6 questions you wanted to ask about Acer's Liquid Jade Primo

Acer’s Liquid Jade Primo was the very first Windows Phone flagship to be announced in 2015, albeit with a delayed release of over a few months. The device will come out later this year, and will be targeted at business users, much like the Windows Mobile powered HP Elite X3. Any one still thinking about this device will have a few questions about it, so we’re answering some of the most obvious ones in the short list below.

Is it an Android Hand Me Down?

In the Windows Phone ecosystem, Windows Phones produced from Android OEMs have typically been Android hand me downs. The HTC One M8 and Samsung Ativ series were often rebranded versions of pre-existing Android devices. Even the minor LG Lancet was a Windows device that had an Android counterpart already. The Jade Primo reverses that dynamic and instead, the phone now known as the Android Jade 2 was first introduced to the world as the Acer Liquid Jade Primo at IFA then later CES. It is a powerful handset, that was built with Windows in mind in communication with Microsoft.
Is it coming to my region?

The Acer Liquid Jade Primo is launching from next month in the UK, with consumer shipments being targeted the end of the month. We weren’t given a certain date, but we were told the launch is imminent. As far as other regions go, we know it’ll be launching in the USA, and we’re fairly certain it’ll follow the launch patterns of the HP Elite X3 in launching in big markets. The bad news is, Acer isn’t planning to sell these devices directly to consumers via normal channels, they’ve noted how Microsoft has floundered, failed and lost oodles of money in trying, so they aren’t going there. If say Carphone Warehouse was to approach them for stock, they wouldn’t turn it down, but I don’t imagine they’ll go out of their way instead.  There’s a place for Windows Mobile, and it’s not the consumer market.
How much would it cost?

The Liquid Jade Primo will be bundled with a dock for £449 in the UK (same price as the 950 XL really). I gather that it will not be sold as a solo device, but instead as a bundle for the most part. This makes sense as the device is intended to be a business focused productivity device, anyone who buys those devices is really buying them for use in the Office. They want to dock and Go, Plug and Play and work on the move. As far as pricing goes, Acer is trying to change the conversation on price there. Instead of having buyers look at the price of the device due to the Windows market mostly coalescing around the budget market, the goal is to get people to focus on the value derived from using those products

Why Windows?

Acer is typically not an OEM that makes Windows Phones, making a total of 1 really eh Windows Phone last year, and that’s why it’s so interesting to find out why they are making Windows Phones again, at a time when Windows 10 Mobile seems to be floundering and dying, The answer is simple, like we said above, Microsoft Lumia is floundering and dying, Windows Mobile isn’t. HP, Acer and other OEMs believe there is a place for Windows, and it varies from OEM to OEM. While consumers may want iOS and Android devices, Windows is still the default in the B2B Enterprise environment. A fully mobile solution is what Acer is providing here that cannot be provided on any other device. You pick up a device, you dock it, you use the mouse and you get up and go.  If your app of choice isn’t supported via continuum, no problem, Microsoft’s remote desktop tool works just fine for business users. You can remote in, do your work, and then pick up your device and move somewhere else. Mobility of experience and all that. t also makes sense for Acer, an OEM which has a business built on Windows, to offer a Windows Phone as part of their portfolio. Those are just two reasons, but I think they’re the best explanations.
What about Acer’s other Windows Phones?

Acer announced a few other Windows Phones at IFA, but they haven’t been seen in stores yet. The Liquid M330 and M320 low-end devices. We were told that these devices will be available soon, but no solid time frame. So…soon.
Does Acer have any other Windows Phones coming?

Of course yes, Acer is making a – An Acer official told us that Acer was looking into making devices for the mid range sector of the Windows platform to fill the market gap in that segment of the Windows Phone platform.