Acer's Liquid M330 and M320 bring Windows 10 to the smartphone

Running on Microsoft's new Windows 10 Mobile operating system, the Acer Liquid M330 and M320 will arrive later this year in Europe and Asia.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features

Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).

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Kent German

Sept. 2, 2015 3:00 a.m. PT

2 min read

You can't tell the Acer M330 and M320 apart from the outside.
Acer

BERLIN -- Acer showed up at IFA 2015 in force, debuting six new smartphones, including its first handsets to run on Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile . The Z330 and Z320 are closely related to Android-powered M330 and M320 with both bringing 4.5-inch displays and almost identical features designed for people that don't expect too much from a smartphone.

The more advanced handset of the two (though only slightly), the Liquid Z330 runs on a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (MS 8909) processor and measures 136 by 66.5 by 9.6 mm thick. Its display has a meagre resolution of 854x480 pixels.

Both the main and front cameras have a 5-megapixel resolution, but each is meant to be used differently. While the autofocus on the main camera is for capturing everything around you, the front shooter has features better suited for selfies. Inside are 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, support for 4G LTE networks, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and a 2,000mAh battery.

The M320 is just as big as the M330, it has the same internal memory and battery and it weighs just as much (142 grams or 5 ounces), but it carriers slightly less power under the hood. It runs on a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (MS 8209) and it knocks the front camera resolution down to 2 megapixels. Also onboard are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but data network support tops out at 3G.

Pricing and outlook

Outside of Windows 10 Mobile, there's nothing exiting here, and the price for the M330 reflects that. It should go on sale in Europe, the Middle East and Asia for 129 euros (around £95, $145 or AU$210) beginning in December. As of press time, Acer did not disclose pricing or release information for the M320, though neither handset should land in the US or Australia. Check back soon for hands-on analysis and photos.

For the best of IFA 2015, see CNET's complete coverage.