Acer Iconia Tab A510 10in Android review
Quad-core cost-cutter
In my view, the 16GB Google Nexus 7 is pretty much the ideal Android tablet, but if that form factor is too small for you, then you might be interested in what Acer has cooked up lately. Say hello then to the Iconia Tab A510. Targeted at those who want a quad-core machine, it offers a 10.1in screen, 32GB of storage and for a reasonable price – around £320 if you look hard enough.
Tegra 3 tablet: Acer's Iconia Tab A510
Externally Acer could have been a little more adventurous with the design. As it is the A510 looks very similar to the Tegra 2-based A500. At over 10mm thick and weighing 680g it’s not particularly slender or light but the dimpled back makes it comfortable to hold and it feels very solid.
With tablets now looming on the horizon with 1080p screen resolutions the A510’s 1280 x 800 panel may seem a bit old-fashioned and the pixel density of 140ppi can’t match the Nexus 7’s 216ppi. Still, it looks perfectly crisp and clear to my eyes and the dpi number is better than the similarly priced 16GB iPad 2's figure of 132ppi.
Olympic fondleslab, anyone?
Of course, the A510 can still play 1080p video with perfect ease and throw a full-HD feed out over its micro HDMI port. The 5MP camera at the back is nothing special but it can at least record 1080p video while the 1MP webcam works a treat with Skype and can record video at 720p.
The screen itself is a simple TFT LCD panel rather than an AMOLED or IPS affair. This means it’s not quite as bright or vivid as some of the opposition, nor does it support such wide viewing angles. But again, to get a better screen you need to spend more money and frankly if you are planning on using your tablet predominantly indoors and on your own the A510 is more than adequate.
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COMMENTS
Re: Thanks but no thanks
If you're in the market for this machine, then chances are expandable storage is pretty high on your list of priorities. That makes any iPad a non-starter.
I do agree the price is too high though - the Nexus 7 has changed the game in that regard. At £250 it might be in with a shout (16Gb would be fine as far as I'm concerned) but £350 is too much.
Re: No Nexus 10...
I struggle to understand why there's so much antipathy to a stylus these days. It's a tool just like anything else; it happens to make certain types of operations easier and/or more accurate, especially if you're blessed with (comparatively) chunky fingers. Watching my 17-year old subconciously switching between stylus and finger operation on his Note convinces me it's not a clunky way to work...
£350?
ASUS Transformer TF300 costs £49 more and comes with a removable keyboard & extended battery. No brainer for me.
Re: Thanks but no thanks
But with half the storage, no expansion, no HDMI and a smaller screen with a lower dpi? Don't think so.
Design...
"Externally Acer could have been a little more adventurous with the design. As it is the A510 looks very similar to the Tegra 2-based A500"
They probably decided to stick with that design as it is tried and tested... Any chance could risk in a letter from Apple informing them that they've accidentally used a corner curve with a patented radius or something!
