Hands on Review of Acer Iconia Tab 8W

For productivity intensive users, a Windows tablet is always one of the most preferred choices. To serve such productivity oriented users, Acer has announced the Acer Iconia Tab 8W, an 8-icnh tablets that runs on Windows 8.1 operating system (OS). It will be available for purchase by November this year. This 8-inch tablet is an affordable and travel-friendly alternative to other more popular 8 inch Android and iOS tablets.

If you are thinking of buying a Windows tablet, then you can consider this device for variety of features and attractive design it boasts of. To learn more about it read the following hands on review of Acer Iconia Tab 8W.

Design and build

  It has a grooved and textured polycarbonate back plate with metallic sides. This makes the device scratch resistant from the back. It also has all the required ports such as MicroSD, MicroHDMI and MicroUSB. Design-wise the device is impressive as the metallic edge provides it a sturdy look and yet the device is light weighted (370 g) and just 9.8mm thick. Because of the good thickness and weight ratio, Iconia Tab 8W feels comfortable in hands and it is also bag friendly.

The build quality of the device is also impressive, at least it implies that it will resist the regular wear and tear by resisting the scratch and dirt and leave us reasonably assured that it could survive regular wear and tear.

Display

Acer Iconia Tab 8W has an 8in 1280x800 HD in-plane switching (IPS) display. The display resolution is not very commendable as compared to that of other 8 inch Android and iOS tablets. But the presence of IPS technology enhances the display’s colors and whites and makes the Iconia Tab 8W’s screen pleasant to look upon. The colors are suitably vibrant and the display appears fairly bright. 

Even the texts and icons look crisp and readable. However, on viewing webpages in Windows 8.1’s desktop mode, the Iconia Tab 8’s screen might look slightly squashed. But for this Acer can’t be criticized as all 8in Windows 8.1 devices seem to have this issue.

Performance

Going by the tech specification on papers, Iconia Tab 8W can’t be called a power packed high-end device. Acer has loaded it with Intel quad-core, BayTrail-based 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z3735G processor and 1GB of RAM. With that note, it has no lags in its performance while handling software and applications like Windows/ Office, regular apps, video watching etc, but it is not a high-end 3D gaming device. But considering the USD $150 price of the device, the tech specifications seem quite justified. 

Storage and battery

The Acer Iconia has 32GB of internal storage, which is further expandable with a MicroSD card slot. Regarding the battery performance, Acer claims that the tablet will offer eight hours of multimedia usage support with one charge. 

Technical Specifications 

• Display: 8-inch display
• Resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels
• Processor: Intel 1.33GHz Atom Z3734G Bay Trail-based   quad-core
• RAM: 1GB
• Ports: MicroSD slot, MicroHDMI and MicroUSB ports
• Operating Sytstem: Windows Phone 8.1
• Weight: 370 g
• Thickness: 9.8 mm
• Price: USD $150

Overall

Considering that 8.1 is an OS majorly meant for touch devices, it can be expected that Acer Iconia Tab 8W will enhance the usability of the OS and deliver productive performance to its users. Above it, competitive pricing of the device is likely to allure the buyers looking for a budget friendly 8 inch tablet with reliable performance back up. 

The device features a good display for its price, performance is also reliable, plus the tablet comes with one year's free access to Office 365. This makes the device a great business tablet and also a great companion for travelers looking for a cost-effective platform for web access and document editing on the move. Moreover, Acer claims its battery life to be superb which makes it a complete package offered at a highly competitive price.