Currys / Dixons. The two are very similar, with the b apparently having a smaller rear camera.]

Without doubt one of the most exciting prospects that us tablet types have to look forward to in the coming months is the Archos 9.7 Titanium HD.

The Titanium HD is nearly half the price of its competitors. However, you won't be finding it over on our budget tablets page. Why? Because the specs are just too good.

Coming pre-installed with Android JellyBean 4.1 and with a stunning 2048x1536 resolution display that equals that of the latest 4th generation iPad, the Titanium HD is rubbing shoulders with the big-boys over at our new High-resolution tablet comparison chart. Not only does it match its rivals with a 5MP rear camera, it also packs a very respectable 2MP into the front, ensuring your friends and family will be able to see your hard-earned tan in perfect clarity as you video call them from the south of France next summer.

The negatives are not fatal, but potentially inconvenient. With only an 8GB model available, the Titanium HD initially seems to be at a disadvantage to its rivals if you like loading up your devies with movies and music. However, you are able to add up to 64GB to the storage with a microSD card, and with these only adding around £40 to your purchase, it's not a major financial stretch. One of the only other noticable absences is the lack of a HDMI port, so you won't be able to quickly transport what you're doing to your TV or monitor.

However, other than this the specs are certainly impressive for the price. It's safe to say that the 9.7 Titanium HD is certainly redefining how much tablet you can get for under £200 these days, and we predict it'll cause quite a stir when it hits the (mostly online) shelves later this year.

To see how it compares specs-wise to the other high-resolution tablets, head over to our high-resolution comparison chart.