Acer's Liquid E3 designed to make selfies easier

Acer plans to follow up last year's underwhelming Liquid E2 with a smartphone with a touch more pizazz. Tagged the Liquid E3, this updated Android handset has just made its debut at MWC 2014 and features a host of modern upgrades. These include quad-core processing, a big 4.7-inch screen, and a sharp 13-megapixel camera. Priced at a mid-range 199 euros, the Liquid E3 isn't unreasonably expensive either. That said, with heavy hitters such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2, and even the HTC One’s successor all poised to become realities, the E3 might be a tough sell no matter how affordable it may be.
Design
Taking front and center stage on the Acer Liquid E3 is the phone's sizable 4.7-inch LCD screen. While I haven't yet had a chance to examine the E3 in person, that fact that the display relies on IPS technology bodes well for brightness, viewing angles, and overall image quality.

Acer also describes the Liquid E3's chassis as curved and explains that this makes the phone comfortable to grip. I'd certainly like to judge this claim for myself before I officially come down on the issue.
Features and interface
Like its other handset announced at MWC 2014, the Liquid Z4, the Liquid E3 isn’t running Google’s latest and greatest mobile software. Instead both handsets come with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean installed out of the box. Acer has committed to providing an update to Android 4.4 KitKat "later this year," a statement it did not make for the compact Z4.
Acer throws in its custom UI enhancements here as well, with the Liquid E3 able to perform some slick interface tricks. Most interesting is what the company calls AcerFloat, which lets you multitask by keeping numerous application windows open simultaneously, floating about the home screen as it were. Whether the ability actually proves useful and not merely a confusing gimmick remains to be seen.
Camera
On the back side of the Liquid E3 is the phone's main 13-megapixel camera with LED flash which is par for the course as mid to high-end smartphones typically go. What's really unique about the E3, however, is its front-facing imaging system.
Pointing face-forward is a 2MP shooter for stills and video, plus a flash to nab pictures in low-light. Acer touts this will help users grab selfies of themselves and others in more locations than ever before. I admit it's a novel idea but I'd rather just have a better performing camera that could function without bathing everything in unnatural lighting.
Core components
Running the Liquid E3's software show is a quad-core 1.2GHz processor backed up by 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. This component load-out is on the low side, though I freely admit I have highfalutin taste. I am concerned that Acer neglects to mention the exact brand of CPU which drives the E3. I also hope the phone has an expansion slot for popping in extra storage since 4GB is mighty tight.
Outlook
Acer says it will ship the Liquid E3 in Europe by April of 2014 for a suggested price of 199 euros ($273).