Acer launches the Liquid X1, an octa-core Android smartphone for under $300

Acer last week started selling the Liquid X1, a large smartphone that was announced back in June among various other new Acer devices. For the moment, the Liquid X1 is available only in Taiwan, Acer’s home country, but it should be gradually released in other markets across Asia and Europe.

Running Android 4.4 KitKat, the X1 is 8.5mm-thin, sports a 5.7-inch IPS display with 720 x 1280 pixels, and weighs 164 grams. It’s an affordable device that costs around $265 in Taiwan, reportedly being part of Acer’s plan to rank among the top five smartphone vendors in Taiwan within the next two years.

Available in two color versions (black and red), the Acer Liquid X1 features LTE Cat. 4, an octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory, microSD card support, and a 2700 mAh removable battery. The 13 MP camera that’s found on the back of the X1 has an f/1.8 aperture, an LED flash, and a Free Focus mode that allows you to focus and refocus photos after they’ve been taken. An official Liquid X1 promo video can be watched below.