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Acer claims its €79 Liquid Z200 is the cheapest branded Android phone

The Acer Liquid Z200, an Android phone with a 4-inch WVGA display and a plastic design, is nothing if not budget-friendly. What makes it special is that it's the cheapest Android phone -- at least excluding any off-brand devices you might come across in electronics markets, Acer says. It costs just €79, and while its specs are at the low end of the spectrum, it does what it says on the tin.

Of course, this assumes that you're content with a 1GHz dual-core MediaTek SoC and 512MB of RAM. You also only get 4GB of internal storage, though Acer includes a microSD card slot to bring more media on board. There's only one camera on board, and it's a 2-megapixel module with fixed focus. Clearly, no bells and whistles here, but Acer makes no bones about this phone's cheap pedigree.

Fitting its budget price, the Z200 comes in five "fun" (read: unsophisticated) colors including neon pink and black with red accents. The look isn't sleek or sexy, but the stippled, patterned texture on the plastic backing feels good and helps your hands get a good grip. A dual-SIM version will be available, though Acer hasn't shared pricing for that model. The Z200 will hit Africa, Europe and the Middle East in early August.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.