Acer beTouch E101 Specs Prices Pros & Cons Unveiled

Overview of Acer beTouch E101

The Acer beTouch E101 is a smartphone that was introduced to the market in October 2009. Despite being discontinued now, it left an impression during its time, particularly in the affordable smartphone segment. Powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional OS, it was a part of the beTouch series, aimed at providing smartphone capabilities at a budget-friendly price.

Design and Build

The Acer beTouch E101 features a compact and straightforward design with dimensions of 113 x 56 x 12.8 mm (4.45 x 2.20 x 0.50 in) and a weight of 118 g (4.16 oz). It accommodates a Mini-SIM and the build quality, although not premium, is durable enough for everyday use. The phone is predominantly available in a black color variant, augmenting its sleek and minimalist aesthetic.

Display

This device comes with a 3.2-inch TFT resistive touchscreen display, capable of displaying 65K colors. The screen-to-body ratio stands at roughly 46.1%, with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels, which translates to a pixel density of around 146 ppi. Although not groundbreaking, this display was fairly standard for budget smartphones released during that period.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the beTouch E101 is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7225 Snapdragon S1 chipset, coupled with a 528 MHz ARM 11 CPU. While it lacks a GPU, this setup was adequate for the operating system and applications available at the time. The device includes 256MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM. Additionally, it features a microSD slot, allowing users to expand storage capacity to meet their needs.

Camera

The main camera on this device is a single 2 MP shooter, which also supports video recording. As there is no front-facing camera, selfie enthusiasts might find this a limitation. Despite the basic camera setup, the Acer beTouch E101 caters to casual photography needs.

Battery Life

Equipped with a removable Li-Ion 1140 mAh battery, the beTouch E101 offers robust battery performance for its size. It boasts standby times of up to 400 hours and talk time of up to 5 hours, making it a reliable device for users who require long-lasting battery durations without frequent recharges.

Connectivity

Connectivity options on the Acer beTouch E101 include Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and GPS with A-GPS support. It uses a miniUSB port for charging and data transfer. Notably, the phone lacks Wi-Fi capabilities and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which might limit connectivity and multimedia options. The device also doesn't support FM radio functions.

Network and Communication

The Acer beTouch E101 supports GSM technology across four bands: GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900. Additionally, it supports class 10 GPRS and EDGE, providing basic mobile internet services suitable for email and light web browsing via the HTML browser embedded in the operating system.

User Interface and Experience

Running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, the user interface of the beTouch E101 is tailored for productivity tasks along with some personal management applications. The OS offers various windows-based utilities such as Office Mobile, which enables document processing on the go. While the resistive touch screen requires a firmer touch compared to modern capacitive screens, it was perfectly functional for text input and navigation using a stylus or fingertip.

Other Features

The phone includes a basic loudspeaker but no 3.5mm audio jack, which necessitates the use of Bluetooth or specific adapters for audio output. Without any additional sensors like an accelerometer or proximity sensor, the beTouch E101 keeps its functionality basic and straightforward, focusing on essential smartphone features.

Conclusion

Although the Acer beTouch E101 may not measure up to modern smartphones, during its time, it provided notable value with its combination of essential smartphone features and compact design. Its affordability and practical battery life made it suitable for users seeking a mobile device for basic communication and productivity functionalities. Despite its discontinuation, it remains a testament to the evolution of smartphone technology, marking a transition from feature phones to more advanced, user-focused mobile devices in the smartphone era.