Hasta La Gadget!

Whenever we review a budget smartphone, our job is to weigh the handset’s cost against its similarly priced rivals. You’d hope, for instance, that if you spent $500 on a device, you’d be getting your money’s worth no matter which manufacturer or ecosystem you chose. If it’s only $300, then you have to consider if the particular set of compromises made to reach this price point were the right ones. Acer’s Liquid E2 (V370), for instance, will retail SIM-free for around £180 ($276) and is likely to arrive on ThreeUK in the near future, presumably with a hefty discount. But even if it were offered for no up-front fee, would it be worth signing away the better part of two years to own one? Given that it’s in the same price range as the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and HTC Desire C, should you be picking this handset when it’s time to upgrade?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Acer

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We haven’t heard much from Acer on the smartphone front since it announced a pair of handsets at Mobile World Congress, but the company’s now back with another that it hopes will improve its standing in markets outside North America: the Liquid E2. Expectedly, this one is an update to the E1, and includes a bump up from a dual-core to a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, and the addition of an optional dual-SIM card slot (availability of it will depend on the particular market). Otherwise, you’ll get a 4.5-inch qHD IPS display, an 8 megapixel camera that promises “zero shutter delay,” the same dual-speakers ’round back found on the E1, and stock Jelly Bean for an OS. There’s no word yet of this one making its way over here, but you can look for it to hit the UK, France, Germany and a number of other countries in early-to-mid-May for €229, or just under $300.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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