Acer expands Liquid portfolio in Malaysia with X1, Jade and Z500

Acer Liquid X1

Acer Liquid X1

Acer Malaysia has rolled out three new devices in its Liquid smartphone family — the Liquid X1 phablet, super slim Liquid Jade and affordable Liquid Z500. The Acer Liquid X1 and Liquid Jade received reviews when they were introduced at Computex 2014 Taiwan early this year.

Acer Liquid X1: Power flagship phablet on a budget

The Acer Liquid X1 is powered by a 1.7Ghz octa-core MediaTek processor, offering outstanding performance and battery life. The 5.7-inch HD IPS display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and features Zero Air Gap technology, encased in a pleasing borderless edge-to-edge design.

The phablet measures just 8.5mm thick and weighs in at 160g.

2GB RAM ensures speedy, responsive performance and multitasking and 16GB of storage providing sufficient space for apps, photos and videos. Storage is expandable up to a maximum of 32GB, via microSD).

The Liquid X1 is equipped with Wi-Fi and 4G LTE (supporting up to 150Mbps download speeds). It is a single-SIM device.

A touted feature is the 13MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture and ultra-fast 0.3 second autofocus. The front is a 2MP wide-angle, important for those super sharp selfie moments.

With the X1, Acer introduces a new instant way to launch apps or features. Called AcerRAPID, a physical button is integrated on the rear. This instant key can be set to answer calls, launch your favourite apps, take a selfie or launch the camera.

AcerFLOAT, Acer’s answer to Multi Window on Samsung’s TouchWIZ, brings multitasking to the Liquid experience. There is a total of nine float apps that can be accessed by long-pressing the “Recent Key”: Dialer, Buttons, Text, Stopwatch, Browswe, Camera, Maps, Notes, Calculator.

Other notable Acer software enhancements include Acer SnapNote that’s a handy note-taking app that allows you to export presentations to PDF, JPG or PPT formats.

Additionally, Acer LiveScreen allows you to share pictures and scribbles seamlessly to other LiveScreen devices. This feature works via Wi-Fi or 3G.

A potentially big feature is Acer Extend, a feature that allows your smartphone screen to be extended to your PC or notebook. It connects your devices and allows for easy syncing, copy and pasting and sharing via drag-on-drop.

The Liquid X1 runs Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

Acer Liquid Jade

Acer Liquid Jade

The Acer Liquid Jade is Acer’s answer to the Samsung GALAXY Alpha and alike in the world of smartphones. The ultra-slim smartphone comes with a curved glass screen, ergonomic design and zero-frame bezel.

Its beauty didn’t go unnoticed as it picked up a Good Design Award in Japan last month.

Weighing a scant 110g, it measures just 7.5mm thick.

The 5-inch HD IPS display is fitted with Gorilla Glass 3, enhanced by Acer’s Zero Air Gap technology.

The Liquid Jade sports a similar camera to the X1 – 13MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture lens and 0.3 second super fast focus.

The slim device is powered by a 1.3Ghz quad-core MediaTek processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD).

It’s a 3G, single-SIM device packed with a 2100mAh battery.

Acer Liquid Z500

The Acer Liquid Z500 is a dual-SIM 3G smartphone sporting a 5-inch HD IPS display. First introduced at IFA 2014 in Berlin, the Liquid Z500 also packs powerful HD front speakers complemented by DTS Studio Sound.

The 8MP rear camera with f/2.0 lens should deliver some good photos even in low light conditions.

In the memory department, the Liquid Z500 gets 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, expandable to 32GB via microSD.

Battery life looks to be above average with the built-in 2000mAh battery.

Pricing and availability

The Acer Liquid X1, Liquid Jade and Liquid Z500 are priced at RM999, RM799 and RM499 respectively. Available at major Authorised Acer Resellers nationwide.

Visit www.acer.com.my for more info and specifications.

Vernon
Vernon is the founder and chief editor of Vernonchan.com. A graphic designer by profession, he has a deep love for technology, cars, gadgets, food, and travel. He tweets too much and is also known as a caffeine bacterium ("life's too short for bad coffee"). Bleeds Blue (go Chelsea FC!) and considers BMW, Porsche, Alfa Romeo cars to have in the garage--hallmarks of a true petrolhead.