Here’s a shock: A Windows 10 smartphone has been announced, and it doesn’t have the Microsoft or Lumia name on the back. It’s the Acer Liquid Jade Primo, and outside it not being a Microsoft phone, its arrival isn’t actually a shock at all. The phone was previously teased in September, but a working model wasn’t shown off at the time. Now, the Liquid Jade Primo has been revealed in all its glory, given a price and release date, plus a complete spec list.
Updated on 07-18-2016 by Williams Pelegrin: Included information that the Acer Liquid Jade Primo is now available in the U.S. through the Microsoft Store for $650.
Where to buy the Liquid Jade Primo
In the U.S., you can pick up the Liquid Jade Primo through the Microsoft Store for $650. This might seem like a pretty penny, particularly when the similarly powered Lumia 950 is $100 cheaper, but Acer’s Windows 10 Mobile flagship comes bundled with a desktop dock, mouse, and keyboard. Unfortunately, there is no word on the Liquid Jade Primo Premium Pack, which includes the phone itself, dock, mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
As for other territories, you can pick up the Liquid Jade Primo in the U.K. and other regions of Europe, as well as Africa. In the U.K., the phone with dock goes for 450 pounds ($597), while the rest of Europe can get the phone for 599 euros ($663). South African residents, meanwhile, can purchase the Liquid Jade Primo for 10,999 rand ($771). These prices can fluctuate, depending on who you buy the phone from.
Acer does not expect heavy sales from general consumers, however, as the company told Digital Trends it primarily expects to sell the Liquid Jade Primo bundle to businesses.
Jade Primo has strong specs
The big draw here is the Jade Primo’s complete support for Windows 10 Continuum, where with the help of a selection of special accessories and an external monitor, the Jade Primo becomes the centre of a PC-like experience on the move. Acer will sell key accessories separately and with the phone, but these options will vary by region.
Equipped with a large, 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen, the Jade Primo is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB of RAM, and has a special cooling system to help everything run at the optimum temperature. There are two cameras onboard, a 21-megapixel camera on the rear, and an 8-megapixel cam above the screen. A total of 32GB onboard storage is yours to fill up.
Acer has made an effort with the design and feel of the Jade Primo, too. The body has a textured, hairline-brushed finish and the screen is covered in 2.5D Gorilla Glass, plus a clever antenna has been integrated into the body to ensure the phone is as slim as possible. In addition to Continuum, Acer has packed in some Enterprise-grade security and management features, to help grab the interest of business-types.
Updated on 02-26-2016 by Andy Boxall: Added in news of a U.S. and U.K. launch and expected price for the Jade Primo.
