Acer Super ZX review: Budget phone, premium swagger

Let’s get the obvious out of the way, Acer is not the first name that springs to mind when you think of smartphones. Laptops, sure. Desktops, definitely. But phones? That’s a curveball. And yet, here we are, with the Acer Super ZX priced at Rs 9,999, and I’ve got to admit, it’s surprisingly solid.

No frills, no drama. This is a phone built for people who don’t care for unnecessary gloss but still want their tech to hold up. You get a 6.78-inch FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Yes, you read that right. A full-HD+ screen and a 120Hz refresh rate in a sub-10k phone. Scrolling through apps, playing casual games, and even doom-scrolling social feeds feels a lot smoother than it has any right to.

Aesthetically, the Super ZX plays it relatively safe. The back design isn’t revolutionary, but the triple-camera setup does make it look a little more ambitious than your average budget slab. Available in Black, Blue and Green, it’s not going to stop traffic but it doesn’t need to. It looks clean, not cheap. That’s a win in this bracket.

Under the hood is a MediaTek 6300 chipset, and this one’s a bit of a sleeper hit. Paired with a stock Android 15 experience (which, thank heavens, means zero bloatware), performance is fluid for most everyday tasks. Switching between apps, taking calls, shooting off a few emails, it’s all handled without hiccups. Even light gaming doesn’t push it over the edge.

The camera setup is where things get interesting. A 64MP main camera with a Sony LYTIA sensor, again, we’re still talking about a Rs 9,999 phone, is an eye-opener. While you won’t be shooting magazine covers with it, the output is crisp, well-detailed in daylight, and passable in low light. There are two other cameras, but let’s be honest, they mostly exist to make up the triple-camera layout. Still, it’s the main sensor that carries the load, and it does a commendable job.

Battery life is on par with what you’d expect from a 5000mAh setup. It easily lasts a day and a bit more with typical use, and 33W fast charging is a very welcome addition. You’re not left hanging for hours waiting for it to juice back up.

What Acer and Indkal Technologies have pulled off here is subtle but significant. The Super ZX doesn’t scream for attention but it absolutely deserves yours. It’s one of those rare phones that doesn’t pretend to be more than it is, yet somehow still delivers more than it promises. At Rs 9,999, this is a confident, competent phone that’s not trying to be a flagship killer. It just wants to get the job done and does it well.