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Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 Tablet Review

New, new, new. Fresh Android, new Intel SoC, better cameras - Acer's Iconia Tab 10 aims to be better than former models. We tested the 10.1-inch tablet and now reveal whether it is worth purchasing.

For the original German review, see here.

We tested Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A20FHD last December and the Iconia Tab A3-A20 in February 2015. Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 belongs to the new generation of mid-range priced multimedia tablets. Although it no longer needs tags like "FHD", it still has a Full HD screen. Furthermore, it comes with new looks, an Intel SoC, plenty of storage, and better cameras than before. Initially all this sounds quite promising.

However, the competition has not been idle, and reasonably priced high-quality multimedia tablets are also found among other manufacturers. We use HP's Pavilion 10LG's G Pad 10Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 2, and Samsung's Galaxy Tab A 9.7 for comparison.

Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 (Iconia Tab Series)
Processor
Intel Atom Z3735F 4 x 1.3 - 1.8 GHz, Bay Trail-T
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
10.10 inch 16:10, 1920 x 1200 pixel, capacitive touchscreen, Acer Precision Plus, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 22.7 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo audio jack, Card Reader: microSD max. 32 GB, Sensors: light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, NFC
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 9.7 x 260 x 176 ( = 0.38 x 10.24 x 6.93 in)
Battery
23 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 5930 mAh, 2 cells
Operating System
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Camera
Webcam: 2.0 megapixels (front), 5.0 megapixels, AF (rear)
Additional features
Speakers: front-sided stereo speakers, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, charger, USB cable, EZ Gadget, EZ Note, EZ Snap, EZ WakeUp, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
540 g ( = 19.05 oz / 1.19 pounds), Power Supply: 93 g ( = 3.28 oz / 0.21 pounds)
Price
299 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The casing of the Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 has been revamped: Unlike the Iconia Tab 10 A3-A2, the chassis is now made entirely of plastic, and features a high-quality, embossed diamond pattern on the back. This gives the tablet good grip, and at least its back is not susceptible to fingerprints. The front features Gorilla Glass 4, which is supposedly particularly shock resistant. According to Acer, the front has been treated with a grease-repelling finish, but fingerprints are visible on the screen anyway.

We would have hoped for more in terms of stability. The casing can be warped to quite some extent, and the liquid crystals in the screen shimmer like a rainbow and form waves under the lightest pressure.

With a weight of 540 grams (~1.2 lb), the tablet is a middleweight compared with the other comparison devices. It is not quite as light as Samsung's Galaxy Tab A 9.7 but not as heavy as the Yoga Tablet 2 from Lenovo.

264 mm / 10.4 inch 170 mm / 6.69 inch 9.6 mm / 0.378 inch 590 g1.301 lbs260.9 mm / 10.3 inch 165.9 mm / 6.53 inch 8.95 mm / 0.3524 inch 512 g1.129 lbs260 mm / 10.2 inch 176 mm / 6.93 inch 9.7 mm / 0.3819 inch 540 g1.19 lbs255.4 mm / 10.1 inch 183.3 mm / 7.22 inch 7.2 mm / 0.2835 inch 619 g1.365 lbs242.5 mm / 9.55 inch 166.8 mm / 6.57 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 456 g1.005 lbs210 mm / 8.27 inch 148 mm / 5.83 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 2.9 g0.00639 lbs

Connectivity

According to the manufacturer, the Iconia Tab 10 A3-30 will be launched to the market in 16, 32, and 64 GB variants. Only the medium model is currently available. The storage can be expanded by up to 32 GB via a micro-SD card, and it is possible to move apps to the micro-SD. In addition to the 2 GB of working memory, NFC is also installed for communicating with other devices at a close range.

Software

Acer uses a barely modified version of Google's Android. Our review sample features the 5.0.2 version. Although it is not the latest, it is Android Lollipop, which offers many new functions and a reworked design compared to Android 4.4.

We appreciate that Acer does not preload any annoying adware links. The included apps are largely limited to Acer's "EZ Suite" that extends the functionality of the tablet slightly. For example, screenshot can be quickly made via "EZ Snap", gestures wake up the device via "EZ WakeUP", and handwritten notes or sketches can be created via "EZ Note". As convenient as these programs are, customers will hardly opt for Acer's tablet just based on the software.

Communication & GPS 

The integrated Wi-Fi modem supports high-speed Wi-Fi networks up to the 802.11 ac standard and the 5 GHz band. The reception was good. We still had 3/4 of the signal on Acer's Iconia Tab 10 at a distance of ten meters (~33 ft) to the router and through three walls, and pages opened relatively quickly. We could not complain about half the signal strength and slightly slower page build up even two further meters (~6.5 ft) and another wall away. In addition to Wi-Fi, it is also possible to communicate with other devices via Bluetooth 4.0 or NFC.

GPS indoors
GPS indoors
GPS outdoors
GPS outdoors

The tablet can track its position via GPS. However, this was not possible indoors, and even outdoors, we had difficulties finding a sufficiently strong signal near buildings.

We took Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 along on a bike ride for more detailed results. The Garmin Edge 500 navigation system served as a reference device. Acer's Iconia Tab 10 was not a particularly reliable navigation system. It lost our position completely in both the woods and at a crossing, and simply pulled beelines to the next target over relatively long distances. Thus, it is rather surprising that the measured route deviated by only 250 meters (~820 ft) compared with Garmin's system. The accuracy of our review sample is considerably lower in detail. Consequently, it is only conditionally suitable for navigation.

GPS Acer Iconia Tab 10 – total
GPS Acer Iconia Tab 10 – total
GPS Acer Iconia Tab 10 – woods
GPS Acer Iconia Tab 10 – woods
GPS Acer Iconia Tab 10 – crossing
GPS Acer Iconia Tab 10 – crossing
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – total
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – total
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – woods
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – woods
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – crossing
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – crossing
Front-facing camera
Front-facing camera

Cameras & Multimedia

Compared with the Iconia Tab 10 A3-A20, Acer has upgraded the cameras considerably. A 5-megapixel camera with auto focus is now installed on the rear, and 2-megapixel camera is installed on the front. There is no LED flash.

The rear-facing camera shoots somewhat grainy pictures, and image noise develops quite quickly. Color fringes around objects and a light bluish tint will not make the camera the first choice for taking vacation photos. However, it is sufficient for spontaneous snapshots. Videos can be recorded in Full HD at a maximum of 30 frames per second. The quality is satisfactory, but like the photos, losses in image quality will have to be accepted.

The front-facing 2-megapixel camera has some issues with bright backgrounds. Color fringes develop quickly around objects, and its image sharpness and color reproduction are not entirely satisfactory. However, the camera will be enough for a quick selfie.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

Accessories

Apart from a charger and USB cable, there are no other accessories in the box. Acer's website does not list any product-specific accessories tailored for the Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30.

Warranty

The purchase price includes a two-year warranty. An upgrade to three years plus one-year international warranty costs 45 Euros (~$50) extra and a three-year international warranty 60 Euros (~$66) more.

Input Devices & Handling

"No experiments" seems to apply to Acer’s virtual keyboard. The manufacturer relies on Google's standard keyboard, which is absolutely okay as the keys of Google's keyboard are very big on the relatively large 10.1-inch screen, have a clearly arranged layout, and its handling is fast and reliable using both hands.

The touchscreen is very accurate up to its corners. In addition, Acer's "Precision Plus" technology improves the accuracy, which is, for example, noticed when drawing something with a finger in "EZ Note" and even small lines are quite precise. The tablet can also be used with a pencil or any other metal object. However, very hard, pointed objects should be avoided as they might scratch the screen.

There are no touch buttons not to mention a "Home" hardware button. Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 fades in the Android menu bar on the screen, which is acceptable in the large 10.1-inch screen. The standby and volume keys on the right long side are good to use, but their pressure point could be more accurate.

Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard portrait mode
Keyboard portrait mode

Display

A Full HD screen is still a unique selling point in this price range, as the comparison devices prove. Only Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 2 also offers a 16:10 screen with Full HD. All other devices have only 1280x800 pixels or less. Consequently, the reproduction on Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A10 looks quite crisp.

Although brighter screens certainly exist, the Iconia Tab 10 is still within an acceptable range with 328.4 cd/m². The illumination of 88% is not as homogeneous as in other devices. Minor brightness differences are visible on large color surfaces.

340
cd/m²
351
cd/m²
345
cd/m²
317
cd/m²
343
cd/m²
322
cd/m²
310
cd/m²
319
cd/m²
309
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 351 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 328.4 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 343 cd/m²
Contrast: 903:1 (Black: 0.38 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.86 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 6.95 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.32
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735F, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3745, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
Adreno 306, 410 APQ8016, 16 GB eMMC Flash
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3736F, 32 GB eMMC Flash
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
Adreno 305, 400 APQ8026, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Screen
11%
9%
21%
-14%
Brightness middle
343
424
24%
394
15%
329
-4%
360
5%
Brightness
328
399
22%
392
20%
302
-8%
331
1%
Brightness Distribution
88
88
0%
80
-9%
88
0%
84
-5%
Black Level *
0.38
0.43
-13%
0.51
-34%
0.27
29%
0.82
-116%
Contrast
903
986
9%
773
-14%
1219
35%
439
-51%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
6.86
5.42
21%
3.59
48%
3.93
43%
5.56
19%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
6.95
6.04
13%
4.25
39%
3.42
51%
3.59
48%
Gamma
2.32 95%
2.6 85%
2.56 86%
2.36 93%
2.02 109%
CCT
7249 90%
6740 96%
7148 91%
6982 93%
6483 100%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
41

* ... smaller is better

Acer's Iconia Tab 10 has to be praised for its low black level of 0.38 cd/m². However, due to the low brightness, the contrast of 903:1 is only average. Colors sometimes look rather pale, black areas are quite dark and have an almost unnoticeable grayish tint at most.

The analysis using the CalMAN software and the spectrophotometer provide more details about image reproduction. A clear color tint toward teal is visible in the grayscale levels, and primarily bright grayscale levels and white deviate quite strongly from the ideal rate of the sRGB color space. Colors are too pale with a too high green part on the screen, and skin tones in particular look unnatural.

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Color Management
CalMAN Color Management
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker

The screen's content is still fairly legible in slightly brighter light outdoors. However, it gets difficult to recognize things in full sunlight. The resulting reflections are also very straining on the eyes. It is best to use the tablet in the shade or indoors.

The installed IPS screen ensures a stable image even from very flat viewing angles.

Outdoors
Outdoors
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

Acer has selected a thoroughly potent SoC for its tablet. Intel's Atom Z3735F has four cores and clocks at up to 1.83 GHz. Since the SoC does not support Hyperthreading, the cores can only process one core at a time. Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 ascends to the top in terms of performance among the comparison devices. However, its edge on Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 2 is not that great. HP's Pavilion 10 can also keep up quite well in some benchmarks. Experience shows that the SoC has more than enough power for Android apps.

Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
781 Points
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
729 Points -7%
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
327 Points -58%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
764 Points -2%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
465 Points -40%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
2118 Points
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
1941 Points -8%
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
1075 Points -49%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
2426 Points +15%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
1443 Points -32%
Linpack Android / IOS
Single Thread (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
145 MFLOPS
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
85.2 MFLOPS -41%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
208.5 MFLOPS +44%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
0 MFLOPS -100%
Multi Thread (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
300 MFLOPS
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
242.3 MFLOPS -19%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
607 MFLOPS +102%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
MFLOPS -100%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
5281 Points
AnTuTu v5 - Total Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
35210 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
17247 Points -51%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
33318 Points -5%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
20887 Points -41%
Smartbench 2012
Productivity Index (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
3316 points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
4718 points +42%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
9045 points +173%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
4660 points +41%
Gaming Index (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
3250 points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
2759 points -15%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
2781 points -14%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
3382 points +4%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
971 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
523 Points -46%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
577 Points -41%
System (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
1520 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
707 Points -53%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
1050 Points -31%
Memory (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
924 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
493 Points -47%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
537 Points -42%
Graphics (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
822 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
399 Points -51%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
312 Points -62%
Web (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
769 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
537 Points -30%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
633 Points -18%

Legend

 
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 Intel Atom Z3735F, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2 Intel Atom Z3736F, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG G Pad 10.1 V700 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 APQ8026, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F Intel Atom Z3745, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555 Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 APQ8016, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 16 GB eMMC Flash

The tablet has to cope with HTML5 elements, such as animations and videos, on modern websites. The Iconia Tab 10, however, renders web contents very well in the Chrome browser, and takes the first place in almost all benchmarks.

Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
6438 Points
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
2958 Points -54%
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
1810 Points -72%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
6057 Points -6%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
2925 Points -55%
Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
6634 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
1811 Points -73%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
6176 Points -7%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
2874 Points -57%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
109 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
47 Points -57%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
5410 ms *
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
9992 ms * -85%
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
16134 ms * -198%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
6105 ms * -13%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
13257 ms * -145%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
923 ms *
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
504 ms * +45%
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
1137 ms * -23%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
753 ms * +18%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
1584 ms * -72%

* ... smaller is better

The storage in Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 is very fast, and outruns the comparison tablets. The 32 GB capacity can be expanded via a micro-SD card.

AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
142 MB/s
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
112.7 MB/s -21%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
109.7 MB/s -23%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
144.7 MB/s +2%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
56 MB/s
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
16.31 MB/s -71%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
24.78 MB/s -56%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
58.9 MB/s +5%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
24 MB/s
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
15.5 MB/s -35%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
9.76 MB/s -59%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
21.56 MB/s -10%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
6.3 MB/s
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
1.7 MB/s -73%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
1.05 MB/s -83%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
12.48 MB/s +98%

Intel's HD Graphics (Bay Trail) is a very fast graphics card for Android devices. Thus, it is not surprising that Acer's Iconia Tab 10 leaves virtually all comparison devices behind. Only Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 2 based on the same graphics card can keep up here.

3DMark
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
8048 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
2759 Points -66%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
8704 Points +8%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
2626 Points -67%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
7201 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
2363 Points -67%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
7733 Points +7%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
2190 Points -70%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
14156 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
6667 Points -53%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
15528 Points +10%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
8667 Points -39%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
14292 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
4552 Points -68%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
15652 Points +10%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
4407 Points -69%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
13858 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
4117 Points -70%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
15071 Points +9%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
3838 Points -72%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
16050 Points
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
7226 Points -55%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
18094 Points +13%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
9168 Points -43%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
8.4 fps
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
22.1 fps +163%
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
3.8 fps -55%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
8.3 fps -1%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
4.5 fps -46%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
8.7 fps
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
16 fps +84%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
8.6 fps -1%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
1.8 fps -79%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
5.1 fps
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
5.2 fps
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
18 fps
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
10.2 fps -43%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
17.4 fps -3%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
11 fps -39%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
18 fps
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
5.8 fps -68%
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
16.9 fps -6%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
5.3 fps -71%

Games

The tower defense game "Plants vs. Zombies 2" with relatively low graphic requirements ran smoothly and without any issues. Even more demanding games like the drag-racing simulation "CSR Classics" are apparently no challenge for the graphics card - it ran without stutters at all times.

More basic games like "Plants vs. Zombies 2" are no problem for the graphics card.
More basic games like "Plants vs. Zombies 2" are no problem for the graphics card.
And even more demanding games like "CSR Classics" run smoothly.
And even more demanding games like "CSR Classics" run smoothly.

Emissions

Stress test
Stress test

Temperature

Acer has done a good job with its Iconia Tab 10 in terms of temperature management. The maximum temperature on the upper side was only 34.7 degrees Celsius (~94 degrees Fahrenheit) even under full load. The rear was even slightly cooler. The temperature increase is also very limited to one area - the right front, for example, did not heat up at all. A temperature increase was not at all noticed in idle mode with a maximum of 28.6 degrees Celsius (~83 degrees Fahrenheit).

Temperature development is apparently not an issue, but perhaps the SoC throttles after prolonged periods of load? We check this with the battery test of GFXBench, which runs the same benchmark 30 times in succession and records the performance. A drop in performance during the course of the test will indicate that the SoC has throttled. This is the case in Acer's Iconia Tab 10. The SoC delivers fewer frames at the end than at the beginning of the test.

Max. Load
 34.1 °C
93 F
27.7 °C
82 F
23.9 °C
75 F
 
 34.7 °C
94 F
27 °C
81 F
24.4 °C
76 F
 
 32.7 °C
91 F
33.2 °C
92 F
27.9 °C
82 F
 
Maximum: 34.7 °C = 94 F
Average: 29.5 °C = 85 F
22.9 °C
73 F
24.8 °C
77 F
31 °C
88 F
23.9 °C
75 F
25.4 °C
78 F
34.6 °C
94 F
25.1 °C
77 F
27.1 °C
81 F
27.4 °C
81 F
Maximum: 34.6 °C = 94 F
Average: 26.9 °C = 80 F
Power Supply (max.)  41.3 °C = 106 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.5 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 30 °C / 86 F for the devices in the class Tablet.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.7 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.6 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.3 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.8 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.

Speakers

The speakers in Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 are located on the front left and right of the screen - another difference compared to Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A20. Thanks to their convenient positioning, the speakers reproduce sounds well. They are quite loud and produce a rich sound that even has audible signs of bass. Of course, they cannot match good laptop speakers, but Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A20 sounds very good for a reasonably priced 10-inch tablet.

The incorporated 3.5-mm headset jack also transmits audio signals clearly and without interference to external speakers or headphones.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The relatively high standby consumption perplexed us slightly: Our measuring device displayed 0.5 watts here. The charger could cause the increased power consumption that we measured, but we remained skeptical and continued to observe the tablet's consumption while in standby on a table overnight. The outcome: The battery in fact depleted at an above average speed, which might be due to the "EZ WakeUp" app that monitors whether the screen is touched and wakes up the device.

The consumption is higher than that of the comparison devices, particularly in idle mode with 1.6 to 4.9 watts. Only HP's Pavilion 10 consumes even more power.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.5 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.6 / 4.8 / 4.9 Watt
Load midlight 6.8 / 8.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

The battery life of Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 is not very impressive. One reason might be that the battery delivers only 22.5 Wh, which is slightly less than most comparison devices. Wi-Fi browsing is possible for approximately 8 hours on the Iconia Tab 10. The user can watch movies from the internal storage for about an hour more. The tablet shuts down after 3:41 hours of full load. Although the tablet does not have to be permanently connected to the outlet, the Wi-Fi runtimes are particularly disappointing. Compared with Samsung's Galaxy Tab A 9.7 or LG's G Pad 10.1, the battery life of Acer's Iconia Tab 10 is quite short.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
26h 04min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 05min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
8h 52min
Load (maximum brightness)
3h 41min
Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735F, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 1050F
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3745, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 SM-T555
Adreno 306, 410 APQ8016, 16 GB eMMC Flash
HP Pavilion 10-k000ng x2
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3736F, 32 GB eMMC Flash
LG G Pad 10.1 V700
Adreno 305, 400 APQ8026, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Battery Runtime
33%
67%
-18%
52%
Reader / Idle
1564
1391
-11%
2950
89%
755
-52%
1696
8%
H.264
532
471
-11%
777
46%
WiFi v1.3
485
862
78%
Load
221
390
76%
297
34%
244
10%
444
101%
WiFi
751
468
771

Pros

+ Slip-proof casing
+ Powerful SoC
+ Full HD screen
+ No adware
+ Swift Wi-Fi module
+ Pencil-use option
+ Accurate touchscreen
+ Low surface temperatures
+ Speakers' rich sound

Cons

- Only middling battery life
- Increased standby consumption
- Screen has greenish tint
- Mediocre image photo quality
- Poor GPS reception
- Pressure-sensitive casing can be warped

Verdict

Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 gives a good presentation, and shows clear improvements over former models. However, it messes up in some details. For example, the casing could have been more stable, the battery life could have been longer, and if the manufacturer installs a GPS module, it should have enough reception.

Nevertheless, buyers get quite a lot for their money: A Full HD screen, decent front-sided speakers, and so much power for apps and games are definitely not common in this price range. It is even possible to write on the tablet with a pencil, high-speed 802.11 ac is on-board, and the cameras have a slightly higher resolution than those of the competition. However, users should not expect the photo quality of a premium-range smartphone from the Iconia tablet.

Overall, a very rounded bundle that still has room for improvement. In any case, we find the price-performance ratio very good.

Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 - 07/07/2015 v4(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
72%
Keyboard
78 / 80 → 98%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
42 / 65 → 65%
Weight
82 / 40-88 → 88%
Battery
93%
Display
83%
Games Performance
60 / 68 → 88%
Application Performance
44 / 76 → 58%
Temperature
93%
Noise
100%
Audio
68 / 91 → 75%
Camera
62 / 85 → 73%
Average
74%
85%
Tablet - Weighted Average

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Florian Wimmer, 2015-07-12 (Update: 2018-05-15)