Acer Iconia A1 7.9” Tablet
by Jarred Walton on May 3, 2013 10:54 PM EST
Continuing with the spate of Acer announcements from today, next up we have the Iconia A1 Tablet. Details on the SoC are a bit scarce, but it’s listed as a quad-core 1.2GHz 28nm MT8389W MediaTek chip (with MT6167 for 3G); MediaTek has used PowerVR SGX 544 previously, but it’s not clear which GPU is in the MT8389W. Regardless, the 1024x768 LCD resolution doesn’t need a ton of graphics power for moderate gaming, so hopefully the GPU will prove sufficient.
Acer makes a point of calling the A1 a “one-handed” tablet, suggesting that the smaller size than traditional tablets makes it more usable with a single hand. Dimensions of the A1 measure 208.7mm x 145.7mm x 11.1mm and with a weight of 410g (WiFi only; 430g for 3G) it’s reasonably light, but we’ve seen other 7” tablets so this is nothing really new.
Other features of note are the IPS XGA LCD, 1GB DDR3L RAM, 8GB/16GB eMMC storage, 0.3MP (640x480) front-facing camera, 5MP rear-facing camera (with 1080p30 video support), microSD slot with support for up to 32GB, Micro USB 2.0, Micro HDMI, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11b/g/n, and an 18.6Wh battery with up to eight hours of battery life. The A1 ships with Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean).
The Iconia A1-810 with 16GB will be available in June with an MSRP of $200.
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Aqua1ung - Saturday, May 4, 2013 - link
Thank God it's 4x3! What a stupid idea to make a tablet with a different form factor!blackmagnum - Saturday, May 4, 2013 - link
What about Hollywood movies and the black bars on top and bottom of the screen?lothinator - Saturday, May 4, 2013 - link
4:3 may not be great for movies, but it has benefits for many other things. I have an HP TouchPad with Android CM 10.0 on it (Jelly Bean 4.1.2). With 4:3 AR, I find that landscape is much more usable than tablets that are 16:9 at the same size. Apps that can't handle that AR are extremely rare now, as Android scales pretty well when programming guidelines are followed correctly.Now, as far as the tablet pictured above.. THAT BEZEL!!! That's very 2011-ish...
fteoath64 - Saturday, May 11, 2013 - link
Yeah, "That Bezel" is going to turn many people off!. I hope Acer as more sense than to make an "old model" looking tablet. 4:3 aspect ratio is just perfect as people using iPad Mini found out. It is great for reading which is 85% of the time anyone uses a tablet. The rest is others, even in movies the screen looks great and can be scaled if one wishes, so there is flexibility but 4:3 is the best use of the real-estate which fits the way our eyes see a book/computer. If the IPS display is high quality, it will do well.Eraser85 - Saturday, May 4, 2013 - link
What about Hollywood movies and the black bars even on a 16:9 screen since movies have a 21:9 AR?Ortanon - Monday, May 6, 2013 - link
4x3 (and 16:10) devices are usually given larger diagonals in order to match the vertical length of comparable 16:9 devices. Meaning, in landscape, the picture on a movie is the same size. The black bars are just black bars that harm nothing, and then after the movie magically turn into extra screen real estate and better text viewing.Obviously this comment doesn't account for how the manufacturer decides to handle screen resolution. I'm just talking about some of the advantages of the form factor itself.
meacupla - Saturday, May 4, 2013 - link
4:3 is good for reading, since that's very close to the size of printed media.Personally, I'd like to see 16:10 screens. Not quite perfect for movies, but not imperfect for books.
valar84 - Saturday, May 4, 2013 - link
What do you mean you'"d like to see 16:10 screens"? Most Android tablets have 16:10 screens currently, 1280x800 and 1920x1200 resolutions mostly. And since Android has a soft navigation bar, it means that in landscape, the usable screen is actually very close to 16:9, while in portrait it's a bit squarer than 16:10.MrSpadge - Sunday, May 5, 2013 - link
Yeah, those vertical pixels are badly needed for productivity. Which is what people do most on 7" Android tablets, right?lightsout565 - Saturday, May 4, 2013 - link
Looks like the 8GB model is only $169.99.Also, the inclusion of a microSD slot, Micro HDMI, and GPS at this price point looks good. I wonder how build quality will stack up to the Nexus 7 (and the next generation Nexus 7).