Acer’s new smartphone is one of the cheapest on the market but will it stand up to expectations?
Acer has made a daring leap to the top of the budget phone market by going to the bottom with the release of the Acer Liquid Z220, its cheapest Android phone to date. But what makes this particular budget phone special is that it’s the first Acer phone to ship running Google’s Lollipop 5.0 operating system. Acer is well associated with personal computers, boasting it is the fourth largest personal computer vendor in the world in 2014. In the world of mobile phones, however, Acer caters to the lower end of the mobile market and has solidified that reputation further with the Z220.
Design
The Z220 sadly looks like a budget phone from the front, the main reason being the dead space around the screen. The space at the bottom of the phone houses nothing but the noise-cancelling microphone. All of the touch interface is done on the screen when it could have been utilised in the dead space. The matte black does a decent job in giving the phone a sophisticated feel and the faux leather design on the plastic back case enhances that, which makes it a crying shame that the design isn’t consistent throughout the phone. The back case continues to impress with a fingerprints test, which it passed with flying colours. A ribbed silver band runs around the edge of the phone giving it a unique feel. It feels secure in your hand as the ribbed edges provides friction and making it less likely you’ll drop it.
Camera
The camera boasts a meek 5 megapixels, which produces quite low quality pictures. You will definitely not be using the Z220 as your primary camera for weekends away. The camera also features autofocus, which is a lovely surprise considering it’s a budget phone. The autofocus takes a while to focus but considering the price it is a great positive. The camera continues to surprise with autoexposure, which does a good job in adjusting to the right levels for your pictures, albeit with a longer delay than desired. The front-facing camera is 2 megapixels, which means selfies are almost out of the question. Pictures with the self-facing camera tend to always carry noise and are almost never clear.
Screen
The window to the soul of any smartphone should always be impressive and sadly the Acer Z220’s 4-inch display does not. With a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, which equates to a pixel density of 233ppi, the screen is well below the average density of roughly 294 per inch. The biggest problem with the screen is the woeful viewing angles. During our performance review, in which we used Asphalt 8: Airborne to push the phone, we found the game impossible to play. When making a turn at a sharp corner or scoring a record-breaking drift, you’ll have to do the last third blind as it is almost impossible to see what you’re doing due to the poor quality of the screen. Basically all games that require motion should be ruled out for the Z220.
Another major downfall for the screen is how unresponsive it can be. At times we found ourselves having to double tap the screen to simply launch an app. Texting proved to be a challenge as the 4-inch display works against big hands. Combine that with an at times unresponsive screen results in grafting for a simple text message.
Performance
Inside the Acer Z220 is a 1.2 GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, the oldest Snapdragon processor by Qualcomm, which is expected inside a budget phone. The processor does the job in keeping the phone running as you jump between apps. Running only with 1GB of RAM, the Z220 performs well while running apps, but be warned, the more apps you open the more you’ll see the limits of the phone. Crossing from Asphalt 8: Airborne to the call app, we discovered significant lag in the crossover.
The usual benchmarking game of Asphalt 8: Airborne performed surprisingly well on the Z220. While playing it for 30 minutes we experienced no lag or any form of stuttering during the performance test. But the Z220 did suffer from long loading times, hardly what you want when you want to quickly get something going for the short but arduous journey home.
The good news is that the Z220 has expandable memory, allowing you to use micro SD cards up to 32GB. Which means more space for music! But it is really recommended to buy external earphones as the ones bundled in the box are inept at drowning out the sounds of the city, not offering that escape that we crave from time to time.
Software
Lollipop version 5.0 comes ready with the Z220, which makes it standout as a budget phone. Aside from animations, effects and icon size, Lollipop is bolder and simpler. Which makes the phone feel modern. Lollipop 5.0 equips the device with many great features such as Google’s card-based multi-tasking system and improved notifications, making it even easier to navigate the user interface.
Battery
Battery life is poor, to say the least, with 30 minutes of continuous gaming draining 18% of the battery life. Definitely not a phone you can get a day’s use out of. The Z220 does have a removable battery, which is located on the back of the phone once you remove the svelte back case. It is highly recommended to carry a second fully charged battery to ensure that you’re not stranded without a phone. As in today’s day and age, to be caught without your trusty smartphone renders you dead in the water.
Verdict
The Acer Z220 is a solid phone and that’s all it really is. It performs solidly as a communications device but anything extra-curricular is asking too much. Should you decide to purchase one, there are too many add-ons you have to purchase externally to make it a worthwhile purchase. Which defeats the purpose of a budget phone. But if you’re looking for a budget phone that can connect to the internet, make calls and text, this could be for you.
Spec sheet
Os Android Lollipop v5.0
Processor 1.2 GHZ Qualcomm MSM8210 Dual-core
Screen 4.0-inches
Resolution 480 x 800 pixels
Memory 1 GB RAM (8GB), 2 GB RAM (16GB)
Storage 8 GB
MicrosD compatible? Yes, up to 32GB
Rear camera 5MP
Front camera 2MP
Video 720p
Connectivity 3G
Dimensions 125.3 x 64 x 9.6 mm
Weight 120g
Battery 1300mAh