Although Acer has still not yet released the final details around its high-end Windows 10 for phones handset, the Liquid Jade Primo, another data point has emerged regarding Continuum support for the phone. SlimPort, from Analogix Semiconductor, will enable Continuum support via USB Type-C on the Liquid Jade Primo’s Display Dock.
We’ve received slightly uneven details about the Display Dock. After a quasi-announcement that the Liquid Jade Primo would ship with multiple peripherals, Acer later walked that back, and it seemed that the phone might ship with none. Then at CES, we saw a prototype of the Display Dock that will come with the phone, and an Analogix rep confirmed that the final version offers the same ports. (It also appears that the device will share the same “Display Dock” name as Microsoft's version.)
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Acer Liquid Jade Primo Display Dock | Microsoft Display Dock | HP Desk Dock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone Connection | USB-C (Charging, data, DisplayPort) | USB-C (Charging, data, DisplayPort) | USB-C |
| Video | HDMI only | HDMI and DisplayPort | DisplayPort |
| Data | 3x USB (Type A) | 3x USB (Type A) | 2x USB (Type A) |
| Misc. | -- | -- | Ethernet jack |
| Power | AC adapter | USB-C charging port | AC adapter |
The Liquid Jade Primo smartphone itself will be equipped with the SlimPort ANX7816 and ANX7418 transmitter and controllers, and the Dock will have ANX7402 controllers and ANX7737 converters. These enable, among other features, DisplayPort out via an Alt Mode and Power Delivery, so that the smartphone can be charged while it’s connected to an external display (whether it’s connected to the Display Dock or directly to a USB Type-C-equipped monitor.)
The Acer gear joins the Microsoft Lumia 950 and its Display Dock, as well as HP’s Elite X3 smartphone and HP Desk Dock, as adopters of the smartphone-as-PC (enabled by Continuum) paradigm. Canonical has its own Ubuntu Core-powered version of the concept, which impressed us at Mobile World Congress.
Seth Colaner is the News Director for Tom's Hardware. Follow him on Twitter @SethColaner. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
