Archos has today unveiled a trio of new ‘Platinum’ tablets, with displays ranging in size from 8 inches to 11.6 inches. These are the most advanced tablets the French company has released to date, and it has clearly taken a leaf out of Apple’s book when it comes to design. Not only do they look a lot like the iPad from the front, they also have similar displays.

The 8-inch model offers a 1024×768 resolution, just like the iPad mini; while the 9.7-inch model has a very impressive 2048×1536 resolution, just like the third- and fourth-generation iPads with Retina display.

The Archos Platinum lineup follows the Titanium family of tablets that was announced last month. This one only includes three devices — as opposed to the Titanium’s four — but they are more impressive, taking aim at a higher end of the market.

Aside from their display sizes and resolutions, all three devices have similar specifications, including 1.2GHz quad-core processors, 8-core GPUs, 2GB of RAM, and front- and rear-facing cameras. They also offer an HDMI port and a microSD card slot, and come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean pre-installed.

The smallest model, the Archos 80 Platinum, has an 8-inch display with a 1024×768 resolution. As I noted above, that’s the same resolution offered by the iPad mini, but it’s a slightly larger display. The device is expected to be available sometime this month, and it’ll be priced at $199 in the U.S., £179 in the U.K., and €199 in Europe.

The Archos 97 Platinum has a 9.7-inch display with a 2048×1536 resolution. Again, that’s the same size and resolution of the iPad’s Retina display, which is one of the most impressive tablet displays available. Also available in February, the Archos 97 will cost $299 in the U.S., £249 in the U.K., and €269 in Europe.

Finally, we come to the Archos 116 Platinum, the largest of the three devices. It has an 11.6-inch display with a full HD 1920×1080 resolution, and it’ll be available in April. It’ll be priced at $349 in the U.S., £299 in the U.K., and €349 in Europe.

The Platinum family looks like a very nice lineup of tablets, with impressive specifications and some very attractive price tags. The smallest model will surely compete with devices like the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire, while the Archos 97 could give the full-size iPad a run for its money.

• SourceArchos