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Acer was among the first Windows Phones platform partners back in the day. It launched the W4 back when Windows 7 was first getting attention. The company then went on to make another device when Windows Phone moved to 7.5, called the Acer Allegro. When it came to Windows 8, Acer took a more business cautious approach to the platform and passed on making a device for the Windows Phone 8 iteration.
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Earlier this year at MWC 2015, Acer revealed that the company is back on board with the platform. During the conference, Acer announced its new Windows Phone, the Liquid M220 sporting Windows 8.1. The new phone is a grippy 4-inch device packing modest internals and seemingly offers a low-to-middle end experience when it comes to smartphone performance. The catch with Acer phones, however, was that they were never retailed for the North American markets. Acer’s Windows Phone were made and sold to a broader international audience. However, today, Acer announced that the Liquid M220 will expand its reach and land in Microsoft Stores in North America.
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The Liquid M220 was designed to provide essential features for those looking for a simple, easy to use and very affordable smartphone. Its 4-inch 233 pixels per inch (PPI) WVGA (480×800) display delivers clear images for enjoying social media while front and rear cameras let customers snap selfie pictures and record video on-the-go. A 5MP auto-focus rear camera with LED flash and an 89-degree wide-angle lens captures memorable moments, even in large scenes. In addition, the 2MP fixed focus front camera can take fun videos on the fly for sharing on social media and support video conferences with family and friends. Compact, comfortable and lightweight, it measures just 4.9- x 2.5-x .38-inches and weighs only 4.2 ounces. The user interface is intuitive and easy to customize and fully supports Microsoft applications and services such as OneDrive, Skype, Office and the Cortana(2) digital assistant. The Liquid M220 is powered by a Qualcomm® Snapdragon 200 processor(3) with dual core CPUs at speeds of up to 1.2GHz, 1GB memory and a replaceable 1300mAh battery that provides up to 3 hours talk time and up to 200 hours in standby on a single charge.(4) It provides ample room for archiving photos and videos with 8GB storage capacity(5) that can be expanded with a Micro SD card.
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Soon enough, eager Acer fans in North America will be able to stroll down to their local Microsoft Store to get their hands on the new phone. The phone will be available in Black and Pure White at participating Microsoft Stores, for around $79.99 US. Also of note, Acer is also promising a free upgrade to Windows 10 when available. For $79.00 the Liquid M220 will be giving the low-end Lumia devices a run for their money.
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