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Computer maker Acer took the wraps off its Liquid S2 smartphone, which boasts a full HD 6-inch display with IPS technology and 4K recording capabilities. It will show it off at the IFA convention in Berlin later this week.
The Android smartphone will operate on 3G and 4G networks and will also support the latest WiFi standard, 802.11ac. The Internet connection can also be shared with QR codes and near-field communications (NFC), and the Easy Hotspot enables the smartphone to act as a mobile WiFi router to share wireless Internet connectivity with up to half a dozen WiFi-enabled devices.
The Liquid S2 will be available for purchase at the end of October, and exact pricing and availability will be announced at a later stage, a company release said.
The device runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 2.2GHz processor and features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera with an 88-degree wide-viewing angle, and red elements for the receiver mesh and metallic ring highlighting the four-LED ring flash for low light and macro capturing.
Available in red or black, the Liquid S2 is 8.99mm thin and has two stereo speakers powered with Dolby Digital Plus, It also uses curved Gorilla Glass 3.0 to boost damage resistance on the screen. Users can store a large library of photos, music and videos on the expandable memory of up to 128GB to complement the standard 16GB on-board storage.
Exclusive to Acer smartphones is the company’s Float user interface (UI), which allows several app windows to stay open, so users can multitask without having to back out of one app to work on another. The press of a key brings up the Float Apps shortcut, where apps on a translucent screen float over the function being used. It is possible to access or switch Float Apps any time, and the feature can be customized with up to seven favored app shortcuts.
In addition, a Float Caller notification ensures that users will not be interrupted by incoming calls that take over the full screen. When a call comes in, the Float Caller mini-window pops up and the user can choose to take the call or reply with a quick message.
Other features include Smart Best Shot, which automatically detects photo type and takes multiple shots for best selection; Tag Widget for convenient photo browsing with scene tag; Favorite Mode, which lets users create up to five profiles with customized effects, flash, capture mode and scenes, one finger focus and exposure adjustment; Freehand Capture, which lets users crop out anything on the screen using a hand or a digital pen; and Live Screen, where users can share ideas through scribbling on pictures.