Comprehensive Review Acer Liquid Jade S Specs Prices Pros & Cons

Overview

The Acer Liquid Jade S is a smartphone that was introduced to the market in December 2014. This device quickly gained popularity due to its combination of sleek design and competitive technical specifications. Although the phone has since been discontinued, it remains a topic of interest due to its unique combination of features and performance during its active sales period.

Design and Build

The Acer Liquid Jade S has a sleek and lightweight design, weighing only 116 grams. Its dimensions are 143 x 69 x 7.8 mm, making it comfortable to hold and use with one hand. The phone features a delicate curve on the back for improved ergonomics. It uses a hybrid dual SIM slot, compatible with Nano-SIM cards, which offers flexibility for users who need to manage two numbers simultaneously.

Display

This model is equipped with a 5.0-inch IPS LCD screen that offers vivid colors and wide viewing angles. The screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels results in a respectable pixel density of about 294 ppi. This ensures a sharp and clear display, whether you're reading text, viewing images, or watching videos. Furthermore, the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which helps prevent scratches and minor drops from damaging the display.

Performance

Powering the Acer Liquid Jade S is the Mediatek MT6752M chipset, featuring an octa-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 processor. This configuration ensures smooth multitasking and the ability to handle everyday applications effectively. The Mali-T760MP2 GPU complements the CPU and allows for decent gaming performance, handling most mobile games of its time with ease.

Memory and Storage

The phone comes with 2GB of RAM, which was considered sufficient for most tasks during its release period. It offers 16GB of internal storage, providing space for apps, pictures, and videos. For users needing additional storage, it supports microSDHC cards, though it uses the shared SIM slot, meaning a user would have to choose between additional SIM functionality and extra storage capacity.

Camera

The camera setup on the Acer Liquid Jade S is quite robust for its class. The main camera is a 13 MP shooter with an aperture of f/1.8, which allows for good low-light performance. It features autofocus, LED flash, HDR, and panorama modes, and it can record video in 1080p at 30fps. On the front, there is a 5 MP selfie camera with an aperture of f/2.2, which ensures good quality selfies and video calls.

Sound and Communication

The device includes a loudspeaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack, catering to users who prefer wired headphones. For wireless communication, it supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n standards and Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and EDR support. GPS capabilities are present for navigation, however, NFC is not supported. The device also features FM Radio, a once-popular feature that provided entertainment without requiring internet data usage. Connectivity for charging and data transfer is managed via a microUSB 2.0 port.

Battery and Power

The Acer Liquid Jade S is powered by a non-removable Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery. While the capacity might seem modest by today's standards, it was typical for the era. The battery offers an endurance rating of up to 43 hours and can provide up to 6 hours of talk time over 3G networks. Its standby time is estimated to be up to 250 hours on a 3G connection.

Software

Upon release, the phone ran on Android 4.4.4 KitKat and was later upgradable to Android 5.1 Lollipop. These versions of Android provided a solid foundation for running apps and games, and the upgradeability ensured users could take advantage of improvements and new features in the Android ecosystem.

Sensors and Additional Features

The phone is equipped with basic sensors such as an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and compass. These sensors enhance the user experience by enabling features like auto screen rotation and augmented reality applications.

Colors and Models

Acer offered the Liquid Jade S in several color options to cater to different aesthetic preferences, including Black, White, Red, and Pink. The model number designated for this phone was S56.

Pricing

At launch, the Acer Liquid Jade S was priced around 200 EUR, placing it in the mid-range market segment. Its price was considered competitive given the hardware specifications and feature set it provided.

Performance Tests

The performance of the Acer Liquid Jade S was tested using benchmarks such as Basemark OS II 2.0, where it scored 725, and Basemark X, with a score of 3934. These benchmarks provided a quantitative understanding of the phone's capabilities in performing everyday tasks and more demanding applications like gaming.

Conclusion

Overall, the Acer Liquid Jade S stands out as a well-rounded smartphone from its era, delivering a good balance of design, functionality, and performance. While it has since been discontinued, it remains a notable example of Acer's foray into the smartphone market, remembered for its user-friendly design and reliable features.