Acer Liquid Jade Primo Dock, Quick Look

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We got a quick look at the Acer Liquid Jade Primo and its still-in-development dock at CES.

The dock is coming, although apparently Acer is still adding the final touches. Most notably, it uses an HDMI port to connect with the monitor, which seems an odd choice, and indeed an Acer rep said that the final version will probably have a USB Type-C connector instead.

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As you can see, the dock has three USB ports (one USB 3.0 on one side, two USB 2.0 on the other), as well as a power port and the aforementioned HDMI port.

Although Acer has backed off on its intentions to release the Liquid Jade Primo with a spate of peripherals, a rep told us that it’s still possible that the phone may yet ship with an optional monitor bundle.

That’s not a terrible strategy. The monitor the team had on display with the Primo is the H277HU, Acer’s first USB Type-C monitor (which looks lovely in person, with a silver chassis, thin black bezel, and an attractive circular silver stand.) A monitor, dock and smartphone bundle is probably sufficient, as both home and business users likely already have preferred mice and keyboards, and cramming five items into one package may be overkill. Further, Acer doesn’t really have a nice desktop keyboard/mouse combo, so it would either have to build a set or partner with another company on a peripherals bundle.

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As for the phone itself, I was surprised at how easy it was to use. Despite the large size (5.5 inches), I found that could reach all the parts of the screen with my thumb easily. Typically, I struggle to thumb-navigate any smartphone over about 4.7 inches one-handed, but Acer balanced the thinness and weight balance of the Liquid Jade Primo, and it worked well for me.

To pair the phone with the monitor, there’s a tap-to-connect option that pops up when you dock it.

Acer did not reveal when the dock would be shipping, nor what price it might command.

Seth Colaner is the News Director for Tom's Hardware. Follow him on Twitter @SethColaner. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

Seth Colaner
6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • CaedenV
    This looks awesome! First gen of continuum enabled phones will likely not do much for Windows Phone sales... but in 2-3 generations when phone hardware rivels that of a business PC? So many companies now buy work phones for their employees. Having a single managed device to hand out to employees that can work as phone, desktop, and portable compute solution could be a big game changer. If they added a 2nd SIM slot so employees could add their personal lines to the device then it would be even better.

    Also, this dock solution looks WAY better than Microsoft's dongle/dock thing. I like the idea of having something that my phone 'docks' onto securely, rather than a mess of cables on the desk.
    Reply
  • ATL_Tech_Guy
    Uhh... we want BOTH HDMI 2.0 + USB Type C for video on the dock. Why is that problem ?
    Reply
  • floppyedonkey
    17315826 said:
    This looks awesome! First gen of continuum enabled phones will likely not do much for Windows Phone sales... but in 2-3 generations when phone hardware rivels that of a business PC? So many companies now buy work phones for their employees. Having a single managed device to hand out to employees that can work as phone, desktop, and portable compute solution could be a big game changer. If they added a 2nd SIM slot so employees could add their personal lines to the device then it would be even better.

    Also, this dock solution looks WAY better than Microsoft's dongle/dock thing. I like the idea of having something that my phone 'docks' onto securely, rather than a mess of cables on the desk.

    You have a point about the generations and hardware potential for the future. Although I think you are missing the larger picture with a "secure" dock, you can't hold the phone to your head to take a call if its in the Acer style dock. Major disadvantage, which Microsoft's dock solves.
    Reply
  • RedJaron
    17316226 said:
    Although I think you are missing the larger picture with a "secure" dock, you can't hold the phone to your head to take a call if its in the Acer style dock. Major disadvantage, which Microsoft's dock solves.
    Not a huge problem. Many users likely have BT or wired headsets to use. Acer could even throw a wired set in with the phone itself.

    Seth, I'm not sure what you mean about an HDMI video port being an odd choice. Even MS's dock has an HDMI port since that's one of the most common AV jacks being used right now. Replacing the HDMI means you could only connect a display over USB, WiDi, or Miracast instead of the millions of HDMI displays already out there.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    Seth, does it have a dedicated shutter button anywhere? It doesn't look like it but I haven't looked at any really good shots of it from all angles. I've gotten used to having one on my Lumia, you can unlock the phone and snap shots almost instantly with the shutter button.

    Although I think you are missing the larger picture with a "secure" dock, you can't hold the phone to your head to take a call if its in the Acer style dock. Major disadvantage, which Microsoft's dock solves.

    Can you use the MS dock with the Acer Jade Primo?
    Reply
  • Just A Guy Named Joe
    I seriously want this phone. Currently using a Lumia 1020 and am a true believer in the WP platform. I want this Acer so much more than the 950, though. When is it hitting the states? My contract is up in March and I'd love to purchase this phone with the dock.
    Reply