alaTest Sites
About alaTest
Connect with alaTest
alaTest, Product Reviews & Tests © 2005-2025 ICSS AB. All rights reserved. Privacy
331 reviews
Apr, 2025
alaTest has collected and analyzed 331 reviews of Archos 404. The average rating for this product is 3.8/5, compared to an average rating of 3.9/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. People really like the design and sound. The performance and price are also appreciated, whereas some have doubts about the connectivity and reliability. Comments are divided on the battery.
usability, price, performance, sound, design
portability, reliability, connectivity
We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Archos 404 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 90/100 = Excellent quality.
Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)
alaTest has collected and analyzed 62 user reviews of Archos 404 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 3.7/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. Comments about the sound and battery are generally positive. The price and durability also get good feedback. Views are divided on the performance. There are some negative comments about the headphones and reliability.
usability, durability, price, battery, sound
portability, reliability, headphones
77% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.
Consumer review (amazon.com)
alaTest has collected and analyzed 138 user reviews of Archos 404 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.8/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.8/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. Reviewers are impressed by the design and sound. The performance and price also get good feedback, whereas many are critical about the durability and reliability.
usability, price, performance, sound, design
portability, reliability, durability
75% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.
Expert review by (engadget.com)
After putting the Archos 604 through its paces, the folks at CNET have now thankfully seen fit to give the PMP's smaller, squarer sibling, the 404, a once-over...
Expert review by : Jasmine Mikhail France (cnet.com)
Archos 404 camcorder (30GB)
The sleek and compact Archos 404 camcorder's wonderful design is complemented by a plethora of features, including its built-in digital camera and camcorder, as well as support for subscription music (PlaysForSure). It has top-notch photo, video, and...
The Archos 404 camcorder doesn't have an FM radio, the utilitarian interface can be confusing at times, and you'll need to pay extra for an accessory that activates the player's recording capabilities.
The uberversatile Archos 404 camcorder is a good option for anyone looking to buy a compact portable video player with a nice screen. It's an OK convergence device, but it makes a far better video player than camcorder.
Expert review by : Eliot Van Buskirk (wired.com)
Like a digital Swiss army knife, this all-in-one gadget was designed for the videoblogger, audio/video downloader, podcast producer, and MP3 connoisseur in all of us....
Promotes media production and consumption. Clean, loud sound. Decent video playback over TV or LCD. 3.5-inch screen dwarfs video iPod’s. Can connect to any Linux, Mac, or Windows computer as a hard drive, or be configured as a Windows MTP device. Reads...
Slightly clunky menus. Requires bright light for clear video. No flash, optical zoom, or wireless connectivity. Needs 0 worth of accessories extras right out of the box
Expert review by : Mike Kobrin (pcmag.com)
The Archos 404 is the baby of Archos's new Generation 4 line of players; it has similar features to the Archos 604, but in a smaller package. Based around a 30GB hard drive, the 404's bright 3.5-inch LCD, smooth video playback, and broad video...
Screen looks very bright and clear. Good video format support. Video playback is smooth. Video recording quality (with optional dock) is excellent. Can load content via drag-and-drop or WMP.
Battery is not removable. Battery life is shorter than expected. Hold button doesn't lock the volume buttons. Video recording requires optional dock.
The Archos 404 is a very good pocket-size media player, and it can record video via the optional docking station, but I wish the battery were removable.
Expert review by : Mike Kobrin (pcmag.com)
Start saving your pennies: This portable media player/recorder is worth its high price.
A/V recording and playback quality is excellent. Compact and lightweight. LCD is bright and sharp. Easy to use. Provides plenty of control. Removable battery.
Video recording requires using the TV Docking Pod. No OGG or FLAC support. Can't watch slide shows with music playing.
PC (including Macs). We also had no trouble at all using the AV 500 with online subscription services like Napster. Loading photos was a little trickier: We had no trouble loading JPEGs in Windows Explorer and WMP, but we were unable to load BMP files...
Expert review by : Rick Broida (cnet.com)
Archos AV500 Mobile DVR
The Archos AV500 has a nice wide-screen LCD with great viewing angles yet is compact enough to fit in a pocket. It supports PlaysForSure audio and video and has superb audio quality, and with it, you can record audio and video from external sources,...
The Archos AV500 is one pricey beast, and the controls can take a little getting used to. We don't like the fact that you can't multitask and that it lacks a kickstand or carrying case. Although audio quality is top-notch, there is no equalizer, and...
The well-appointed Archos AV500 puts wide-screen video in your pocket, but we're still waiting for a point-and-click way to get video into the device.
Expert review by : Ilse Jurrien (photokina-show.com)
Archos, Inc., a global consumer electronics manufacturer and inventor of the portable video player, introduced today the latest in portable media players with the Archos 404 and 604 models. The new products are a part of the Generation 4 line of...
Expert review by : tech.co.uk staff (techradar.com)
Archos gives you multimedia on the move
Will play WMV and DivX video, as well as WAV and MP3 audio ; 3.5in. 320 x 240 LCD display capable of crisp colours ; Great-quality audio (if decent headphones used) ; MPEG-4 recording from external ; Very well built and low (just 190g) weight
H.264 and MPEG 1/2 video support require £13 'plug-ins' ; AV input/output cables are (expensive) options ; Screen ratio is 4:3, and not 16:9. ; Camcorder footage can be 'smeary' ; LCD viewing angle is somewhat narrow
An impressive PMP that's at its best when dealing with video
Expert review by : Frank Lewis (cnet.co.uk)
The Archos 704 Wi-Fi is the love child of a portable media player and a PDA. As you would expect, it can playback movies, pump out music and show digital snaps, but like a PDA it has a touchscreen, support for Wi-Fi and a built-in Web browser.
Large screen; smooth video playback; good recording quality; Web browser.
Web browser not compatible with all sites; recording dock costs extra; need to purchase plugs-in to play some common file types.
The 704 Wi-Fi impresses with its large and clear screen, smooth video playback and interesting Wi-Fi features. With a few software tweaks, this could be a truly great player – as it is, it's just a very good one
Expert review by : StuffTV (stuff.tv)
Archos has stretched the screen of its 604 Wi-Fi to a huge seven inches. But does bigger mean better?