Just tell it to take a selfie

THE ACER LIQUID Z520 is an affordable, dual-SIM 3G smartphone with a five-inch screen, and I’ve found the resolution and performance to be quite acceptable. Add to this that the big screen, 3G connection and other assets come in at a price under Bt4,000.

The phone is powered by a Mediatek MT6582M 1.3GHz quad-core, which is not superfast like the (much more expensive) chipset from Qualcomm, but you still get decent performance.

The display has a resolution of just 854x480 pixels, far from the Full HD resolution of the more expensive smartphones, but it’s good enough for checking Facebook, mail and even photos. And, for reading Web pages and eBooks, the phone has a Reading Mode with a blue-light filter that helps reduce eye strain.

The Z520 runs on the Android 4.4.4 operating system and comes with one gigabyte of RAM (working memory) and 8GB of internal storage, which as usual is expandable with a microSD card, in this case by up to 64GB.

The SIM management software is easy to set up. You can easily dedicate one SIM for data connection and the other for voice calls, for example.

The phone supports 3G connections in HSPA at 900/2100MHz. I tested it on TrueMove H’s 2100MHz 3G network. The touch screen and menus were quite responsive and I could play games – some games at least – just fine. I uploaded shots from the camera to Facebook in a snap. Viewing Facebook feeds and email was fast and problem-free.

The main camera has eight-megapixel resolution and the front camera two megapixels. The image quality isn’t outstanding, but okay for a mobile phone. 

You’ll be getting most of your amusement anyway from the voice command function. Say “selfie” out loud and the camera automatically activates the front camera (if it’s not already) and in three seconds takes your picture. 

You can also change camera mode just by pronouncing the mode names, like HDR, Panorama, Best Shot or Bright Magic.

This low-cost phone comes up with some good-quality music as well with its built-it DTS Studio Sound, which is activated automatically when you play a music file. I was quite happy with the sound quality using my Sony in-ear MDR-EX1000 ear buds. The Z520 comes with two plastic covers, including one for the front, and both are nicely textured to resemble Thai silk. It retails for Bt3,990.

 

 

>>OS: Android 4.4.4

>>Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz; 3G HSPA 900/2100MHz

>>CPU: Mediatek MT6582M 1.3GHz quad-core

>>Memory: 1GB RAM

>>Storage: 8GB internal, expandable with microSD up to 64GB

>>SIM: Dual microSIM slots

>>Display: Five-inch TFT touch panel with 854x480 pixels

>>Cameras: 8MP rear, 2MP front-facing 

>>Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/m

>>Battery: 2,000mAh

>>Dimensions: 143x73x9.9mm

>>Weight: 150g