When it comes to mobile devices, there has
been a split between smartphones and tablets. However, with the advancement of
technology, many companies have tried to combine the two device's best features
into one device. These devices are popularly referred to as phablets by
manufacturers and consumers alike, which are basically a phone and tablet in
one device. This month, we'll be looking at the Acer Liquid S2 phablet.
While still technically classified as a
smartphone, the Liquid S2 retains much of the functionality and features of a
tablet. Its large 6-inch LCD touchscreen display also makes up for the size of
the phablet. However, the two main draws of the device, on physical appearance
alone, is the rear camera and the small, but noticeable Dolby logo. The camera
itself is a normal 13MP camera, but it is also the first to sport a ring flash
that sits around the camera. It is also equipped with Dolby Digital Plus
technology, allowing users to experience enhanced audio for movies, music or
games from the phablet.
Acer
Liquid S2 brings the best of two devices together
The screen itself has a 1920 x 1080
resolution with a pixel density of 397 PPI. With such a high resolution
display, users can enjoy HD video content, as well as games without having to
tone down the graphics quality. Furthermore, the use of Dolby Digital Plus
ensures music and movies sound loud and clear, whether through the built-in
speakers or headphones.
The phablet comes with a 3,300mAh
non-removable Lithium-polymer battery and a hassle-free, power-saving mode that
automatically kicks in when the battery indicator is down to 30 percent. While
useful, it doesn’t say much about the phablet, as some of the preset apps do
have the propensity to drain the battery rather quickly. While it can be
remedied by having the mode active at all times, it will affect some of the
app’s performance. As an alternative, users may also blacklist certain apps
from running as well.
The
Liquid S2 is the first smartphone to incorporate a ring flash
Along with the unique ring flash around the
rear camera, the phablet also comes with a 2MP front camera and a rather
extensive, user-friendly camera and video capturing app, which allows users to
capture stills and videos in various modes, such as a simple style overlay for
the camera.
With all the high-powered apps and software
running on the phablet, it would need a high performance chip to juggle them
all. The Liquid S2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and an Adreno 300 GPU. In
addition to 2GB RAM and 2.3GHz worth of processing power, the device also
supports 4G LTE and the latest wireless AC standard.
Top:
audio, power; Bottom: two microphones
We first ran 3D Mark, Antutu, and Quadrant
and received an overwhelming score of 16,065, 28,255 and 14,677 respectively. This
greatly exceeded our expectations and explained why the Liquid S2 has a high
power consumption rate. The scores themselves come very close to high-end
tablets that are available in the market today, which is very good for a
phablet. We then proceeded with the final benchmark, Epic Citadel, and we were
very pleased to see an average of 59.6 FPS.
The
use of Dolby Digital Plus ensures music and movies sound loud and clear
All in all, the Acer Liquid S2 is a
high-performance phablet and we would recommend the device for anyone who is
looking for a versatile, yet powerful mobile device. However, please be
prepared as the Liquid S2 isn’t cheap, but it is definitely worth its asking
price.
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Specifications
·
Network: LTE, single micro-SIM card ·
Camera: 13 MP with autofocus and LED ring
flash (rear), 2MP (front) ·
Display: 6-inch (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD (Corning
Gorilla Glass 3) ·
OS: Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) ·
Price: $586.11 ·
Processor: Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 ·
GPU: Adreno 330 ·
Multimedia Audio: MIDI, AMR, ACC LC, AAC+,
eAAC+, Vorbis, mp3, flac, wma, wave ·
Video: mp4, H.264, H.263, mpeg4, wma, wave ·
Connectivity: 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB 2.0,
Wi-Fi iEEE 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 ·
Memory: 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 1x
microSD slot (expandable up to 64GB) ·
Color: Black and Red ·
Dimensions: 166 (H) X 86.2 (W) X 8.99 (T) mm ·
Weight: 229g (with battery) ·
Battery: 3,300mAh Li-polymer (non-removable)
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