Acer Liquid Jade Z / Jade Z Plus

Decent screen ; Low price

Brash, messy sound ; Poor design ; Erratic performance

Proof that good specs and a low price don’t always add up

Great screen ; Good front-facing camera ; Comfortable to use one-handed

Cheap, flimsy construction ; Sub-par speakers ; Disappointing rear camera

With decent performance, an excellent screen and a good selfie cam, the Acer Liquid Jade Z is a good choice for many. Yet, with a poor camera and generally lacklustre battery performance, there are better options available for less money.

Slim and light ; Pretty good screen ; Great spec-to-cash ratio

Rubbish general performance ; Slow camera ; Suspect design flourishes ; Mediocre stamina

On paper the Jade Z is a fantastic bargain, but performance issues drag it down

Slender design ; HD screen ; 4G support

Unimpressive battery ; Blurry selfies ; Occasional stutter

Priced the same as the Motorola Moto G, Acer’s Liquid Jade Z is a solid mid-range mobile that matches the mighty Moto for visual prowess but packs 4G support, making it a worthy consideration for anyone who wants to stream video on the go. Sadly the...

We can't wait to spend more time with the Acer Liquid Jade Z and find out whether it really can knock the Motorola Moto G off the top spot in our budget smartphone chart. We'll be bringing you our full review soon.

The Acer Liquid Jade Z sits among a whole new movement in phones, ones that get you ‘HD’ screens and slightly higher-end design without charging all that much money for the privilege. That's a very good thing.

Thin and light

Awful OS

With stock Android included, we could be looking at a good little phone in the Liquid Jade Z. Unfortunately, it is held back by an outdated operating system which also affects real-world system performance. Nonetheless, a thin design and decent battery...