Acer CloudMobile S500 Android phone review When I recently took a quick shufti at the alternatives on offer to anyone harbouring doubts about the iPhone 5 I stuck my neck out and awarded a Recommended badge to a phone I’d only used briefly at a trade show. After using it for a week has my enthusiasm waned? Nope. Acer CloudMobile S500 Android smartphone Bargain blower …
I'd agree with you, if it was actually possible to buy a Nexus 4 for the advertised price.
O2 want £399 for it, no stock on Google Play, and I heard a whisper today that in some countries LG are selling it direct for even more than O2 are asking.
With this, if I wanted to I could order one from Expansys now....
Indeed, not forgetting the lousy reliability of their products, I've had a pair of Acer 'flagship' laptops die on me on a number of occasions. Really can't be bothered describing those experiences, but I do wonder how this phone will fare six months down the line.
As for cost, I bought a Sony Xperia T, and had it unlocked (not cheap at £25, but I got half back for posting a vid of unlocking it), for £265 on eBay, you can get one for around £320 quite easily, and they are obviously under most of Sony's 1 year warranty.
So new Acer, vs slightly used Sony, the latter wins.
The LG Optimus 4X is a much older phone and is *not* essentially the Nexus 4; it's a completely different phone based on the Nvidia Tegra3 chipset. This means a locked bootloader and no 3rd party roms which are essential if you have a phone reliant on LG to provide the software.
The Nexus 4 has a quad core Krait, not dual core.
It also has a 2100mAh battery, albeit integrated.
Some may want the larger screen which would be better for browsing.
Additionally, storage is only an issue, if it's an issue, some will want expandable storage in which case the Acer is a good option, but if 8 or 16GB is enough then the Nexus is a serious contender.
The Acer is on Expansys for £275 as well.
Just wanted to throw another option into the sub-£300-decently-specced-Droid mix. Ladies and gentlemen, the Sony Xperia Acro S (LT26W): 720p 4.3" screen, 16GB onboard, v4.0.4 out of the box, micro SD slot, 12MP camera with a physical "shutter release" button, 1910mAH battery, dual core with reasonable graphics, and the main selling point for me - it's waterproof. As my wife has killed two iPhones in the past by dropping them down the toilet, this has been a required feature ever since...
Well spotted. I've been badgering Sony for some sort of news on an official UK release for the Acro S but with no luck so far. No joy either via the usual third party channels like Expansys and Clove.
And I was wrong about the the CloudMobile being the only 720p 4.3 inch smartphone. Like the Acro the HTC 8X has one as well.
This looks like an excellent device and the design reminds me a little of the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc. Yes, a Nexus 4 is a better device but this phone will at least give you expandable storage and a replaceable battery which Google are moving away from.
I've seen a few videos of this phone in action and it looks very smooth and is pretty much running stock ICS which is another plus. They have made a few tweaks around the edges and bundle a few Acer apps but other than that it should be about as close to a pure Google experience as any non-Nexus device is likely to get short of installing a custom ROM.
If I couldn't get my hands on a Nexus (and by all accounts there is now at least a 6 week delay, perhaps longer) then I'd buy one of these like a shot. It ticks all the boxes and that screen is superb.
Shame your Amazon link doesn't show up any of these for sale. As far as I can tell only Expansys are selling these for less than £300 in the UK.
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