Struggling PC Company Acer is set to have another crack at trying to enter the smartphone market with the Company revealing a cheap mid market Android smartphone called the Acer Liquid Z2.
The problem for Acer Australia is that all the main carriers, Telstra, Vodafone and Optus, have said they are not interested in selling PC branded smartphones. Also set to reject the notion of stocking an Acer smartphone are mass retailers such as JB Hi Fi.
Acer, who recently set up a direct sell operation at Bondi Junction, could try selling the new smartphones direct claim observers.
Julian Jest, Research Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media said “Acer is no stranger to the smartphone market, creating devices running on both Windows and Android operating systems, but it has struggled to make an impact.
He added “Acer has made little effort to differentiate on reference design, so the company has confirmed its position as an assembler with little addition to the Android OS or integration with hardware”.
“It will be hard for the company to gain momentum in the high-end segment where differentiation is driven by adding unique features, innovative designs, and best in class software and hardware components”.
Acer who has witnessed a major slump in sales in Australia readily admits that its future depends on producing innovative devices capable of consuming data on-the-go.
Acer has struggled to establish widespread relationships with carriers and mass retailers,Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have all rejected the Companies smartphone offerings.
Jest said “Acer will struggle in the mid to high end market where strength of brand is important to consumers”
He said that the brand could get traction in the bottom end discount market if they launch the range in Australia.
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The new Z2 has a dual-core 1GHz processor with 1GB of RAM and a 4.5 inch qHD display. It has a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, and a VGA front-facing camera.
The entry-level devices has Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, as well as 4GB of internal storage and microSD slot for memory boosting.
Acer is not saying whether the device will be sold in Australia.
