Acer Liquid Z2 hands-on
Penny pinchers, here's a smartphone you might be interested in. Introducing the Acer Liquid Z2 – an entry-level Android handset that stands out with being dirt-cheap and... nothing much more. Still, it has the potential to be a decent daily driver for users on a budget.
As far as design goes, the Acer Liquid Z2 is a petite handset that would fit perfectly in a teen's hand, which seems to be the main target market. Its plastic body screams “low-end” at whoever is holding it, but that's expected considering the smartphone's class.
The 3.5-inch touchscreen on the Acer Liquid Z2 is barely passable. Sure, it works, but the panel has a resolution of only 320 by 480 pixels, which explains why graphics on it look pixelated and small text is hard to read. Viewing angles are not that great either and colors wash out with the slightest tilt.
Flip the smartphone around and you'll see its main camera of 3 or 5 megapixels camera, depending whether it's the dual or single SIM version. It lacks flash, so we aren't expecting much out of it. Interestingly, it is supposed to be capable of shooting 99 consecutive photos with some sort of a burst shot mode.
As far as design goes, the Acer Liquid Z2 is a petite handset that would fit perfectly in a teen's hand, which seems to be the main target market. Its plastic body screams “low-end” at whoever is holding it, but that's expected considering the smartphone's class.
Flip the smartphone around and you'll see its main camera of 3 or 5 megapixels camera, depending whether it's the dual or single SIM version. It lacks flash, so we aren't expecting much out of it. Interestingly, it is supposed to be capable of shooting 99 consecutive photos with some sort of a burst shot mode.
The 1GHz processor tucked inside the Acer Liquid Z2 with 512 MB of RAM get the job done, as long as you don't force it too much, and we encountered a few stutters in our hands-on below, hopefully due to the non-final nature of the display unit. Thankfully, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is present, and there is a microSD card slot for expansion.
The best part about the Acer Liquid Z2 is that it should cost as little as 99 to 129 euro, which is great news for budget-conscious consumers. Further saving them some money will be the option to have the smartphone in a dual-SIM variant. Expect seeing it on shelves across Europe soon.
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