Acer Liquid Jade S Smartphone Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Design4. Display5. Software6. Performance7. Camera8. Battery9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

On the whole, it is safe to say the Acer Liquid Jade S is a significant improvement over the Liquid Jade. Packaged in an unique silver box, this was perhaps the first indicator that Acer had done something different with the Liquid Jade S.

The box gives way to the phone, with a new and improved design. Gone is the glossy back, and in its place is a deep purple matte back – with an unusual criss-cross pattern. Still, the phone is wonderfully light at 116g, and still very slim at 7.8mm thick.

The display panel remains the same as the original Liquid Jade – so there is an HD, IPS screen. This is more than good enough, with the mediocre brightness the only let down.

Android, too, remains unchanged from the Liquid Jade S' predecessor – which is not such a good thing. Icons look very dated and the OS is generally fairly clunky. Acer need to incorporate a flatter, more colourful design to make a phone fit for 2015. The lackluster OS really does let down what is otherwise a very capable phone.

Thanks to the MediaTek octa-core processor, performance is fantastic – with our benchmarks showing the Liquid Jade S is up to 3.2 times faster than its predecessor. For everyday use, too, it is very zippy and responsive.

Camera photos also seem much more detailed and focus. Colour production is strong, but lighting can still suffer occasionally. Acer have included a good HDR mode, though, so this camera is more than able to capture moments on the go.

Unfortunately, the battery life is just not quite up to scratch. It could last some users a day, but most will find it a real struggle to ensure the battery will last a day.

You can buy the Acer Liquid Jade S directly from Acer for £229 inc VAT.

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Pros

• Blistering performance.
• Improved camera.
• Decent display.
• New matte back.
• Relatively affordable.

Cons

• Screen brightness is lacking.
• OS looks dated.
• Battery life still below par.

KitGuru says: For those looking for a pocket-friendly but capable phone, the Liquid Jade S fits the bill nicely. However, the key areas of battery life and OS let it down somewhat, so it may be worth looking at the ZenFone 5 LTE or stretching the budget to the OPPO R5.

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