With the announcement that most U.S. wireless carriers, including Sprint and Verizon, would be abandoning their two-year contracts, many mobile manufacturers have begun producing more affordable smartphones for the consumers.

Acer has joined the budget and mid-range market by releasing two smartphones, the Liquid Jade Z and the Liquid Z410.

The smartphones are unlocked and feature dual-SIM capabilities, so consumers have the choice of which carrier they want.

The Liquid Jade Z is Acer's mid-range smartphone offering.

The device features a 5-inch HD IPS display with a 720 x 1280 screen resolution. The display utilizes a Zero Air Gap technology that reduces reflections and glare. It is also protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 panel.

The Liquid Jade Z features a curved design and is light and thin. The device is only .5 inches in width and weighs 3.8 ounces.

The smartphone is powered by a quad-core 1.5 GHz MediaTek MT6732 processor.

Acer is also offering the Liquid Jade Z in two variations.

The Liquid Jade Z comes with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory, which is expandable through a microSD slot. The device is priced at $229.

On the other hand, The Jade Z Plus comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory and is priced at $249.

Both variants come with a 2,300 mAh battery.

The rear camera has 13 MP with an F1.8 aperture and LED flash and the front-facing camera is 5 MP with an F2.2 aperture. The camera's specs allow users to produce stunning images and selfies.

The device is loaded with the Android 4.4 Kit Kat OS.

The Acer Liquid Z410 is Acer's entry-level smartphone. The device features a 4.5-inch FWVGA display with 854 x 420 screen resolution and 218 ppi pixel density. It is powered by a quad-core 1.3 GHz MediaTek MT6732 processor.

There are also two variants available. The first version comes with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory, priced at $129. The second comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. It will be sold for $149.

The Liquid Z410 has a 5 MP rear camera with auto focus and LED flash and a 2 MP front-facing camera with an 80 degree wide-angle lens.

The device has a 2,000 mAh battery and is loaded with the Android 4.4 Kit Kat OS.

Both the Liquid Jade Z and Liquid Z410 have 4G LTE connectivity and 64-bit quad core processors, which allow users to browse, stream and download seamlessly and quickly.

The Liquid Jade Z is already available in the U.S. while the more affordable Liquid Z410 will be available by September.

Acer's new smartphone releases are affordable and quite capable. However, consumers interested in purchasing the smartphones should consider upgrading to the 2 GB RAM versions.

It is also unfortunate that the smartphones still carry the Android 4.4. Kit Kat OS, considering that the Android 6.0 Marshmallow will be coming soon. Hopefully, Acer considers providing OS upgrades for its new smartphones.