The Acer Liquid Glow packs a 3.7" LCD display of WVGA resolution (480x800 pixels), which is more, in terms of both size and resolution, than you get with most of the budget and mid-range smartphones (320x480). The image quality is above average, quite fine for the class the device belongs to.
Image quality
Because of the decent resolution, at this screen size the display has a density of about 252 DPI. It brings out detailed and clear pictures because the pixels are closer together and look continuous to the naked eye. In comparison, the acclaimed Samsung Galaxy S2 display has a pixel density of "only" 217 DPI (15% below the Acer Liquid Glow).
The color reproduction is on par with comparable handsets if not slightly better. Personally I seem to prefer LCD over AMOLED; the LCD whites are not bluish and there's no trace of hue at any color level. Black is not as deep as AMOLED black because of the LCD backlight, but I can live with it.
Viewing angles are OK, but sunlight legibility could've been better. The native contrast and brightness of the screen is actually quite good, but the glass is very reflective, which damages the image quality in anything but indoors situations.
That's a pity, because if not for the glare, I'd say the screen would be almost readable under the sun. The following photos were taken outdoors (indirect light on the left, direct sunlight on the right) with the brightness set to maximum.
Overall, the Acer Liquid Glow has a "good enough" display. To be honest, at this price point I expected the display to be sub-par, but it turns out better than I thought, nice to look at.
Display Settings
Regarding the display settings, there are roughly three parameters: brightness, backlight duration, and font size. There are no picture modes available, but that's not really necessary since colors are reproduced quite faithfully (AMOLED users however -accustomed to more vivid colors- will find them a little bit dull).
The Liquid Glow has a sensor that automatically adjusts the intensity of the backlight depending on the ambient light. In the automatic mode, the brightness slider sets the maximum brightness that the sensor can use. If you do not want that the system manages the intensity by itself, you can disable the automatic mode and adjust the level manually.
About the duration of illumination setting there is nothing to write about. This turns off the display after the configured time (from 15 seconds up to 30 minutes). Business as usual.
Thankfully, the phone also offers the possibility to change the font size. This allows to select a larger size for people with visual difficulties or a smaller one for the applications to display more information on screen. However, the 3.7-inch screen size makes the standard (default) font size the most convenient. Anyway, it is always good to have a choice.
I've already mentioned it in the "First Impressions" post, but please remember the display of the Acer Liquid Glow doesn't come with a Gorilla Glass protection (it's just plastic), so you'd better shop for some quality screen protectors if you want to keep your display in pristine condition.
Review Index
- Part 1 - First Impressions
- Part 2 - The Display (you're here)
- Part 3 - Performance and Battery Life