Our Verdict
The Acer Liquid M220 might be cheap but that’s all it has going for it really. The phone wouldn’t have been all that impressive a few years ago, let alone now. Our initial impression is that you’re better off spending a little more on a better Windows Phone handset such as the Lumia range or an Android alternative.
It seems a few manufacturers are giving Windows Phone another go alongside Android smartphones. Here are our first impressions in our Acer Liquid M220 review from MWC 2015 in Barcelona. Also see Best smartphones 2015.
The M220 is the first of Acer’s Liquid range to run Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system. It’s not the firm’s first Windows Phone handset but it is the first to run Windows Phone 8.1. Potential buyers will be pleased to know that it will be upgraded to Windows 10 when it launches later this year.
That’s good news but there’s little else positive to say about the Liquid M220. The price, however, is very attractive at just 79 Euros so this will be one of the cheapest smartphones around and will arrive in April.
Acer’s low price is very much reflected in the design and build of the Liquid M220. It’s a light handset and fits in the hand nicely due to its small size but it feels extremely plasticky. The rear cover has a strange almost fabric-like texture and the fake metal running around the edge has a rouge surface which we guess provides grip but not in a friendly way.
Unfortunately the design looks dated and feels like a phone from a few years ago. The Liquid M220 will be available in black or white models.
If you can get past the ugly style, the Liquid M220 doesn’t have much to offer in the way of hardware specs. It has a 4in screen which is tiny for today’s standards and the resolution is a poor 480 x 800. Inside is a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and juts 512 MB of RAM. Storage is extremely limited at 4 GB but there is a microSD card slot for adding up 32 GB more which will be essential.
Performance didn’t seem too bad during our hands-on but the hardware on offer here isn’t very desirable. Perhaps if there was 4G LTE connectivity there would be a good reason to opt for the M220 but it only has basic wireless including 11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
We hoped the cameras could provide something encouraging but the 5 Mp rear camera and 2 Mp both seem very poor during our hands-on time.
Specs
Acer Liquid M220: Specs
- Windows Phone 8.1
- 1.2 GHz dual-core
- 4 GB storage, microSD (up to 32 GB)
- 512 MB RAM
- 4in 480 x800
- 5 Mp rear camera
- 2 Mp front camera
Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor
Tech Advisor's Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.