Acer on Friday announced its latest 5-inch budget Android smartphone offering, named the
Acer Liquid Z5. The Acer Liquid Z5 is priced at priced at €169 (roughly $230 or Rs. 14,300) and will be available in France, Benelux, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine and the UK from mid-January.
The announcement has come at a time when
CES 2014 is around the corner. Acer hasn't revealed the complete specifications for the Acer Liquid Z5, and is expected to do so at the event.
The Acer Liquid Z5 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and features a 5-inch display, whose resolution is yet to be revealed by the company. The Liquid Z5 packs a dual-core 1.3GHz processor with only 4GB of inbuilt storage. No memory details have been provided.
Acer is also touting the Liquid Z5's Float UI, which allows additional app windows to be overlaid, for better multitasking. It appears as translucent screen that floats over the function being used, with easy access to eight Float Apps, including caller, camera, maps, calculator and notes.
Acer has spent some time detailing the phablet's camera. The Liquid Z5 packs a 5-megapixel BSI camera on the rear, which according to the company features five lens elements and a f/2.4 aperture designed to let in more light for less noisy low-light images. An IR filter and HDR option is also part of the feature-set.
Although there is no information on the front camera on the Acer Liquid Z5, it doesn't seem to have one, seeing the product render.
The Acer Liquid Z5 measures 145.5 x 73.5 x 8.8mm and weighs in at 147 grams. The budget smartphone will be available in White or Grey. Other features mentioned by the company include Wi-Fi, GPS and DTS Sound technology for the front speaker.
Notably, Acer has also included Quick Mode profiles for different user and age groupsm namely Basic Mode (for youngsters with fixed call and text functions), Classic Mode (all main functions in a simple and organized layout for first time smartphone users), Keypad Mode (for people who primarily use voice and need their keypad right away), and Easy Senior Mode (messages, radio, weather, magnifier, clock, quick call contacts for the convenience of elderly users).
Acer also announced two new tablets ahead of CES 2014, the 7.9-inch Iconia A1-830, and the 7-inch Iconia B1-720.
The Acer Iconia A1-830 is priced at $179.99 (roughly Rs. 11,200), with availability in early 2014. Running on Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, the Iconia A1-830 is the more premium of the two tablets, with a 7.9-inch IPS display (768x1024 pixel), and an aluminium back on offer.
The Iconia A1-830 (pictured above) runs on a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom Clover Trail+ Z2560 processor, with 1GB of RAM under the hood. There is 16GB of inbuilt storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB via micro-SD card.
Acer has put a 5-megapixel rear camera on the Iconia A1-830, capable of recording 1080p HD videos, and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, capable of recording 720p video. The Iconia A1-830's battery according to Acer will last up to seven hours.
The Iconia B1-720 (pictured below) costs $129.99 (roughly Rs. 8,000) and will hit North America later in January 2014, alongside an optional protective case. The tablet will run Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean out-of the-box. It features a 7-inch OGS (One Glass Solution) with no details on resolution. It packs a 1.3GHz dual-core MediaTek MT8111 processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM.
The inbuilt storage on the tablet is 16GB with an option for microSD expansion for up to additional 32GB. There is only a front facing camera on Iconia B1-720, with an unknown resolution.