Review and testing of the Acer Iconia Tab A701 tablet. The first Android tablet with a Full HD screen Technical characteristics of acer iconia tab a701 64gb

Acer continues its expansion into the tablet market. After the Iconia Tab A200 (an updated version of the A500) and the A510 based on NVIDIA Tegra 3, the company announced the A701 and A700 models. They are of particular interest: these are the first Android tablets with a Full HD screen. Note that here and below, FullHD refers to screens capable of playing video with a full resolution of 1920x1080.

However, we note that these two tablets have not yet gone on sale (at the presentation they talked about July). Therefore, it is possible that Acer will overtake Huawei: the start of sales of Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD with a Full HD screen is also scheduled for July (the manufacturer presented it to journalists in mid-May).

In general, there is no doubt that in the second half of 2012 we will see a number of tablets with Full HD screens. After the release of The New iPad, manufacturers simply have nowhere to go, since in order to compete with Apple they need to produce not just a product of similar quality, but a better one (or the same one, but much cheaper). Now, in fact, it turns out that the New iPad simply has no worthy competitors. However, we repeat, the situation should change in the second half of the year. Acer Iconia Tab A700/701 and Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD - the first of potential competitors. Moreover, the Chinese will probably put pressure on the price, so Acer will have a hard time. And at the end of summer or autumn (there is no exact information yet) it will appear ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity is the successor to the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, only with a Full HD screen. It will most likely be more expensive than Acer and Huawei, but it will have the ability to connect a docking station that turns the tablet into a laptop and expands its capabilities. In general, the fight is going to be hot.

For clarity, we have included the characteristics of our main competitors in a table. At the same time, we have removed the traditional “Price” column, since of all four models presented in the table, prices are known only for the new iPad.

Acer Iconia Tab A700/701 The New iPad Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity
ScreenIPS, 9.7″, 2048×1536 (264 ppi)10.1″, IPS, 1920×1200 (224 ppi)10.1″, Super IPS+, 1920×1200 (224 ppi)
SoC (processor)NVIDIA Tegra 3 @1.4 GHz (4 cores + 1 auxiliary, ARM Cortex-A9Apple A5X @1 GHz (2 cores, ARM Cortex-A9)HiSilicon K3V2 @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARM Cortex-A9)NVIDIA Tegra 3 T33 @1.6 GHz (4 cores + 1 auxiliary, ARM Cortex-A9
GPUGeForce ULPPowerVR SGX543MP4unknownGeForce ULP
Flash memory32 or 64 GBfrom 16 to 64 GBfrom 16 to 64 GBfrom 16 to 64 GB + cloud storage 8 GB
ConnectorsMicro-HDMI, Micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jackdock connector, 3.5 mm headphone jackMicro-HDMI 1.4a, dock connector, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Memory card supportmicroSD (up to 32 GB)NomicroSD (up to 32 GB)microSD (up to 32 GB)
RAM1 GB1 GB2 GB1 GB
Camerasfront (2 MP) and rear (5 MP)rear (5 MP; video shooting - 1920×1080), front (0.3 MP)rear (8 MP), front (1.3 MP)front (8 MP) and rear (2 MP)
InternetWi-Fi on A700, Wi-Fi + 3G on A701Wi-Fi (optional - 3G and 4G LTE)Wi-Fi (optional - 3G and 4G LTE)
operating system Google Android 4.0Apple iOS 5.1Google Android 4.0Google Android 4.0
Dimensions (mm)*260×175×12.4241.2×185.7×9.4unknown263×180.8×8.5
Weight (g)675 652 unknown586

* - according to the manufacturer

So, on the side of the Acer device is the presence of Micro-HDMI and, apparently, a more powerful SoC than that of Huawei, and certainly more universal (the Chinese manufacturer will use a chip of its own design, and this, to put it mildly, is a pig in a poke; it is unknown which movies and games will play on it and which won’t). But Acer's rear camera is worse than all its competitors. Another disadvantage of Acer is the inability to work in 4G networks. To be fair, we note that although the iPad formally has support for 4G (LTE), nevertheless, it will not be able to work in Russian networks, since it is designed for a different frequency range. But Huawei and ASUS will most likely be able to, which will give them some advantage. Acer also loses in comparison in terms of dimensions: it is thicker and heavier than its competitors (except that we can’t say for sure about the weight of Huawei, but regarding the thickness - I held it in my hands, it is definitely thinner). However, Acer's design has its own appeal. That's exactly what we'll talk about design.

Design

Since the copy that came to us is an engineering sample, not intended for sale, it arrived without a box, but with a Micro-USB - USB-host adapter. According to the manufacturer, commercial models will also be equipped with the same adapter. Thus, Acer compensates for the lack of a full-size USB port in the A700/701 (it was full-size USB that was one of distinctive features models A500 and A200).

Like the Iconia Tab A200, the tablet is massive and heavy. Apparently, the entire line of Acer tablets in 2012 received approximately the same body (with some differences, of course, but the general trend is obvious).

These are rounded corners and edges, a soft-touch plastic casing, a rather massive overall appearance (Acer, unlike Samsung and ASUS, is clearly not chasing minimum thickness and device weight).

The layout of connectors and buttons differs from the Acer Iconia Tab A200. On the right is Micro-HDMI (this is a big plus!), slots for SIM cards and microSD. Both slots are hidden under a cover that you need to pry off with your fingernail to open. In the engineering sample, this lid did not open as tightly as in the Iconia Tab A200, let's hope that the same will happen in the commercial version.

On the bottom edge we see Micro-USB for connecting to a PC and charging, as well as a Reset hole.

On the left is the Power button and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

At the top there is a volume rocker and a screen lock lever, as well as a microphone hole.

Screen

Obviously, a screen with a resolution of 1920x1200 (WUXGA) is main feature Acer Iconia Tab A701. Previously, we only saw Full HD resolution on the iPad. True, in fairness, it is worth recognizing that the density of dots per inch iPad screen still a little higher, since Acer has a slightly larger diagonal, and the number of dots on each side is smaller. But, however, compared to the 1280x800 resolution that became the standard last year, this is a big step forward.

Detailed examination of the screen using measuring instruments conducted by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his conclusion.

The tablet screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, and judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, there is no anti-glare filter or it is very weak. A special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating is applied to the outer surface of the screen, so fingerprints can be removed more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was 265 cd/m², minimum - 33 cd/m². As a result, at maximum brightness in bright daylight, the screen brightness may not be enough, but the minimum brightness will allow you to comfortably use the tablet even in complete darkness. The backlight brightness is automatically adjusted using the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front camera) - in complete darkness it reduces the brightness to a minimum of 33-57 cd/m² (depending on the background of the brightness value), in a very brightly lit environment it increases it to the maximum value. The automatic brightness adjustment should be considered adequate and fast.

Brightness adjustment is apparently carried out using pulse-width modulation of the LED power supply, but the modulation has high frequency, and there is apparently an anti-aliasing filter in the backlight power circuit. As a result, the backlight at reduced brightness has modulation with a frequency of about 18 kHz and with an amplitude of less than 100%, so there is no visible flicker. However, if you look closely, you can hardly, but still notice a faint flickering of vertical stripes one pixel thick on halftone fills. Perhaps this effect is caused by the peculiarities of the algorithm for changing the polarity of LCD cells or dynamic color mixing.

This tablet uses an IPS type matrix, as a result the screen has very good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen. True, as is typical for any IPS matrix, the black field, when deviated diagonally, becomes significantly lighter and, which is not the case with all IPS-type matrices, acquires a noticeable purple tint.

It is not our rule to make direct comparisons with competitors, since we believe that based on the data presented, the reader is able to independently draw his own conclusions, but as an exception, we will compare the screen of this tablet with the screen of the new iPad, using new data on viewing angles.

To find out how screen brightness changes when deviated from perpendicular to the screen, we took a series of measurements of the brightness of black, white and gray shades at the center of the screen in wide range angles, deflecting the sensor axis in the horizontal and diagonal (from corner to corner) directions. We excluded the vertical direction, since the height of the 10-inch screen does not allow us to measure viewing angles in the used angle range using our setup. Since the properties of the IPS matrix are exactly symmetrical (without taking into account local defects) relative to the vertical axis, to save time, measurements were carried out only with a deviation to the right, but for clarity and ease of comparison, the graphs were completed with a symmetrical reflection of the curves relative to the vertical axis. Visually, at least, the screen of the new iPad is not symmetrical in properties relative to the longitudinal axis, so viewing angles were measured diagonally to the right and down and to the right and up.

Dependence of the brightness of halftones (0% - black, 100% - white) in the center of the screen on the deviation of the sensor axis (negative values ​​- to the left, positive values ​​- to the right) from the normal to the screen in the horizontal plane:

Dependence of the brightness of halftones (0% - black, 100% - white) in the center of the screen on the deviation of the sensor axis (negative values ​​- to the left, positive values ​​- to the right) from the normal to the screen in the diagonal plane:

Dependence of contrast (the ratio of the brightness of the white field to the brightness of the black) in the center of the screen on the deviation of the sensor axis from the normal to the screen in the horizontal and diagonal planes:

Black field brightness:

Reducing brightness by 50% of maximum value:

We note a smooth decrease in brightness when deviating from the perpendicular to the screen in the horizontal direction, while the graphs do not intersect over the entire range of measured angles. When deviating in the diagonal direction, the behavior of the brightness of the shades has a similar character. In terms of brightness reduction, the viewing angles of The New iPad are slightly better, since in the case of this tablet the brightness drops to 50% of the maximum value at slightly larger angles. In the diagonal direction, the brightness of the black field begins to increase sharply when deviating from the perpendicular to the screen, already at 20 degrees in the case of the Acer Iconia Tab A701 and at only 45 degrees in the case of The New iPad. Since the brightness of tablets varies, for clarity, we present graphs of the brightness of the black field as a percentage of the maximum brightness:

These graphs confirm what is also visible during visual comparison - when the gaze is deviated diagonally, the black field is highlighted to a much lesser extent on the new iPad. As a result, the contrast in the angle range of ±82 degrees for the diagonal direction in the case of the Acer Iconia Tab A701 becomes below 10:1 when the deviation is more than 72 degrees, and in the case of The New iPad does not fall below 50:1.

To quantitatively characterize the change in color rendering, we carried out colorimetric measurements for white, red, green and blue fields in the entire screen. Measurements were carried out in the angle range from 0 (the sensor is directed perpendicular to the screen) to 45 degrees in increments of 5 degrees. The obtained intensity values ​​were recalculated into delta E deviation relative to the measurement of each field at a perpendicular position of the sensor relative to the screen. The results are presented below:


It follows from the graphs that only in the case of the Acer Iconia Tab A701 and only the blue color undergoes a significant hue shift upon diagonal deviation. At the same time, the color shift of the screen of The New iPad as a whole is slightly less than that of the Acer Iconia Tab A701.

As a result, at least in viewing angles, the Acer Iconia Tab A701's screen is slightly worse than the screen of the new iPad.

This is where we will complete the comparison of screens, since the data presented below is also available in the article about the new iPad.

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good. Black-white-black response time is 53.1 ms (45.7 ms on + 7.4 ms off). The transition between halftones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) takes a total of 30 ms.

The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a significant roll in either the highlights or the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 2.26, which is quite close to the standard value of 2.2, but the real gamma curve deviates from the power dependence:

The contrast is high - 970:1. The color gamut is very close to sRGB:

The spectra are typical for devices with LED backlight view:

The balance in color temperature is good - shades of gray have a color temperature not much different from 6500 K (the range close to black can be ignored, since color rendering in it is not so important, and the error in measuring color characteristics is high.). Although the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is relatively large due to the excess of the green component. This helps to increase brightness at the expense of some deterioration in color rendering:


However, color temperature and ΔE change little over the entire relevant area of ​​the gray scale, so visually the color balance does not raise any complaints. Overall, the screen definitely deserves a very high rating.

I’ll add on my own that I personally like the New iPad’s screen more. But it is possible that the problem here is in the software part. Apple has optimized iOS and all pre-installed applications for high resolution. And third-party application developers tried to release updated versions with resolution for Retina Display as quickly as possible. Was there the same careful optimization in the case of Android? Not sure. However, we will talk about software later.

The screen recognizes ten-finger multitouch.

The actual size of the sides of the usable screen area is 21.7 × 13.6 cm. Diagonal is 25.7 cm (10.1 inches).

Platform

The tablet runs on the already familiar NVIDIA Tegra 3. And although this is not even the second tablet on this SoC, Tegra 3 is still perceived as a highly relevant new product.

We tested before ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime and HTC One X smartphone on Tegra 3. Compare performance Acer tablet With a smartphone it probably doesn’t make sense, but with an ASUS tablet it certainly does. Well, it also makes sense to compare with the Acer Iconia Tab A200 (on Tegra 2) for clarity. So these are the ones that will appear in the table. But before we start testing, let’s make a reservation that we had an engineering sample with preliminary firmware, so we should take the results with a grain of salt. Perhaps a commercial copy will be more productive.

So, in Quadrant Standard the tablet scored 3603 points. This is one of best results, although it was not possible to break the Trasformer Prime record.

The result in SunSpider 0.9.1 upset us: 2504.6 ms is less than even the Iconia Tab A200. However, we will repeat the repeatedly expressed idea that SunSpider is not entirely indicative of modern powerful tablets.

* Here and below for ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime are the test results on the latest firmware version (the operating system has been updated to Android ICS). The results of this tablet on the original firmware with Android 3.2 were slightly better in most tests.

But in the processor test, the Super Pi performed even better than the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime on the same SoC. This is a record so far.

The table below shows the results of all three tablets, rounded to the nearest 1 second.

In the comprehensive AnTuTu Benchmark 2.7.3, the tablet scored 10165 points, which is almost identical to the results demonstrated by the ASUS flagship.

But here the difference with Tegra 2 tablets is clearly visible (A701 and Transformer Prime outperform them by more than twice).

And finally, the results of the graphics subsystem performance in NenaMark2 (v2.2).

They just turned out to be very strange. For comparison, ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime in Nenamark 2 achieves 47.1 fps. And this is much more plausible, because graphic capabilities the new NVIDIA chip is the main advantage compared to Tegra 2. Therefore, the relatively low result of the Acer Iconia Tab A701 should be attributed to the imperfection of the preliminary firmware. As well as slight lags in other tests.

Operating system and applications

The tablet will come with Android 4.0 pre-installed, like all other Acer 2012 Android tablet models.

We will not write in detail about the pre-installed software, because, we repeat, we had an engineering sample with test firmware, and the set of software may change in the final version. However, one application is still worth mentioning. This is a very nice file manager.

I hope it will be present in the final version too.

However, speaking about software, we cannot ignore the question of how optimized the software for Adnroid is for high resolution. Here the impressions are twofold. On the one hand, everything looks quite correct: icons do not seem blurry, fonts both in the OS interface and in programs (both pre-installed and taken from Google Play Store) look fine. On the other hand, we cannot yet talk about any special software optimization for high resolution. That is, simply put, the amount of visual information does not increase, new details do not appear. Of course, programs and games that were originally created for high resolution will gradually appear. But the process of filling with such Google apps The Play Store will obviously be slower than with the iPad and App Store.

Autonomous operation

Unfortunately, the sample did not reflect the real situation with autonomous operation. Therefore, we omit this question. But perhaps we’ll return to it after the product hits the market. The tablet will be sold with a 9800 mAh battery.

Camera

Unlike the Acer Iconia Tab A200, the new product is equipped with two cameras. True, the resolution of the rear camera is small: 5 megapixels. For flagship model this is not enough (all competitors of a similar level are equipped with 8 megapixel cameras). On the other hand, if this allows you to reduce the cost even a little, then perhaps it will be completely justified.

The main thing is that the quality of the resulting images is very decent (by the standards of mobile devices). Of course, the detail is not as high as we would like, but there is almost no digital noise and dirt. This can be clearly seen in the fragment of the image presented above.

The tablet can take panoramas, but the resolution of the panoramas is very low (the original image below is available by clicking).

We also tried to shoot a sheet of text (magazine page) using the tablet's rear camera. The magazine was placed on a table standing by the window so that daylight fell on it (this is a condition necessary for the repeatability and verifiability of the test). The original photo can be seen by clicking on the fragment below.

The quality is not bad, all the symbols are distinguishable, but some dirt is still present.

Despite the low quality of photographs, the rear camera shoots video with Full HD resolution and very decent quality. The 30-second video, shot with the rear camera of the Acer iconia Tab A701, can be downloaded (3GPP format, size 75.9 MB).

conclusions

Acer Iconia Tab A701 is the first Android tablet with a Full HD screen that we tested. And, I must say, on the whole it pleased us and strengthened our opinion that Acer’s market share in the tablet segment will be not only no less, but more than before in the second half of the year. Acer can only be praised for being one of the first to introduce new technologies and present them to the user at a reasonable price. At least that's how it used to be. How fair the price will be for the A701 remains to be seen. And, note, this will be a key factor. Because this model will have to compete with two very serious competitors: Full HD tablets from ASUS and Huawei. If Acer can set a price lower than ASUS and roughly on par with Huawei, then the A701 (and its twin brother the A700) will emerge victorious from this battle.

But what all Android tablets with Full HD screens are losing to is the new iPad (which, by the way, recently went on official sale in Russia). The iPad has not only a better screen (both in terms of dots per inch and viewing angles), but, more importantly, applications (including games) that make full use of the high resolution. It is clear that most applications in the App Store have not yet received optimization for Retina Display. But, at the same time, there are already wonderful games with high-resolution graphics, and the process of replacing old versions of applications with new ones will go very quickly. On Android everything will be much slower - precisely because of the large fragmentation of the platform.

Therefore, you need to clearly understand why exactly you are buying an Android tablet with a Full HD screen right now (that is, this summer or fall, until Full HD becomes the general standard for tablets). I see the following options here. First of all, watching movies - and just for this application the same Acer Iconia Tab A701 is better suited than the iPad, since the screen has an aspect ratio of 16:10, which fits well with the “cinematic” aspect ratio of 16:9, and movies are not requires transcoding (even without hardware acceleration, Tegra 3 runs Full HD video). In addition, this, of course, is a foundation for the future. In the end, such an expensive toy is bought not for a year, but for at least two or three, so if you are aiming at buying a 10-inch Android tablet and are not very constrained by funds, then looking at standard resolution models is, by and large, already an option. doesn't make sense. But which model to choose from those with a Full HD screen is a question that we cannot answer yet (since, we repeat, the Acer Iconia Tab A701 is the first such tablet in our testing). But we can say for sure that high resolution is the future.

The tablet was officially presented in Russia at an Acer press conference at the end of May. Let me remind you that last year the line of tablets from Acer was represented by only three models: the regular A500, the compact A100 and the W500 running on Win7. This year the manufacturer slightly expanded the lineup: V budget segment The A200 “plays”, the average is the A510, and the company’s flagship is the A701, to which this review is dedicated.

Equipment:

  • Tablet,
  • Charger,
  • USB-OTG cable,
  • instructions,
  • warranty card.

Appearance, control elements, body materials

At first glance at the A701, you can immediately recognize a tablet from Acer; the design echoes both the junior A200 model and the mid-range A510.

At the top end there is a volume rocker and an automatic screen rotation mode switch. The rocker has small protrusions that make it easy to feel it blindly.


On the right you can see the microHDMI connector, and hidden under the flap are slots for a memory card and a SIM card.


On the left is the power button and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The button has a built-in indicator light, it blinks white during missed events and lights up when the tablet is connected to the charger.


The bottom end has a standard microUSB connector and a “Reset” hole. The connector used is slightly different in appearance from most of its analogues, but this does not appear in any way during use. By the way, the same connector is used to connect the tablet to the docking station.


The back is made of rubberized plastic, pleasant to the touch. Thanks to the use of such material, the A701 is comfortable to hold and does not slip out of your hands. The only elements here are two stereo speakers with Dolby Mobile support, a microphone hole and a rear camera. The decision to place the speakers at the bottom at the back is not the best, but I was surprised to find that even with this arrangement, you can watch movies or listen to music without headphones just fine. The sound of the speakers is truly spacious; even the average user, and not just an audiophile, can feel this.




There are no complaints about the assembly, all parts fit tightly together, there are no backlashes, creaks or cracks. The only plug used is made to a good standard; it will not come loose even after a long period of time.

Dimensions

The A701 has the usual dimensions for ten-inch tablets; it doesn’t stand out much in size. However, the tablet is thick, and this is especially noticeable compared to the same Note 10.1. By the way, some users note that for them the difference in thickness is not very noticeable. The A701 also stood out in terms of weight, and again not in better side: The tablet weighs almost 700 grams. And this despite the fact that competitors weigh from 550 to 600 grams. Some people like this heaviness, they “feel that there is a thing in their hand, and not a plastic toy,” but of the two tablets, all other things being equal, I would prefer the lighter one.

  • Galaxy Note 10.1 - Dimensions: 262x180x8.9 mm, weight 600 grams
  • Acer A701- Dimensions 260x175x11 mm, weight 685 grams
  • Asus TF700- Dimensions 263x181x9 mm, weight 586 grams

Screen

One of the two main advantages of this tablet is, of course, the high-resolution 10.1" display used. Matrix type - IPS, resolution 1980x1200 pixels. The screen is covered protective glass Gorilla Glass, which protects against most accidental scratches, however, it is important to remember that if you really want to, the tablet can still be scratched. The tablet has a light sensor that automatically controls the brightness level.


At the Acer press conference, I already had the opportunity to get acquainted with this tablet, and then, to be honest, its screen did not impress me at all. Roman Belykh, who was with me at the conference, also noted that the screen did not feel “super clear,” but we both then They agreed that for final conclusions it is necessary to use the A701 for a long time.

After several days of testing, I can say with absolute confidence that the A701’s screen is excellent. The high resolution feels great when navigating menus, watching videos, surfing the web, and reading. The fonts look smooth and the images are bright and clear.


Around the same time, I had the Galaxy Note 10.1 on hand, the screen of which also seemed very good to me, but after the A701, pixelation was clearly visible on the Note 10.1. In the sun, the image on the screen fades, but it is still visible. The use of such a high-quality matrix is ​​a definite plus for the tablet.

Screen comparison with Galaxy Note 10.1:






Performance

The device is built on the basis of a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor operating at a frequency of 1.3 GHz. Volume random access memory- 1 GB capacity internal storage- 32 GB.

The presence of Tegra 3 is the second significant advantage of the tablet. The solution from NVIDIA has a number of advantages; I described them in detail in “Operating Experience with Asus Transformer Prime” I strongly recommend that you read that part of the article.

Despite the presence of such a powerful hardware, desktops on the A701 are slow, perhaps due to the high resolution. However, third-party launchers, such as Yandex.shell, work quickly and without stuttering. As for the browser, pages load very quickly, there are no problems here. Another lagging element was the Acer Ring, and this surprised me, because on the same Acer A200 it worked quite quickly. Otherwise, there are no complaints about performance; games, videos, multitasking - the A701 copes with all this perfectly.


operating system

The model is equipped with one of latest versions OS Android - 4.0.4. There is no information regarding the update to 4.1 yet, but personally I don’t see any reason for the absence of this update, given that the A701 is flagship tablet companies for the next six months.



Lock screen. To unlock your device, you need to swipe the lock icon to the right. And on the left side there are 4 customizable shortcuts; to open the application, just “swipe” in its direction. The position of the release ring can be adjusted.



Acer Ring. There is a green dot in the center of the notification panel. When you tap on it, a ring with settings opens. There are 4 shortcuts around it, by default they are Browser, Gallery, Quick Screenshot and Settings, but you can easily change them in the same settings. The standard combination of on + volume down buttons for screenshots also works. Something interesting: screenshots taken using the ring are saved to dcim/screenshots, and using the standard combination - to pictures/screenshots. To the left of the ring is a volume slider, and to the right is quick access to your bookmarks. A beautiful and functional addition, and most importantly, you can disable it if desired.



Weather and clock widgets. Two beautiful widgets from Acer.


Browser. A built-in QR code generator has been added to the browser; just click on it, and the ready-made code for the page you are viewing will appear on the screen. The second addition is a “slider” on the right side of the screen, which makes it convenient to scroll through pages.




File manager from Acer. Unlike the A200, here they decided to use a conductor of their own design. It looks great and all the basic features are available. Convenient display of free space.




The A701 also has its own applications for viewing photos, videos and listening to music, I will talk about them in the “Multimedia” section.

Notice how carefully Acer adds improvements; they are almost invisible, but they make life much easier. I am much closer to this approach rather than completely “shovelling” the system, as in Samsung tablets.

Autonomous operation

The model has a battery with a capacity of 9800 mAh. A very impressive figure. However, due to the “gluttonous” screen, the tablet does not demonstrate phenomenal time battery life.

When watching FullHD video at maximum brightness and maximum volume with headphones (Wi-Fi turned off), the tablet lasted 5 hours 55 minutes.


When reading at 10% brightness (automatic paging mode enabled, Wi-Fi disabled), the A701 charge lasted for 8 hours 48 minutes.


Of course, when using medium brightness and not so heavy video files, the operating time may increase. And the “average” A701 user will live without charging for three to five days.

Multimedia

The A701 has a proprietary video player, gallery and music player(however, it is worth noting that the “stock” applications were not removed).

Music. If your music collection includes covers, then you will be very pleased with the appearance of this player. As for the functionality, it is on basic level: You can create playlists, play in shuffle mode, and repeat a track/playlist. There is no playback by folder, nor is there a widget for the lock screen.






Video. The simplest video player. Supports MKV container and movies in resolutions up to 1080p inclusive. However, there is no support for avi and divx. However, the problem is easily solved by installing MX Player/Dice Player.



Photo. The program has two screens, in the first the photos are sorted by folders, and in the second by time. Sorting by folders, in my opinion, is done very nicely.



Interfaces

  • Wi-Fi (b/g/n)– the tablet catches the network perfectly. There are no problems.
  • Bluetooth 2.1 EDR– most profiles are supported, including A2DP.
  • GPS– cold start takes about 20 seconds. Installed for navigation Google Maps and Google Navigation.
  • 3G – Mobile Internet works without any complaints. I didn't find any problems with it.

Camera

The A701 has a 5 MP rear camera with autofocus and a 1 MP front camera.



In the camera settings you can change the white balance, change the focus mode and enable geotagging. Timer shooting is also available.





The video camera shoots videos in three resolutions: VGA (640*480 pixels) 720p (1280*720 pixels) and 1080p (1980*1080 pixels). In addition, you can set the audio recording mode (normal, concert, dictation).






The front camera supports video calls via Skype, but the tablet is not yet certified for it, so the picture quality deteriorates significantly.

Examples of photos taken with the main camera:


Skype image quality

Conclusion

I was asked about the compatibility of applications with a high resolution tablet, I would put this question in a separate section, but the answer is simple and trivial: there are no problems, most programs launch correctly, as for games, they open in a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, you can see that the picture worse than it could have been.

The average cost of a tablet is 21,500 rubles for the version with 3G and 32 GB internal memory. In my opinion, this is a good price tag for a tablet with a FullHD screen and 3G support. Who is the target audience of the A701? It seems to me that these are users who want to watch videos in high definition, and also simply want to have a tablet with a high-quality screen and an affordable price. It is important to note that most of these users, for one reason or another, do not like The New iPad, which is why they choose an Android solution.


Acer is no longer a newcomer to the tablet market and is one of the top three sales leaders in our country along with Samsung and Apple. In this review, we are going to look at the company's flagship device - the Iconia Tab A701 model, which has a Full HD screen, runs on NVIDIA Tegra 3 and costs quite a reasonable amount of money.

Specifications Acer Iconia Tab A701:

  • Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA 21 Mbit/s (850/900/1900/2100 MHz)
  • Platform (at time of announcement): Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
  • Display: touch, capacitive, 10.1", 1920 x 1200 pixels, TFT IPS, 224 ppi, Gorilla Glass, 10 multi-touch
  • Front camera: 1 MP
  • Rear camera: 5 MP, Full HD video recording@30fps
  • Processor: quad-core, 1.3 GHz, NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30S
  • Graphics chip: 520 MHz ULP GeForce
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Built-in memory: 32 GB/64 GB
  • Memory card: microSD (32GB)
  • A-GPS, GLONASS
  • Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
  • Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • microUSB 2.0
  • microHDMI
  • Accelerometer, light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer
  • Battery: Li-ion, 9800 mAh
  • Dimensions: 260 x 155 x 11 mm
  • Weight: 680 g
  • Form factor: monoblock with touchscreen
  • Type: tablet
  • Announcement date: May 2012 July
  • Release date: July 2012

Video review

Design, construction and equipment

The tablet comes in branded packaging, on which you can see all the main characteristics. Inside, everything is not so rosy, the kit is quite meager - only a charger, several different pieces of paper with instructions and an adapter for connecting USB flash drives. There is no cable for synchronizing with a PC, and the charger is not detachable. Despite the fact that now everyone probably has a cable for synchronizing with a computer (luckily all the connectors are standard), such an accessory would clearly not be superfluous. But let's move on to the most interesting thing - the tablet.

When you take the device in your hand for the first time, you immediately notice its considerable weight (as much as 685 grams) and the very practical design of the case. The back panel is made of pleasant perforated soft-touch plastic, which does not slip at all in the hand and is not very susceptible to scratches (hello Samsung tablets!). On the same side we can see the company logo, the Dolby Digital Plus marking, which means that the device has everything in order with sound, a microphone hole and a peephole of a 5-megapixel camera without a flash. On the front side there is a 10.1” Full HD screen, front camera and logos. On the left side there is a power button and a headphone jack. The right side is equipped with slots for a SIM card, microSD with a cover and a microHDMI connector. It seems that both ends are covered with metal plates, but it is just plastic painted to look like metal. On the top side we can see metal volume controls and a screen lock, as well as a microphone. At the bottom there are stereo speakers, a microUSB connector for connecting charger and sync cable, hole for emergency reboot.

The build quality of the tablet is excellent, except for a small gap in the plug right side may spoil the impression slightly. Overall, this is a tough, practical, heavy and business tablet. It doesn't look like a plastic toy and inspires a feeling of reliability, as if hinting that only it can become an ideal workhorse.

Software

The device operates under Android control 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Before us is almost pure Android with no big amount interesting and useful improvements from the company, as well as a large amount of proprietary pre-installed software. But first things first.

Immediately after switching on, the device prompts you to register with Acer to receive various up-to-date information and support. The desktop is absolutely the same as on all similar tablets, but the status bar is unusual. In the center of the line you will notice a green dot - it is responsible for launching a proprietary interface designed for quick access to functions and bookmarks. The drop-down window has been slightly modified. The lock screen has also been slightly improved.

There are several proprietary items in the Settings menu. Dolby Mobile is responsible for improving the sound; there are several settings. In the Ring item, you can configure your favorite functions for the proprietary ring interface. The Lock Screen Applications section speaks for itself. Acer Print offers to add your devices to the list of printers and simplify the process of printing documents.

I will not list the entire standard set of applications, but will focus on the programs pre-installed by the company, since there is something to look at.

First of all, I would like to note three branded applications, combined into a folder with the strange name clear.fi - these are Photos, Videos and Music. The photo is a gallery with the ability to view the timeline and connect to those nearby wireless devices. Music and Video are made in the same style, but functionally they are not very different.

The Files application is a file manager (which is logical). It is quite convenient and visual, so it will completely relieve a potential tablet owner from having to search for a file manager on Google Play.

7 Digital is a music store and player at the same time. Here you can listen to song previews, check out new releases and buy songs to listen to on your tablet. There is a built-in scrobbler on Last.FM.

There is an Amazon Kindle client, so you can purchase literature if you wish.

Aupeo! is an Internet radio with easy controls, a nice design and some proprietary features like your musical DNA, a selection of music to suit your mood, and the ability to purchase songs. The only negative is that it is a little slow.

EquiView, as I understand it, is designed to connect to wireless projectors and demonstrate all your goodness. Unfortunately, I don’t have such things, so I couldn’t test the program.

The pre-installed Barcode Scanner will help you recognize barcodes, and Virus Scan from McAfee will protect your tablet from viruses (which, we can say, are not there, if you don’t install something from nowhere and allow dubious programs to do whatever they want with your device).

With Zinio you can buy various magazines. Russian editions are available, which is very pleasing. It's also nice to see Polaris Office and Evernote on the list. The first is for reading and editing documents, and the second is for creating and storing notes.

You can also note the presence of pre-installed games - Real Racing 2, Monopoly and HW Solitaire SE. All done on high level, it's a pleasure to play. And if that's not enough for you, other high-quality toys can be found in TegraZone and Google Play.

The rest of the programs are standard for all Android tablets, so I suggest you familiarize yourself with them using the screenshots.

Camera

Taking pictures with a tablet is an activity for perverts, but nevertheless, the A701 copes with this task perfectly. The photos are so-so, but the video is quite good.

User experience and performance

The tablet boasts a quad-core processor and a powerful video system – Tegra 3 rules the roost here. Accordingly, there are practically no brakes. Practically - because we must take into account that the screen resolution here is 1920x1200 (not 1920x1080 pixels, please note), and not always everything can be perfectly smooth and fast. But the screen is really gorgeous. After this, I don’t really want to look at 10” tablets with HD panels; the ladder and unclear fonts immediately catch my eye. But the response speed of the screen is not the highest, this is noticeable in comparison with the Galaxy Note 10.1, for example. Like yellowness white Acer's TFT IPS screen compared to Samsung's TFT PLS screen, but these are features of different display technologies. However, if you do not compare directly, the screen will satisfy most users; it is really very good, and in terms of clarity it is generally one of the best.

As for performance, the tablet copes well with all everyday tasks, however, problems may arise with the compatibility of applications or games, since not all developers have yet added support for Full HD screens to their creations. In my opinion, the more serious problem is the heating of the right side of the device. As soon as, for example, you launch about 12 program updates on Google Play, start playing something heavy, or even just start Internet radio, your right side turns into a red-hot piece of plastic. Only some kind of cover will save you here. Well, or a habit. However, this is not the only tablet on the market that suffers similar problem. Suffice it to recall at least the same new iPad.

The benchmark results, I think, speak for themselves. Having a screen with such a high resolution, the Acer A701 shows results comparable to its classmates (but with lower resolution screens). In NenaMark1 the tablet showed a result of 59 fps, in NenaMark2 – 36.6 fps, in AnTuTu – 10,787 points, in Vellamo – 1322, in Quadrant – 3081.

Regarding toys, everything is as it should be - the device will handle any modern games, be it Dark Meadow, Dead Trigger or Real Racing 2.

The battery here is quite impressive, almost 10,000 mAh, which certainly has a positive effect on operating time. With moderate use, you can safely count on two to three days. The tablet passed the Full HD video playback test with a result of 6.5 hours.

The advantage of this particular copy is SIM support, which means that you will not be left without the Internet at the wrong time and can even write an SMS to someone. You won't be able to call, though. In general, working with messages did not cause any complaints.

In general, the device works very quickly, small stutters or slowdowns can be attributed to the high resolution and not high speed screen response, which, according to rumors, should be fixed in the new update, since there is supposedly some kind of software bug. No software malfunctions were detected, the tablet did not reboot and did not complain about a lack of RAM.

Bottom line

Acer has made a good tablet with an excellent price-quality ratio, which, moreover, has no competitors. You can remember ASUS Transformer Pad 300 32Gb 3G and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 P5100 32Gb, but the first one has a lower screen resolution, and the second one also has weaker hardware, and their prices are comparable. If we close our eyes to minor shortcomings, of which there are nothing at all, then we have before us the best representative of Android tablets in the price category up to 25 thousand rubles (the version with 64 GB of memory and 3G will cost 23), offering maximum performance, excellent screen and practical, well-built body.

After the iPad, it's hard to look at other tablets. However, even Apple's most ardent supporters can't deny that Android is growing. The fourth version of this operating system has become much better. True, the ecosystem of Android tablets is still much inferior to iOS. In particular, there are much fewer programs optimized specifically for tablets, especially games. The second disadvantage is the incorrect operation, especially of the browser. If on iOS everything is fast and smooth, all elements are scrolled and opened, and the browser does not close by itself, then for Android this is a thing of the future. It is enough to go to any complex website and walk around its non-mobile version to understand what I mean. For example, you can look at photos of hotels on TripAdvisor. Believe me, the difference is felt immediately, and it is still huge in such things.

On the other hand, there is functionality on the Android side. Here's your support Adobe Flash, and open file system, and much more. For example, you won't be able to use Flash properly on your iPad even after jailbreaking it. Torrents are also available natively on Android. There are many similar examples, but the essence is the same - iOS tablets are much less functional. But faster and more convenient. In general, there is no perfection in the world. Windows 8 is coming to the market in the fall, and I personally have high hopes for it, since neither Android nor iOS are suitable for full-fledged work; you need Windows. Let's see how Microsoft transfers its brainchild to mobile platforms; it didn't work out well with the "Seven".

But this is a prospect from the future, and for now there is only one real alternative to the Apple iPad - numerous tablets running Android 4.0 ICS. If you need functionality, there is an option to sacrifice the smoothness of iOS. An excellent candidate for the role of such an alternative could be the new Acer Iconia Tab A701. It differs from many Android brethren in one very important point - it has a Full HD screen, which means that the Taiwanese manufacturer is making an application almost on par with new iPad. If the latter has a resolution of 2048 x 1536, then the A701 has 1920 x 1200. There has never been anything like this among the Android variety.

SpecificationsAcerIconiaTabA701

  • Network: HSPA+ 21Mb/s 900/1900/2100, EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
  • Operating system: Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, Acer Ring interface
  • Display: 10.1" WUXGA Full HD, 1920 x 1200 pixels
  • Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 3, 1.3 GHz, four cores + additional fifth
  • Memory: 1 GB (RAM), 16/32/64 GB (ROM), microSD slot
  • Camera: main 5 MP with autofocus, no flash, 1080p video recording, front
  • Communications: Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 3.5 mm jack, A-GPS
  • Battery: 9800 mAh
  • Other: Micro USB 2.0 Type B port supporting USB 2.0 user/2.0 host, HDMI Type D, Dolby Mobile 3+, stereo speakers
  • Dimensions: 260 (L) x 175 (W) x 10.95 (H) mm
  • Weight: 705 g
  • Start of sales, price: June, price from 21,990 rubles

Design, ergonomics

Externally, after the iPad, all Android tablets seem too simple and plastic. The only exception is, perhaps, ASUS Transformer Prime. On average, Android tablets can be lighter, thinner, more compact, more practical, etc., but the metal body of an Apple product is always more solid and more expensive. Even hardcore fans of Android devices admit this. The new product from Acer is no exception. Despite the high cost, the A701 looks simple, without any frills. There is no metal (only buttons), the body is completely plastic. On the other hand, metal is not always good. Yes, it feels expensive, but it scratches faster, and in the cold it is also too cold to hold the tablet without gloves. By the way, an interesting point: metal was in the hit tablet A500, but then Acer for some reason abandoned it. In my opinion, the decision is ambiguous.

What I liked about the exterior of the A701, everything back panel rubberized. Accordingly, the case is not so easily soiled and is more practical. In addition, the tablet is well assembled and of high quality. When squeezing, nothing creaks, there is no play. What I didn't like was the massiveness of this model. The plastic A701 is even heavier (705g) than the new iPad. In addition, it is thicker (10.95 mm). As a result, it is difficult to hold the new Acer product in your hands for a long time. I would like the model to be lighter - for example, the same Samsung series tablets Galaxy Tab 2 is both thinner and lighter in weight.

But the elements of the A701 are in perfect order. I would especially like to note the interface connector - it’s a regular microUSB, like most modern smartphones. Moreover, it is also used to connect an adapter to a full-size USB. The latter comes included, no need to buy anything additional. It’s bad, of course, that USB is not on the body itself, as before (with the aforementioned A500), but this is a cost of the reduced thickness. There is one point about microUSB: it is standard, but regular chargers do not fit it, you only need your own branded one. But there are no problems with connecting via cable (but again, the A701 will not charge). If you remember Sony, they solved the problem of fast charging in their smartphones, so I hope Acer will also improve this. In any case, the presence of even such a microUSB is a plus for the A701 compared to competitors with proprietary connectors.

Among other elements, I’ll note the lock slider on the top end; this is not often found on Android tablets, but it’s a useful thing. There is also a volume rocker on top. On the right is Mini HDMI, and under the flap are SIM card (full-size) and microSD connectors. On the left is a 3.5 mm audio jack and a power button. At the bottom, in addition to microUSB, there is a Reset hole and stereo speakers. As you can see, everything is in place. The A701 has enough controls, even in abundance, that we add them to the list of advantages of the device.

Let's compare the dimensions of the Acer Iconia Tab A701 (bottom) with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) and new Apple iPad (top):

Filling

The Acer Iconia Tab A701 is based on a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 chip. There is also a fifth auxiliary core, which serves to optimize power consumption when the tablet is used in simple work scenarios (for example, browsing the web or email). Nvidia claims battery life comparable to dual-core chips. In practice, everything greatly depends on the final manufacturer. Using the example of a smartphone HTC One X we have seen that the power consumption of devices with Tegra 3 can be very mediocre, but the ASUS Transformer Prime tablet, on the contrary, is very good. Let's see how Acer's new product fares with this.

Due to the average thickness of the case, the manufacturer was able to install very powerful battery as much as 9800 mAh. As a result, Acer claims up to 11 hours of battery life, which is comparable to the new iPad. In practice, the performance is not so impressive, but good. Above you can see a graph of energy consumption when playing a Full HD movie at full screen brightness with active Wi-Fi. At medium intensity, the A701 is quite enough for a couple of days. If you actively use Wi-Fi, then for about a day. As for the operating speed, there were no surprises here - the model is approximately on par with the ASUS Transformer Prime. The A701 plays Full HD movies without any problems and easily outputs them via HDMI.

Due to Full HD, you can sometimes notice slight slowdowns; the tablet does not have time to quickly render everything in such a high resolution. But the delays are small, nothing critical. But there may be problems with the software, as with any non-standard resolution (see screenshot of the Vellamo benchmark above). Also, some games from the Tegra Zone are not available on the A701, although the model is based on Tegra 3. In particular, I had a problem with Dark Meadow (see screenshot below). I hope that these are the costs of the pre-sale sample, and by the start of sales Acer and Nvidia will optimize the software.

Now I’ll tell you about the main feature of the A701 – the screen. Acer has released the first Android tablet with such a high resolution. And I can say for sure, this is the best display within the devices of this platform. Used IPS matrix with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The picture is clear, juicy, with excellent viewing angles. If we compare the A701 screen with the new iPad (and where would we be without it), then I can say that Apple is not that much ahead. Acer's color reproduction and clarity are a little worse, but very close. This is a great achievement for the A701. If you want an Android tablet with the best display, the new Iconia Tab is it. Compare for yourself with the Retina of the third generation iPad:

I can’t say anything like that about the camera, the most ordinary 5 MP module without flash and with average shooting quality. No touch focus, minimal settings, etc. In general, Acer clearly did not think that the owner of the A701 would take a lot of photographs. And they did the right thing, in general, because the camera in a tablet is needed quite relatively.

Among the good points, I would like to note the presence of a front HD camera with 720p video recording, as well as video recording on the main 1080p. Here are examples of pictures in maximum quality:

Other features are typical. I will only note that there is a good amount of memory - up to 64 GB, which is enough for most. At the same time, the slot for microSD cards, and by USB yet you can connect a flash drive. The A701 has all communications, including Wi-Fi (though without 802.11a support) and Bluetooth (though version 2.1). There is no LTE and is not expected - the Tegra 3 chipset is not yet compatible with it.

Software

Acer Iconia Tab A701 runs Android version 4.0.3. As I wrote above, this OS is still inferior in terms of ecosystem and stability/correctness/speed to its main competitor iOS. But it has the advantage of better functionality. At the same time, new games for Tegra 3 are being released, which are available in a special Tegra Zone. The latter are not bad, but the additional effects compared to the regular versions are clearly not enough to attract the buyer. Until there are Infinity Blade-level exclusives on Nvidia's platform, it's unlikely to be a big incentive to buy. What is already there now you can see in the screenshots:

As for the interface, Acer has a proprietary feature called Acer Ring. This is the ring quick launch, which is available anywhere in the system (called by the central key on the control panel). It offers search, four favorite apps, a bookmark scroller, and a volume slider. Best of all, your favorite apps are fully customizable. In addition, there is a separate control circle on the lock screen, there are also four favorite applications that can also be customized. I liked Acer's idea, it's a useful thing.