Acer W4 Windows Phone Specs Detailed

May 31, 2011 | By Pradeep

Microsoft announced the partnership with Acer to develop Windows Phone devices just last week. But it seems that they have been working even before the announcement, as at COMPUTEX event held today, Acer’s device W4 as kept under display running Windows Phone Mango.

Acer W4 Spces:

3.6-inch WVGA Capacitive screen,
Screen Resolution: 480×800
5mp Camera with auto-focus.
HSPA 850/1900 or 900/2100 /GSM quad band 850/900/ 1800/ 1900 MHz Support.
Qualcomm MSM 8255 running at 1GHz (same processor as in the Xperia Play)
Wifi, Bluetooth 2.1
DLNA Support
Windows Phone Mango
8GB Storage

Hit the links below for more images of this new device.

via: tech sina image credit: zol.com.cn

About Pradeep Viswav

Pradeep was a Microsoft Student Partner when he was pursuing his Computer Science & Engineering degree. He now works for a MNC. He is passionate about technology and loves to share his knowledge with people. People used to mention him as “A Geek who is not Nerd”. He was fascinated by the Metro Design language and Windows Phone which made him to follow and develop applications for it. Follow him at twitter.com/pradeepviswav

Tagged acer, mango, specs, windows phone

Anonymous

Hmm – doesn’t really make me jump up and down.
The specs seem a little underwhelming for what could be considered as the first phone of “Round 2″ WP devices.

http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

I think Mango will have two “chassis” specs: hi-end (dual cores, two cameras, etc) and budget (pretty much first gen WP7 phones).

Anonymous

As of now, Dual core processors are not supported in Mango, WP7 is based on Windows CE 6, and only CE 7 supports Dual core processors. I hate to say it, but we won’t be seeing dual cored Windows Phones until 2012. The current chipset does support 4G support, which is much more important imo.

http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

Even Windows CE 3 supported them (well, according to Wikipedia, …) – not to mention that WP7 is based on mixture of CE 6 and 7.
And in any case, we have no idea which version of CE is used in Mango.
Xgfg

Consider this insider info. SMP support was introduced in CE 6. However CE was internally forked, one port going to WP7 and the other to the embedded division. WP7 Management decreed that SMP is no longer a use case and was never tested/supported, which obviously must have lead to several SMP bugs over the 2 years WP7 was in development. Now dual cores are popping all over, but getting SMP back into WP7 will be a hard ask!

Aceofspades25

It’s got pretty much bog standard specs. There’s a surprise. Good luck to Acer trying to stand out in a market already filled with phones with almost the same spec running the same OS.

Anonymous

Im pretty sure the market for this phone it’s china or india, not USA. They don’t need to stand out just setup a low enough price.

Azjerei

Looks kind of nice, but the low storage size is not attractive.
RT

I am wondering if any of the WP7 devices will feature a front facing camera? It’s not really a deal breaker, but if I’m paying a $100 dollars for a phone and being bound to a two-year contract, then I wall all the features

RT

Uh I meant “want” all the features. Wow.
Anonymous

The hardware partners have the technology. They’ve been shipping this for android for probably a year now. But the problem is that WP7 doesn’t have support for FF cameras yet.

I don’t know about Mango. But if it doesn’t have support, then we’ll have to wait till this time next year for the absolute earliest for FF cameras. Maybe even up until WP8.

On a good note. Nokia has free reign on the WP source code. Maybe they’ll roll out this feature on their phones.

wpaw

MS has claimed that Mango will support FF cameras and 4G. Don’t see either here.

Anonymous

I’ve been reading on Mango’s features and haven’t heard it was included. I really hope you’re correct. FF camera + Skype is a must have for a lot of people.

Anonymous

Looks thick and underwhelming indeed
Anonymous

btw, Pradeep; I’m pretty sure it’s 3.6″ screen mate:
http://detail.zol.com.cn/picture_index_653/index6520336.shtml

Anonymous

Thanks, specs corrected.
Anonymous

Thanks, specs corrected.

Soosan

The only way to differentiate with those internal specs is either software (doubt it, seeing it’s Asus) or a reasonable quality shell for a very competative price.
And that last one might be hard to achieven once Nokia kicks it’s production into gear.

I am suprised to see DLNA btw. There goes one of LG’s biggest selling points.
GP007

Correct me if I’m wrong but the MSN8255, even at 1Ghz is the newer chipset, it should have a better GPU compared to the current crop of phones.

wurstaslat

yea better gpu and less power consuming…
but no a dual core

Anonymous

But we don’t need dual core.

Anonymous

I think the “We don’t need dual-core” talk is sour grapes.

I’m a WP7 fan, but lets be real for a second.

Dual-core is where the industry is heading. Actually the first Quad-cores will be out Q2 2012 and 8-core will be out the year after that or 2014.

Dual-core chips use *less* battery than single core CPUs and a perform better when needed. There is no trade off. It’s just an advancement in CPU design.

Microsoft simply needs to support the chips in the kernel already and give the hardware partners the go-ahead.

Anonymous

No sour grapes here, it’s just that as of today I don’t see any use what so ever for the extra performance a dual core chip will give on WP7. When we look at the dual core phones that are out there what do they offer over single core phones? The only things I can think of are 3D recording and 1080p recording, neither of wich I have any need for, ah yes, and Android needed it to get a smooth UI. But WP7 doesn’t need it.

Yes, the industry is heading towards dual and quad core, and I’m looking forward to when it’s here, but as of today I simply don’t find the need for it.
Anonymous

1. Much, much better games. Real light sources, better physics, etc.

2. More powerful apps. Speech/voice processing takes a lot of power. More powerful market portfolio apps, RIA clients like flash and browser silverlight. More fluid video playback. Better response from third party SDKs. This may even speed up the completion of Flash for the platform. Better analysis.

3. Really multitask. Play a CPU instensive 3D game will listening with your favorite music app, and flipping to your email/MMS now and then to continue a conversation. Or 4-way video conference.

The list could go on and on. That’s like saying in 2000, “Why would I need more than a Pentium”?
Anonymous

What you’ve listed here is basically a bunch of things that are a) handeled by the GPU, or b) done in the cloud. A dual core CPU wouldn’t do anything.
Ryan

speech recognition in wp7 is processed in the cloud by TellMe
http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

WindowsCE kernel already supports multi-core CPUs (and supported them for like 8 years or so). It’s all about the specs and I think they will be updated for Mango.
Anonymous

It’s not just “multi-core” CPUs. It’s the mobile chipset or “System on a Chip”. This is particular to each SoC, and I am almost sure WP doesn’t have support for the dual-core SoC chipsets yet; though they’re probably working on it.

My point is not to bash WP. I just want to say this is an important feature MS is dropping the ball on and they’re already way behind.
http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

I thought SoC emulates traditional systems?

zzz

In a way, WP7 with a single core with GPU acceleration is like Android with dual cores.

Anonymous

You’re right, the 8255 has the Adreno 205 GPU which is much faster than the Adreno 200 in all the current devices.

http://twitter.com/JLancaster3 J Lancaster

I was hoping for mango to bring out the front facing camera. DLNA sounds awesome. I’d love to have some “play to” on my phone.

Anonymous

LG already has DLNA, but it really should come with WP7.

Anonymous

Why would they even show that thing, it is so run of the mill. And those specs, ugh. Very unimpressed…
http://twitter.com/imaxxhd Maximilian Hernandez

for those specs this must be a budget phone which will bring more people towards the platfrom
Anonymous

When I heard Acer was going to make a WP, I figured we were going to see some good devices, like their Iconia Tabs, but this is a joke, hopefully their going to scrap this project and design a brand new phone for this amazing OS.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Sergey-Durnov/100000964100298 Sergey Durnov

It will be good working horse if price won’be high
http://www.itrush.com Cool New Gadgets

Nice features.. can’t wait to hold one really.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ricardo-Dawkins/746307628 Ricardo Dawkins

oh man…Looks like Nokia will have to bring the guns blazing for rescuing Windows Phone from these embarrassing partners like Acer, LG, HTC and Samsung.

http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

Spot on!
http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

Spot on!

Oshalabi9

to be a winner the screen needs to be at least 4.3 , have a front facing camera , have dual core for extra selling point. that’s to be a winner home run. why would anyone buy a phone and then have to upgrade in a few months. the phone needs to have a different design appeal, it needs to be sexy with shades of chrome and practical. DNLA is awesome.
wurstaslat

Hm anybody knows how many wp7 devices acer will release this year?
Maybe this one ist the low cost and there is an high end modell?

Even for an low cost one the storage should be increased!

Anonymous

Bingo! That was my thought as well.

Anonymous

Another Boring WP7 phone. I doubt the carriers will let this go for under $150 on contract initially either.

The problem is Microsoft.

They need to update the OS to support dual/quad core CPUs, frame-facing cameras, qHD screens, NFC chips, external storage chips, and all the other cool features Android is getting.

If Microsoft doesn’t update the OS and chassis spec, then the hardware makers have their hands tied.

How on earth do they expect to gain grown on Android with phones like this competing with the Samsung Galaxy S II. And I doubt there will be more than a $50 difference between the two phones on contract.

zzz

I think Galaxy S II variant will be coming for WP too. And don’t assume everyone in the world can afford the latest and greatest HW.

Anonymous

I’ve heard that rumor too. But I haven’t heard Microsoft announce support for dual-core or front-facing cameras in Mango.

So what will WP7.5 do with all that hardware in the Galaxy S II?

As far as the price argument goes. These phones are routinely within $100 of the flagship phones like the Galaxy S II on contract. That’s why Microsoft is having such a hard time catching up in with sales.

zzz

Currently Samsung Focus goes for $0 to $50 while high end dual cores go for $150-$300. That’s quite a bit of difference, which can pay off the data plan for one year or more. This is a big reason I went with Focus + $15/mo plan, not to mention Focus was/is the best phone out there. I don’t think MS should sell only the highest ends. It’s not like single core Focus has become slow and unusuable.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/6G3ZZJCHOLYP3S5CRCIHQ7WDSE MVIM

Nobody needs a dual- or quad-core processor in a phone. The only reason such chips even exist on the market today is because Android is so bloated and heavy that it requires that kind of horsepower. Have you ever even used a Windows Phone 7 device? It runs smooth and fast without that battery-sucking processor that’s in that Android-running LG monster with the dual-core chip.

A qHD screen would be nice, but it would also require reworking the OS to fit that resolution, just as the Chassis 2 spec will also require. With the direction smartphones are heading and OEMs lack of desire to create Chassis 2 hardware, I also feel that the low resolution option for Windows Phone will be a mistake. That wasted time and money spent releasing Blackberry clones could be used developing and selling phones people actually want.

NFC and the other stuff is just fluff. Essentially no retailers support NFC right now, and no consumers are really using it.

I’ll admit front-facing camera support will be nice for when Skype support arrives, especially if they can put it on Windows Phone before video call support makes it to Android.

What Windows Phone needs is exactly what it’s getting (minus the Chassis 2 spec). Mango is bringing new APIs for hardware that should have been app-accessible since the beginning (camera, for instance); while new hardware like the combined gyroscope/motion sensor support is good. A bump in screen resolution will become necessary next year, but for now most consumers are satisfied with 800×480. It’s a good compromise between hardware component (GPU and display) costs, and GPU and display capabilities.

Anonymous

You do realize dual-core chips use less battery but perform better right?

As for the rest of the features. Should MS wait until Android gains another 10% of global market before providing them? Because that’s what will probably happen if they keep lagging in hardware technology.

PS. I am a .Net WP7 developer. I’ve owned a WP7 phone as my only phone since ATT started selling them.

Anonymous

Better battery I get. Perform better how?

Anonymous

Another Boring WP7 phone. I doubt the carriers will let this go for under $150 on contract initially either.

The problem is Microsoft.

They need to update the OS to support dual/quad core CPUs, frame-facing cameras, qHD screens, NFC chips, external storage chips, and all the other cool features Android is getting.

If Microsoft doesn’t update the OS and chassis spec, then the hardware makers have their hands tied.

How on earth do they expect to gain grown on Android with phones like this competing with the Samsung Galaxy S II. And I doubt there will be more than a $50 difference between the two phones on contract.
cnstudio

Look at this,acer w4 is 3.6 inch.
Anonymous

I have a reccomendation for Microsoft’s Windows Phone Spec:

Manufacturer’s name/logo must be on the side of the phone… next to the camera button, OR on the back of the device with a size limit.

I personally don’t care too much if it’s on the front but I can understand why people find it off-putting, it seems to distract from the phone’s aesthetics… not that this model has a great deal.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Ricardo-Dawkins/746307628 Ricardo Dawkins

on the front….
Samsung logo looks fine on my Vibrant.
Nokia logo will look fine on my WP device.

http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

Looks like any current gen WP7 device. They shouldnt have bothered.
http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

Looks like any current gen WP7 device. They shouldnt have bothered.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeremy-L-Williams/31103731 Jeremy L. Williams

Yawn……..Wake me when Samsung announces their next-gen Mango device.
Zherby4

thie design of this phone is a joke.MS should build his phone.
WP7 mango is a great mobile operator(maybe the best) system but he need a awesome hardware.hopeful nokia will come with a wonderful phone. i cross my fingers

http://www.facebook.com/todor.tsvetkov Todor Tsvetkov

Well they’ll make dual cores but … next year = and after that my Omnia 7 will go to hell and be replaced with killer 4” Nokia dual core beast “;.;”
http://www.facebook.com/todor.tsvetkov Todor Tsvetkov

Well they’ll make dual cores but … next year = and after that my Omnia 7 will go to hell and be replaced with killer 4” Nokia dual core beast “;.;”
Anonymous

Did you just read what the man wrote? What part of cheap design did you not get?

Vinnie

Wow, what a boring phone. Hopefully Acer will release something better in the future.

Shadow

I hope so, because at this stage it is rather embarrassing for MS to have a partner like ACER.
This is a shitty phone with specs coming from the old past. It ruins the image of Windows Phone.

Dudikovich

Something’s off… why would the sign read, ‘Windows Phone 7 Mango’ and not ‘Windows Phone 7.5′?

Anonymous

Because as of today it’s only marketed as Windows Phone 7 Mango.

http://twitter.com/oslicek David Petrla

Sorry, it’s just a typical 1st gen device. Current WP7 phones use Qualcomm MSM 8250, while MSM 8255 is common among this year’s middle-class Androids. The difference is unimportant, 8250 is by no means the next generation Snapdragon.

And have you noticed the “up to” 8 GB memory? Perhaps the 4 GB option is on its way too.

This is a budget device. The only selling point could be price.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=513024116 Lundon Clark

Seriously?? wtf.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=513024116 Lundon Clark

Seriously?? wtf.
http://chmun77.myopenid.com/ Jimmy

This is disappointing….
Shadow

8GB storage…. HA HA HA It’s a joke, right?
Are we in year 2007 or what?

zzz

You will be surprised how many people use their smartphone as only a communications device (ala Blackberry) and find 8GB just fine for occasional games and media play. In fact, I bet majority of people over 40 will probably fall into that category. College kids and twenty somethings common here may not understand but MS knows because they can track storage space usage. As long as they also offer higher capacity devices, 8GB minimum option should stay.

Shadow

I can’t agree. Because of this strategy customers who need 16GB or more almost cannot find any WP7 devices.
As long as there is no slot for expandable memory, you also have to take care of the customers using their smartphone as a media player.

Anonymous

And you took off the back cover and looked inside for the microSD card slot when?

TroyS

Wp7 cant use expandable storage unless you put the SD card in before you boot it up the first time. Even then it becomes an intergrated part of the phone storage so you cant remove it. Also, the large majority of Wp7 phones so far haven’t even had slots for microSD cards

zzz

You will be surprised how many people use their smartphone as only a communications device (ala Blackberry) and find 8GB just fine for occasional games and media play. In fact, I bet majority of people over 40 will probably fall into that category. College kids and twenty somethings common here may not understand but MS knows because they can track storage space usage. As long as they also offer higher capacity devices, 8GB minimum option should stay.
Anonymous

shadow, you fucking idiot, this phone will have mango, meaning SKYDRIVE integration.

im sorry your phone still requires internal storage, an archaic storage method, but the future is WP7 with skydrive, you dumb fucking idiot.

Shadow

Does your mum know that you are playing with the computer, retarded moron ?

Anonymous

meh.. just stop there.

http://chmun77.myopenid.com/ Jimmy

Stop relying on the internet for storage. If there are no connectivity, you are just a sitting duck.
http://twitter.com/stevedhalai Steve Dhalai

What’s with the insulting comment? Do you not realise that a lot of people use their phone for Music? Heck, Zune is a major feature on windows phone 7. Do you seriously want people to upload all their music to the cloud and stream it to the phone? Do you realise how much battery life that would take up, not to mention the bandwidth AND the fact you’d have to make sure you were always in a 3G area.

Jfatkinsonjr

8gb is okay as long as you can access and store/use skydrive w 25GB or more. Also if you have sd card slot available to integrate into main memory with capacity up to 32 or even better 64 GB thats good as well.
Shadow

I think it’s time MS update the minimum requirements/specs.
- SD card slot for expandable memory shall be mandatory
- 8GB without SD card slot is not acceptable anymore when now you can find 64GB SD cards on the market. Come on.
- DLNA support
http://twitter.com/TheBigM72 Samil Shah

All the tech geeks coming on here crying about how this doesn’t have the latest hardware specs to compete with the Samsung GS2. Don’t they realise that “normal” people who maybe don’t budget too much money on phones want to buy phones too? Do they not realise how many cheaper handsets like the HTC Wildfire and ZTE Blade get sold?

The existence of cheap handsets is a GOOD thing for WP7 if you want to see mass adoption and not just restricted to a small subset of people. Actually, because of WP’s heavy optimisation and focus on always providing a solid experience, they will be very competitive at the lower end where their experience will be better than heavy android running on old hardware too.

Nokia will make expensive handsets AND cheaper handsets as will the rest going forward. Tbh, the current Windows Phones are plenty fast (mine doesn’t feel slow at all), where they can beat android is battery life – something that matters to ordinary folk.
http://twitter.com/Summerclaw Hansel

Those specs are as boring as they can get. Not redeeming qualities whatsoever. I
l’ll stay with my optimus 7.
http://twitter.com/Summerclaw Hansel

Let’s just phone this phone is for the Asian market and that is super cheap. I’m talking about Galaxy Fit cheap.
Anonymous

BUDGET DEVICE. It’s good to have it. Why? Because having a budget device means people who care little about smartphones will buy it for the $0 cost. My girlfriend (bless her little heart) picked up an Android phone because well.. it was free! It’s an Acer and the specs… no sense in upgrading it. She doesn’t care (other than she’s been trying to lift one of my Windows Phones for a bit…)