Acer Liquid Z5

“Do buyers of a 170 Euros (~$234) smartphone have to be frustration-resistant? Very likely, because Acer's Liquid Z5 comes with a few major points of criticism that should be considered before purchase. The performance is decent and quite suitable for routine use. However, it also occasionally causes waiting times when booting, and it stutters in the menu. We deducted 3% from the final score because apps recurrently crash. This might be eliminated with a software update though. Nevertheless, games like Iron Man 3, which is a rather speedy 3D game, run satisfactorily in the screen's resolution.As to the screen, the user will have to live with low brightness, distorted colors, and an intense bluish cast. In addition to that, there is the very imperfect picture quality of the camera, the inaccurate GPS, and the not very stable display.But there are certainly things about the Z5 that have been adroitly solved, and which might support a purchase. The two differently sized SIM slots make the smartphone flexible, the Rapid button is a good supplement to the operating concept, and the front-facing stereo speakers are mainly only found in high-end devices.Users can give Acer's Liquid Z5 a chance if they do not often use the smartphone's camera, they can ignore the screen's bluish cast and if the phone is not to be used for navigating. Other users will want to cast their eyes on Motorola's Moto G, which offers more power and a better build for the same price. Its camera and GPS are also superior, so it could cut deeply into the Acer Liquid Z5's target market.”

“The Acer Liquid Z5 is great value for money, offering a plenty of tech alongside a big display for under £100. It brings some brilliant features with it too, including decent battery life, a great Float interface for multi-tasking, as well as the Quick Mode profiles which make it a fantastic device for those unfamiliar with the full complexities of the Android operating system.But it simultaneously fails to stand out among a strong crowd. There's no 4G connectivity, the 5-inch screen might sound great but sacrifices resolution and viewing angles for the sake of size and some of the design details don't make the grade. We weren't blown away by the camera or the sound output either.It's not a small device so if you are looking for something pocketable with many of the features that come with the flagship devices then the Motorola Moto G is still king in this area of the market. That's the Liquid Z5's biggest problem really: the strength of the competition.”

“The chassis design certainly looks as though some thought has been put into it. It isn’t great that you can very clearly see the join between back and front of the handset, and on my review sample the flap protecting the microSD card slot on the left edge of the phone was not a particularly good fit. This just goes to show that design is one thing, manufacturing another. On the software front Acer has implemented something it calls Quick Mode. This is a bit like the Simple mode in the Huawei Ascend Y530, but way more complex. Quick Mode is actually several modes -- basic mode, senior mode, keypad mode, classic mode and default mode. Acer has come up with a fairly neat design for the Liquid Z5, and one which looks good on a budget handset like this -- but there is not much else to say that is positive. The processor is slow, the screen disappointing, and the battery life a real let down.”

“Acer may not have revolutionised smartphone design with the Liquid Z5, but was able to give it a stylish, unique body that's well manufactured. The two ostensible speakers—as we'll see further down, it's actually just one speaker—are an original visual touch. Acer gave the phone an LED for notifications (battery, incoming texts, etc.), always a welcome addition. We like the way the phone feels in the hand, thanks in large part to the quality plastic used on the frame. It weighs 150 grams, but doesn't feel abnormally heavy, as the weight is well distributed. The physical buttons (volume, lock/unlock and, especially the Acer Rapid button) are located right where your fingers naturally fall. Located below the rear camera lens, Acer Rapid is a shortcut button for user-defined functions like the calendar or e-mails. The sound is perfectly satisfactory for calls or listening through cheap earphones, but don't expect to get any audiophilic pleasure out of a pair of quality headphones plugged into the Liquid Z5. The speaker sounds stifled and lacking power. However, it's when using the built-in speaker that the DTS equalisers make a difference, improving the overall sound. We like the design and stylish body, and the fact it has a large screen, but everything else was a bit of a disappointment, starting with the phones (limited) performance. On the plus side, it has good battery life.”