Review Acer Iconia Tab A510 Tablet/MID

Acer is updating their consumer tablet with a glossy 10.1 inches display. The successor of the Acer Iconia Tab A500 still runs a 1280 x 800 resolution in a 16:10 format but offers the latest in hardware and software. The new features include the Nvidia Tegra 3 System-on-a-Chip (SoC) with 4 cores (5 cores actually, where the 5th core, called the battery saver core, would be in operation during standby mode when the tablet updates different software in the background) and Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. Besides the micro HDMI output, you can connect USB 2.0 peripherals using an adapter. Not included are a high resolution display and a 3G module for mobile internet access.
With an entry price of EUR 399 (~$500), Acer seems to have a really attractive offering for your living room. But the Iconia Tab has to compete with well-established devices like the new Apple iPad, the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 which has a chip from Texas Instruments. In this review we show you the strong and weak points of the tablet made by the Taiwanese OEM.
Case
With the update to the A500 series, Acer is adapting the same style as the previously reviewed Iconia Tab A200. The rounded form and the silver bars to the right and left are well-known and also look great on this model. The chassis is made from plastic but leaves a good impression since the back is coated with a rubbery material. The build quality is flawless and the stability is good as well. Applying strong pressure may bend the plastic slightly but this should not occur in a normal situation.
The A510 is available only in black or silver. You will discover a lot of logos and labels on the back. These include the company logo, the Olympic Rings and a Dolby Digital Plus label.
The tablet is 11mm thick and the rubber coating gives you a good grip. Most of the competitors are thinner and lighter like the new Apple iPad, which measures just 9.4 mm. The Acer Iconia Tab A510 weights 681 grams and is heavier than the new Apple iPad and the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is also lighter at 585 grams. The predecessor, the Iconia Tab A500 weighed 750 grams.
Connectivity
The connectivity options are pretty standard for such a device. A power button, volume buttons, a rotation lock slider, a headphone jack for your earphones and a micro HDMI output are available on the tablet. Using the micro-HDMI port, you can connect your tablet to the HDMI input of your TV but you will find no adapter included for doing so. On the bottom side there is a micro USB port for charging and syncing with your computer. Something strange that we found was that you cannot charge you device using a regular micro USB cable. You have to use the one that has been shipped with your Iconia Tab. Syncing will work with any cable though. This is certainly counted as a negative.
The USB 2.0 adapter, that is included in the package, can be used in conjunction with the micro-USB port to connect your camera to the device for charging. Under a cover on the right side is a microSD card reader which can be used to extend the internal memory. There is also a notch visible for a SIM card. A 3G model of the A510 is yet to be announced though. All in all, the connectivity is acceptable and well-positioned. The problem with the charging is still an annoyance.
Communication
The communication elements are standard for this class of device. A module from AzureWave enables WLAN 802 b/g/n and Bluetooth standard 2.1 + EDR. Most of the latest tablets come with Bluetooth 3.0 support. Bluetooth 4.0 would have been even better because of the higher transmission rate and peripherals use less energy. As mentioned before, there is no 3G version of the tablet available yet.
Software
The tablet comes with Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich version 4.0.3. The quad core SoC from Nvidiaensures the smooth running of the system without long loading times. Acer did not develop an elaborate overlay for Android like the Sense UI from HTC or TouchWiz from Samsung. The pre-installed software package contains bloatware you probably do not need. You might never use a bar code scanner, the Acetrax Movies app or the McAfee Virus Scan. Corresponding to the Olympic Games branding, there is also a EuroSport app pre-installed. Apps like Zinio and TegraZone are rather useful. But nonetheless, this is something the customer should be left to decide.
Camera
Acer has updated the tablet with two camera modules. The main camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels with auto-focus. Depending on the mode, the camera takes pictures up to a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels and records videos in 1080p. Our field tests confirm good picture quality for snapshots without having the digital zoom activated. Activating digital zoom hurts the picture quality. The camera settings are basic and feel restricted compared to other Android devices. Skype and other VOIP applications enable you to use the 1 megapixel front-facing camera. The picture quality is good enough for calls.
Accessories
The included accessories are average for the price category and this class of device. You get an 18W power supply, the already mentioned USB adapter and some documentation. The power supply plug was redesigned and is now more compact. But you will only find the EU plug standard in the package. More plugs for the power supply can be bought in the Acer Store or from third party vendors.
Warranty
Acer offers a warranty period of 12 months but you are responsible for shipping it back to Acer (carry-in warranty). Asus and Samsung offer a 24 months warranty with pick-up & return service. For extended care, Acer offers different warranty plans with up to 36 months coverage starting at EUR 99 (~$125).
Input Devices
The input of commands and text is done through the capacitive touch screen on the virtual QWERTY keyboard that is displayed or hidden depending on the situation. In general the display reacts without any lag and the position of your fingers is recognized perfectly. The keyboard was not redone by Acer and uses the standard Android layout with four rows and a big space bar at the bottom. You will be able to find a number of keyboard enhancing apps in the Google Play store.
With a slider on the upper part of the device, you can lock the auto rotation function, but the horizontal layout is much bigger and nicer for viewing purposes. Another possibility for input is the use of an external keyboard that can be connected via Bluetooth.
Display
For the screen, Acer uses a glossy 10.1 inches display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 in a 16:10 format. The screen is LED backlit and uses IPS technology (in-plane switching). The resolution is high enough to natively display standard HD content in 720p (1280 x 720). Using the micro HDMI output you can connect to an external display for a full HD viewing experience.
The measurements in our laboratory do leave a good impression. The average brightness is a convincing 316 cd/m² while the illumination is even over the display. The low black level guarantees you a high contrast of 1288:1 and blacks look black. Acer maintains the same quality as in the Iconia Tab A500.
Competitors like Asus, Apple and Samsung achieve the same level of quality for their screens. But the combination of brightness and black level gets the A510 the top position ahead of the new Apple iPad and the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T.
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Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 309 cd/m²
Contrast: 1288:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
While using it outdoors, the brightness and the contrast are made redundant due to the glossy display. The screen is too reflective to make out anything on the display in bright sunlight. We highly recommend sitting in the shade and keeping a good sitting position. The tablet market still lacks devices with a matte display. The Apple iPad and the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 are no exception. Using a matte film applied on the screen may help but it reduces the sharpness and contrast.
Performance
With the integrated Nvidia Tegra 3 system-on-a-chip (SoC) and 1 GB of LPDDR2 RAM, the Acer Iconia Tab is one of the fastest tablets on the market. Thanks to this combination, there is hardly any lag and operation is consistently smooth and fast. Interestingly, the SoC in this device is clocked at a maximum frequency of 1.3 GHz which is lower than the standard 1.4 GHz default for this chip. We observed this when we used the tool CPU Spy. In idle mode the chip is usually running at 102 MHz. When under load, 1.3 GHz is the maximum it reached and doesn’t touch the default 1.4 GHz frequency.
In the current Android and browser benchmarks, the good performance of the components is confirmed. Despite the lower clock, competitors like the Acer Asus Transformer Pad TF300T and the new iPad from Apple look slow. Only in the gaming benchmark SmartBench 2012 does the Asus Tablet wins with a lead of 14 percent. In other tests, the A510 is the clear winner. In the browser-based Google V8 benchmark, the difference is 18 percent in favor of the A510.
In the gaming benchmarks, our sample is strong against the TF300T and claims a slight edge in all tests. However, the leader here is the Apple iPad 3 with the PowerVR graphics core. The superiority is clearly seen in the 720p video benchmarks. Overall, the Iconia Tab A510 offers enough performance for all areas of tablet applications.
Sunspider - 0.9.1 Total Score (sort by value) | |
Acer Iconia Tab A510 | |
Asus Transformer Pad TF300T | |
Apple iPad 3. Gen 2012-03 | |
Archos Arnova 10b G2 | |
Acer Iconia Tab A200 |
* ... smaller is better
Linpack Android / IOS - Multi Thread (sort by value) | |
Acer Iconia Tab A510 | |
Asus Transformer Pad TF300T | |
Apple iPad 3. Gen 2012-03 | |
Archos Arnova 10b G2 | |
Acer Iconia Tab A200 |
NenaMark2 - --- (sort by value) | |
Acer Iconia Tab A510 | |
Asus Transformer Pad TF300T |
Basemark ES 2.0 - Taiji Free (sort by value) | |
Acer Iconia Tab A510 | |
Asus Transformer Pad TF300T | |
Acer Iconia Tab A200 |
Temperature
Heat generation is an issue with this tablet. Even in idle mode, the tablet got noticeably warm with a maximum of 41.6ºC at the back, and holding the tablet horizontally can become uncomfortable after some time. Under load, the tablet gets hotter and hits a maximum of 54.8ºC in our test. We need to state that the room temperature was 27.8ºC at the time of the test. Even if you consider a cooler ambient temperature, the measurements are still too high for our liking. As with other tablets, the heat is dissipated passively through the chassis. In comparison, the devices from Apple, Asus and Samsung reach a maximum of about 40ºC only. The Iconia Tab A510 has the worst results among the tablets tested.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.7 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 54.8 °C / 131 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Speakers
Two stereo speakers are embedded at the bottom on the back of the device. The overall sound quality is not very satisfying. The maximum volume could have been better and deep bass tones do not exist at all. This affects the overall sound quality, especially when it comes to music. But the speakers are sufficient for the playback of YouTube videos and audio books. The 3.5 mm stereo jack and the micro HDMI connector allow for the connection of peripherals that feature higher sound quality.
Energy Consumption
An important factor for any tablet is the energy consumption. The 36Wh lithium-polymer battery gives average run times that fall short of its competitors. While idle, the power consumption is about 6.3 – 8.9W. These values are very high compared to the TF300T with the same SoC which has a consumption of only 2.5W. Given the same screen size and identical features, this difference of 3.8 watts is remarkable. With average system load, the Iconia Tab behaves normally again and consumes a maximum of 10.1W.
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Load |
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Battery Life
When measuring the battery life, we use fixed routines in this test, so a comparison is possible.
The consumption during this test on the Stability Test program with maximum screen brightness and activated mobile modules (WLAN + BT) is very demanding on the battery. Thanks to a capacity of 36 watt-hours you get about four hours before you have to recharge the device. In comparison, at minimum brightness and all wireless modules disabled, you get up to 18 hours running time. The increases power consumption of the Acer Iconia is balanced by the larger battery than the one in the TF300T which has better power management and a smaller batter of only 22WH capacity.
Besides these two extremes, the test "surfing over Wi-Fi" represents an everyday average use case. At brightness of 150 cd/m² and with the wireless adapter switched on, the Acer Iconia Tab A510 has a maximum run time of up to 7 hours and 55 minutes. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (11 hours and 16 minutes), and the Apple iPad 3 (9 hours 30 minutes) did a much better job in this test. The Asus Transformer Pad TF300T has a run time of 6 hours and 18 minutes and takes last place.
Verdict
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 leaves a largely favorable impression. Thanks to the latest Nvidia Tegra 3 SoC and 1 GB of RAM, there is not much we can ask for when it comes to performance. The new design was adapted to the current line and the build quality and feel are good. With a thickness of about 11 mm, it is not one of the thinnest devices on the market. With features that include a micro-HDMI output, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a micro-USB port for data transfer and charging the battery, the port selection is very good. A clear annoyance is the fact that the tablet cannot be charged with a standard micro-USB cable but only with the one that has been included. The connector for charging is just a bit longer compared to a conventional cable. Data transfer is possible with a standard cable though.
The 10.1 inch screen leaves very little room for criticism but the glossy surface makes outdoor use almost impossible. Other disadvantages are the short warranty period of 12 months, the stereo speakers and the heat dissipation by the case. With acceptable battery life, this device can compete with other products, and offers the customer good value for their money. For EUR 399 you get a powerful tablet for your living room without a lot of 'bells and whistles' But we still maintain that the tablet has room for improvement.