Acer announces refreshed Iconia tabs, Liquid Z5 smartphone for CES

Acer is giving us a preview of what they will have on hand at next week’s gargantuan CES event, revealing updated tablets and a new smartphone all targeted as affordable devices for the masses. New devices include revised versions of the Acer Iconia A1 and B1 as well as the new Acer Liquid Z5.

All three devices are priced right around the $200 sweet spot that consumers love. The Liquid Z5 is the most expensive of the bunch, debuting at €169 in Europe. You get what you pay for at that price, though. Specs include a 5-inch display with sub-HD resolution (854×480), 1.3GHz dual-core CPU from MediaTek with 512MB of RAM, and 5MP camera. The phone will run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean when it launches later this month in European countries such as France, Germany, Spain, and the UK. No US release has been announced.

More intriguing are Acer’s two low-priced tablet options. The Acer Iconia A1 update features a 7.9-inch display with 1024×768 resolution. The tablet is powered by an Intel Atom Z2560 chipset clocked at 1.6GHz. Of the three products, the A1 is the only one currently slated for a US release. It will launch sometime this quarter for $149. In the UK it will be joined by the Iconia B1. It’s updated form carries a 7-inch display and 1.3GHz dual-core CPU for a price of €129 when it launches in the UK later this month.