Acer announced that it's bringing two new Android smartphones to the U.S. market: the Liquid Jade Z and the Liquid Z410, both with dual-SIM and LTE capabilities as well as affordable pricing.
The Liquid Jade Z comes with a Mediatek MT6732, which includes a 64-bit 1.5 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and a Mali-T760MP2 GPU. It also features a 5" HD IPS display with "Zero Air Gap" technology, which is designed to reduce glare from the sun. The display is also protected by Gorilla Glass 3, which seems to have become almost ubiquitous in mid-range devices these days.
The smartphone also brings an option between 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage, and 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, just like the new Moto G 2015. The storage can be expanded with up to 32 GB via a microSD card.
The device comes with a voice-activated 13MP camera that has a fast f1.8 lens that excels in low-light conditions. The camera also includes a "Bright Magic" feature, which integrates multiple shots into the same picture for improved quality. In the front, it has a 5MP camera with an f2.2 aperture and also includes Bright Magic Selfie and Surround Light features.
The Liquid Jade Z has support for high-quality 192 KHz/24-bit audio as well, and it brings an HD speaker with DTS sound. It doesn't come with 802.1ac Wi-Fi (only 802.11b/g/n), but it has LTE and dual-SIM support, as well a 2,300 mAh battery -- which isn't that large for such a device, but it's also not a bad match for the more efficient Cortex-A53 CPUs.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Acer Liquid Jade Z |
|---|---|
| SoC | Mediatek MT6732 |
| Screen | 5 inch IPS |
| Resolution | 1280 x 720 |
| RAM | 1/2 GB |
| Storage | 8/16 GB |
| microSD support | Yes (up to 32 GB) |
| Camera | 13MP |
| Front-camera | 5MP |
| LTE support | Yes |
| Dual-SIM | Yes |
| Battery | 2,300 mAh |
| Dimensions | 143.5 x 69.8 x 8 mm |
| OS | Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) |
The Liquid Z410 is a lower-end device, featuring a quad-core 1.3 GHz Mediatek MT6732M SoC, a 4.5" IPS screen with an 854x480 resolution, a 5MP camera on the back and a 2MP camera on the front. It also comes with an option between 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage, or 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. The Liquid Z410 also supports microSD cards, dual-SIM and LTE, just like the Liquid Jade Z.
Both devices come with an almost two-year-old version of Android (4.4.4 KitKat), which may not be to the liking of many Android users who are aware of what they are buying. Other customers may just want a phone that works and likely won't be bothered by it.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Acer Liquid Z410 |
|---|---|
| SoC | Mediatek MT6732M |
| Screen | 4.5 inch IPS |
| Resolution | 854 x 480 |
| RAM | 1/2 GB |
| Storage | 8/16 GB |
| microSD support | Yes (up to 32 GB) |
| Camera | 5MP |
| Front-camera | 2MP |
| LTE support | Yes |
| Dual-SIM | Yes |
| Battery | 2,000 mAh |
| Dimensions | 136 x 66.7 x 9.9 mm |
| OS | Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) |
The Liquid Jade Z will be available in the charcoal gray color with a price tag of $229 for the 1 GB RAM/8 GB storage option, and $249 for the 2 GB RAM/16 GB storage one. The Liquid Z410 will be available in dark brown, also in the two configurations of 1 GB RAM/8 GB storage for $129 and 2 GB RAM/16 GB storage for $149. In both cases, the version with more RAM and storage seems like an easy choice, as they're only $20 more.
The Liquid Jade Z is already available at retailers in the U.S., while the Liquid Z410 will be available in September.
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