$80 Acer Liquid M220 Windows Phone smartphone announced for U.S.
Alexandra BurlacuAcer is bringing its smartphone business to the U.S. for the first time, as the Liquid M220 Windows Phone 8.1 handset will go on sale in June.
Windows Phone smartphones may consist mainly of Lumia devices, but every once in a while another manufacturer comes up with an intriguing device of their own. This time, the new OEM joining the Windows Phone party is Acer with its Liquid M220.
As expected, the company's first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone (and the only one, for that matter), will launch in the U.S. via the Microsoft Store, both online and in physical retail locations. The device may ship with Windows Phone 8.1 on board, but it's supported for the free Windows Phone 10 upgrade when the latest OS is ready to roll out this summer.
"The Liquid M220 was designed to provide essential features for those looking for a simple, easy to use and very affordable smartphone," touts the official announcement on the Windows Blog.
When it comes to specifications, the Liquid M220 comes with decent internals for its price tag. More specifically, the smartphone sports a 4-inch IPS display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and packs a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor under the hood, clocked at 1.2GHz and paired with 1GB of RAM. Other specs include a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 2-megapixel front shooter, 8GB of internal storage capacity, microSD support for additional memory, and a 1,300 mAh battery.
With Windows Phone 8.1 on board, the Acer Liquid M220 also rocks popular Microsoft features such as Cortana, Office, Skype, and OneDrive. As previously mentioned, the smartphone will receive an upgrade to Windows 10 when it's ready, but it may not support all of the features the new OS has to offer "due to platform technical specifications." In other words, although Windows 10 is packed with neat goodies, it still needs proper hardware to support everything.
The budget-friendly Acer Liquid M220 will go on sale this June, sporting a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $79.99. The specs are not high-end, but at that price the Windows 10-ready smartphone sounds reasonable and may lure in plenty of buyers.
most read
more stories from Mobile
Stay updated! Google Messages Beta introduces a fresh Gallery Picker UI. Explore it now for enhanced messaging experience.
ernest hamiltonExciting news! Samsung has begun developing One UI 7.0 Beta, based on Android 15, for the Galaxy S24 series. Stay tuned for the latest updates.
ernest hamiltonStay tuned for Pixel 8a's first update, introducing Google's AI Wallpaper Generator! Don't miss out on this exciting feature.
ernest hamiltonWith Google Messages, you can now enjoy a new audio recorder and voice moods, enhancing your messaging experience. Check it out today!
ernest hamiltonThe iOS 17.5 RC release brings several enhancements, including updates to the Podcasts widget, an improved unwanted tracking system, Repair State mode, and more.
ernest hamiltonThe decision to revoke export licenses to Huawei could have significant implications for chip sales by Intel and Qualcomm in the US.
ernest hamiltonExperience innovation like never before with Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S25 Series, set to introduce the groundbreaking 'Battery AI' feature. Learn more in our latest article!
ernest hamiltonThe leaked promo images of the Sony Xperia 1 VI reveal exciting details ahead of its launch. Dive into the details in our latest article!
ernest hamilton