Acer Liquid Z3

“If your budget is limited to £100 for a new smartphone, you can do much worse than the Acer Liquid Z3. You can certainly do better too, though, and we suggest you do, unless you have very specific needs that is. The Z3’s screen is unforgivable, the low resolution nature of the 3.5-inch panel instantly pitches the phone into the realms of irritating, and puts it behind some of the competition. On top of this, a poor 3-megapixel camera does little to inspire. Dual-SIM capabilities and a Quick Mode feature that make the Z3 a perfect fit for senior or first-time smartphone owners is the handset’s saving grace. The wallet-friendly price tag and easily customisable security options will appease to parents but few others.”

“It may feel like we're repeating ourselves, but we made every effort to look at the Acer Liquid Z3 in perspective. The $130 odd price tag has definitely had a profound effect on how we look at the Z3, and we were definitely left impressed with the build quality of the device. Overall performance and battery life are great for its class, though these have largely come at the price of a quality display – a big minus for the Z3, even at that price.”

“With its outdated technical specs, it's no surprise that the Acer Liquid Z3 performs poorly in benchmarks. Then again, the whole point of this phone is its affordable price. Basically, for £80 you get a dual-SIM phone that does e-mail, photos, videos and web browsing. Just not amazingly well. But that's all some people are looking for.”