Acer Liquid Z630S Smartphone Review

For the original German review, see here.
The Taiwanese company Acer expands its Liquid lineup by another mid-range handset in the form of the Z630S. Like the sister model, the Liquid Z630S is powered by a Mediatek processor. However, it has 8 rather than 4 cores. Beyond that, the octa-core SoC can now fall back on 3 GB of RAM. Acer has also doubled the internal storage to 32 GB ROM. The weight, screen size, device dimensions and battery capacity has not changed compared with the Liquid Z630 sister model.
Acer demands an RRP of 230 Euros (~$259) for the Z630S. Consequently, the mid-range handset places itself in one of the hardest-fought smartphone sectors. The list of potential competitors is correspondingly long. We use the rates of Honor's 5X, Asus' ZenFone 2 Laser and Motorola's Moto G 3rd Generation (2015) for comparison in this report. At a street price of far below 200 Euros (~$225), the older sister model, Acer's Liquid Z630, based on somewhat inferior equipment might also be worth a second thought.
Case
The Liquid Z630S is not a compact handset with dimensions of 156 x 78 millimeters. The edges around the 5.5-inch screen make a relatively wide impression, which is reflected in the screen-surface ratio of just 68.8 . Nevertheless, the 8.9 millimeter high smartphone is pleasant to hold with its weight of 165 grams. The lightly roughened back also contributes to that. The back cover's design looks a bit like brushed aluminum. It provides a good feel and also hides fingerprints quite successfully. It cannot, however, compete with the quality of smartphones made of aluminum or glass. The removable back allows replacing the 4000 mAh battery. Both SIM-card slots as well as the micro-SD card slot of the dual-SIM handset can be accessed after removing the battery.
The gold-colored accents on the bezel, camera and earpieces make an elegant impression. The plastic buttons for volume control, as well as the power button on the casing's right only jut out marginally from the casing. That makes their use difficult - especially since the button's pressure points are not very good. The polycarbonate casing can be dented slightly from the back, and that produces audible cracking noises. Overall, the smartphone makes a rigid and resistant impression, anyway.
Connectivity
Acer installs a generously sized internal storage of 32 GB for a mid-range handset. Comparable devices in this price range often only offer 16 GB (Honor 5X, Asus ZenFone 2) if not just 8 GB of flash memory (Motorola Moto G 2015). An SD card can be inserted for expanding the storage. According to Acer, the slot supports micro-SD and micro-SDHC cards with up to 32 GB. A 64 GB SanDisk Ultra reference card was not identified in the test.
Acer's Liquid Z630S sports a micro-USB port in standard 2.0. It can be used for recharging the LTE smartphone as well as an OTG host via OTG adapter (On-The-Go) and identifies peripherals, such as USB flash drives or external keyboards. Both were identified without problems in the test. Furthermore, the Liquid Z630S features a status LED and FM radio. The latter can be used alongside the included in-ear headphones. Moving applications to the memory card via App2SD did not function in the test.
Software
The Liquid Z630S runs on Google's Android 5.1 Lollipop with the security patch level from March 2016. The manufacturer has not stated whether an update to the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow version is planned. The user interface in the settings menu only looks marginally modified compared with stock Android. The app and folder design as well as the app drawer make a very adapted impression in contrast. Unfortunately, the manufacturer preloads many applications on the handset. They can be faded out but not completely uninstalled.
Acer's proprietary Acer UI desktop has several extra software features and its looks have been modified. It is possible to let applications, such as notes, calculator, calendar or calls, float over an opened application. The "Quick Touch" feature, for example, allows entering gestures on the screen while it is disabled. That functioned reliably in the test. Additionally, the mid-range smartphone's desktop can be adapted according to personal needs via "Acer Quick Mode". Acer also treats the Z630S to an offline navigation application dubbed "AcerNav", which uses TomTom maps without mobile Internet access.
Communication & GPS
The integrated Wi-Fi module only supports the IEEE 802.11 b/g/n standards and consequently only transmits in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. The range and signal stability are decent and are largely convincing. The Liquid Z630S sports Bluetooth version 4.0 for near-field communication. An NFC chip is not installed.
The LTE smartphone accesses mobile Internet at up to 150 MB/s in download and 50 MB/s in upload (Cat.4). It supports quad-band GSM, tri-band UMTS and LTE in the 800, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz frequencies. The connection quality was good, and the reception in a big city was reliable. Praiseworthy: Acer's Liquid Z630S has two dedicated SIM-card slots alongside an additional micro-SD card slot. Thus, the user does not have to waive expanding storage. Both SIM-card slots also support mobile LTE network access.
Acer's Liquid Z630S utilizes the GPS satellite network for localization. It quickly found satellites with an accuracy of 12 feet (approx. 3.5 meters) outdoors. It was not possible to connect to a satellite indoors. In our GPS test, deviations of approximately 230 meters between the GPS module in the smartphone and the Garmin Edge 500 GPS reference navigation system could be observed. Acer's handset is on a good level and will be more than enough for geocaching and fitness tracking.
Telephone & Call Quality
The phone app on Acer's Liquid Z630S provides the user with the most important features, such as contacts and favorites. The dual-SIM functionality has also been incorporated well in the system. The user can always decide which SIM card is to be used for calls.
We quite liked the call quality of the mid-range handset in the test. We made test calls via Skype and via the mobile network. We understood the contact and the contact understood us well.
Cameras & Multimedia
The CMOS sensor of the rear-facing camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels (3264x2448 pixels). The generous aperture of f/1.8 promises high light sensitivity and thus bright photos in dark environments. Unfortunately, an optical image stabilizer (IOS) is not installed. The photos are very good and rich in details for a device from this price range. The results of the 8-megapixel camera convinces even when objects are illuminated very differently (scene 2: Scene). Although the color reproduction is not on the level of a Canon EOD 70D, it can compete with OnePlus' 2 and even Apple's iPhone 6S Plus in the comparison (scene 2: Surroundings). Overall, the photos of the Liquid Z630s display image noise and slightly over-focused outlines in both dark and bright light conditions. The photos clearly suffer from blurriness and image noise in low-light conditions (scene 3: indoor room).
The front-facing camera also has a resolution of 3264x2448 pixels (8 MP). An 88-degree wide angle lens is also incorporated for selfies. Both the front and rear cameras in the smartphone can shoot photos via voice command. That can be particularly convenient when taking a selfie (voice command: "selfie"). Videos can be recorded in Full High Definition at 30 FPS with both cameras.
Accessories
Acer ships the smartphone only with a quick-start guide, safety information, warranty conditions, a stereo headset and modular power supply besides the battery.
Warranty
Acer's Liquid Z630S comes with a 24-month warranty period. The manufacturer only includes a 12-month warranty on the battery. Software support is also available for 180 days.
Input Devices & Handling
The Liquid Z630S has a 5.5-inch capacitive touchscreen that detects up to ten touch-points simultaneously. Acer preloads the stock Android keyboard layout for inputting; it also supports swiping and voice inputting. Inputs are implemented quickly and reliably up into the touchscreen's corners.
Display
Like its sister model, the IPS panel in the Liquid Z630S has a resolution of 1290x720 pixels. That, alongside the display diagonal of almost 14 centimeters (5.5-inches), equals a pixel density of 267 PPI. The Android-based comparison handsets can offer higher 294 PPI (Motorola Moto G, Asus ZenFone 2) and 401 PPI (Honor 5X). However, the HD panel's screen is absolutely acceptable subjectively.
The brightness measurement using X-Rite i1Pro2 results in a maximum brightness of 367 cd/m². A maximum brightness of 403 cd/m² could be achieved when the brightness sensor was enabled. The more practical APL50 test (Average Picture Level) barely exhibited differences - we measured a maximum of 382 cd/m² (black level: 0.27 cd/m²).
|
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 350 cd/m²
Contrast: 1296:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 5.6 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
Gamma: 1.84
Acer Liquid Z630S Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Liquid Z630 Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Honor 5X Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL Adreno 306, 410 APQ8016, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Screen | 13% | 5% | 26% | -2% | |
Brightness middle | 350 | 334 -5% | 535 53% | 467 33% | 418 19% |
Brightness | 345 | 326 -6% | 521 51% | 460 33% | 407 18% |
Brightness Distribution | 84 | 91 8% | 85 1% | 95 13% | 95 13% |
Black Level * | 0.27 | 0.19 30% | 0.43 -59% | 0.3 -11% | 0.49 -81% |
Contrast | 1296 | 1758 36% | 1244 -4% | 1557 20% | 853 -34% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.7 | 4.52 4% | 4.88 -4% | 3.28 30% | 3.92 17% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.5 | 8.66 -2% | |||
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.6 | 4.39 22% | 5.2 7% | 1.89 66% | 3.81 32% |
Gamma | 1.84 120% | 2.23 99% | 2.26 97% | 2.21 100% | 2.27 97% |
CCT | 6795 96% | 6917 94% | 7766 84% | 6734 97% | 7361 88% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 90.9118 |
* ... smaller is better
The contrasts of the IPS panel ascertained in the test are a bit worse than those of the Liquid Z630 sister model due to the higher black level (0.27 cd/m²). Both the color and grayscale level accuracy are below the rates measured in the sister model. The DeltaE shift of 4.7 in colors and 5.6 in grayscale are nevertheless relatively low when considering the smartphone's price. The color temperature of 6795 Kelvin also deviates only slightly from the ideal rate (6500 Kelvin). The gamma measurement of 1.84 is also clearly below the target value (< 3).
The good contrast ratio of 1:1296 ensures good screen legibility even outdoors. However, content is only difficult to read in direct sunlight - the panel finds its limits here due to the relatively low maximum brightness. Thanks to the implemented liquid crystal display with in-plane switching technology (IPS), colors of content are displayed relatively accurately. Color inverting or ghosting effects are no issue. However, the screen dims slightly and exhibits a minor bluish tint in very flat viewing angles.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15 ms rise | |
↘ 13 ms fall | ||
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 69 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
36 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 22 ms rise | |
↘ 14 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 47 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8623 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
Performance
The Mediatek MT6753 in the Liquid Z630S is an ARM SoC (System on a Chip) with a similar performance capacity as the Android comparison handsets based on Qualcomm CPUs (Snapdragon 616, Snapdragon 410) on paper. The processor's 64-bit architecture could not be utilized at test time because the system ran at 32-bit in Android 5.1. The Mediatek MT6753 ensures smooth performance in routine use, but system lags occur during multitasking.
Acer's smartphone delivers good performance in many benchmarks that is sometimes even marginally better than that of its rivals. Compared with the Liquid Z630 sister model, the plus on processor performance is evident. The Mediatek octa-core CPU ensures smooth operation in routine. System lags were also only rarely noticed during multitasking. The Liquid Z630S is placed behind the Qualcomm competition and surprisingly also behind its Liquid Z630 sister model in the browser benchmarks. The browser performance is acceptable subjectively - but the Mediatek SoC finds its performance limits with intricate website content.
The Liquid Z630S has a clear lead on Honor's 5X and Motorola's Moto G 2015 comparison devices in sequential read in the AndroBench storage test. The sequential write rates cannot live up to that.
AndroBench 3-5 | |
Random Write 4KB (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
Random Read 4KB (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
Geekbench 3 | |
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
GFXBench 3.0 | |
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Honor 5X |
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Honor 5X | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
Acer Liquid Z630S | |
Acer Liquid Z630 | |
Honor 5X | |
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL | |
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 |
* ... smaller is better
Games
Like the processor, the ARM Mali-T720 MP4 GPU integrated in the Mediatek SoC is situated in the mid-range but is inferior to Qualcomm rivals like Honor's X5. However, it offers enough graphics power to play sophisticated games from the Play Store. The user will have to count with stuttering, long loading times and reduced details.
Emissions
Temperature
Like the Acer Liquid Z630 sister model, the surface temperatures are low in both idle and load states. While the handset's rates do not surpass 29.3 °C when idling, they also remain comparatively low during permanent load at 34.1 °C. The comparison handsets show a much higher maximum temperature development with over 41 °C. Similar is true for the temperature development of the various power supplies - Acer's power supply stays agreeably cool at a maximum of 28.3 °C.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.1 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.1 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.1 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The sound quality of the Liquid Z630S is satisfactory for a smartphone. The mono speaker in Acer's handset offers good acoustics and achieves a maximum volume of 86.5 dB(A) in our tests. A decent rate that is absolutely sufficient for routine use. The sound makes a somewhat tinny impression in higher volumes.
As expected, the sound impression is very treble-heavy. The Pink Noise diagram clearly shows that lower frequencies are virtually inaudible. Furthermore, the super-high tones of over 8 KHz are evidently understated.

Energy Management
Power Consumption
In terms of power consumption, the Liquid Z630S is on par with Honor's 5X that also has a 5.5-inch screen. The comparison handsets with a 5-inch screen diagonal have, as expected, lower power consumption than Acer's smartphone. The consumption is overall acceptable. However, the power consumption is much higher than that measured in the test of the Liquid Z630 sister model due to the stronger CPU - especially in load conditions.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
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Key:
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Battery Runtime
The Liquid Z630S cannot quite match the excellent runtimes of the Liquid Z630 sister model due to the higher power consumption, although they both have the same removable 4000 mAh battery. Nevertheless, the battery lasts a very long 11 hours and 21 minutes in our Wi-Fi browsing test using adapted brightness. The smartphone needs 4 hours and 10 minutes to fully recharge a completely depleted battery.
Acer Liquid Z630S Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Liquid Z630 Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Honor 5X Adreno 405, 616 MSM8939v2, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Asus Zenfone 2 ZE500KL Adreno 306, 410 APQ8016, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | |||||
WiFi v1.3 | 681 | 839 23% | 643 -6% | 267 -61% | 526 -23% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Acer has successfully built a well-configured mid-range smartphone for a fair price in the form of the Liquid Z630S. At an RRP of just 230 Euros (~$259), the buyer gets a handset with 32 GB of ROM and 3 GB of working memory which are sooner found in the upper to premium range. The removable 4000 mAh battery also ensures long battery runtimes that are clearly superior to some Android-based rivals (Motorola Moto G 2015, Asus ZenFone 2). The photo quality of the rear-facing 8 MP camera test also convinced us in the test.
But is it really an upgrade to the very identical Z630 sister model? Not inevitably. Although, the Liquid Z630S offers more working memory, bigger internal storage and a faster processor on paper, the model update also involves considerably shorter battery runtimes and poorer rates in the display test. Furthermore, the older sister model is already available for a lower purchase price of <200 Euros (~$225).
We give a clear purchase recommendation in view of the demanded price. Users who do not really need the storage and processor upgrade might find the lower-priced sister model the better choice, though.
Acer Liquid Z630S
- 04/18/2016 v5.1 (old)
Marcus Herbrich