A tablet computer is in almost every home, as once in every house you could find a system unit with a monitor. Tablets have managed to win over a large part of the market, as no one needs big and noisy machines when much more compact devices fill the bulk of the needs.
At the same time, like computers, tablets quickly lost popularity, they no longer inspire delight and are bought as bedside gadgets (watch a movie in the evening or let a child play). In this regard, expensive and advanced devices like the iPad are gradually loosening their grip. Most budget devices are enough. One of these tablets will be discussed in this review - Acer Iconia Tab A1 811.
Package
In the box from under the device, in addition to the gadget itself, there is a small brochure. In fact, an instruction that is suitable only for those who have never used such gadgets at all, and even then it is unlikely to be useful.
Also included: charger (block for connecting to the mains) and USB cable (for charging and synchronization with a computer).
Unfortunately, no cases, no headphones, noother accessories.
Fortunately, all this stuff is easy to find on the web. The tablet was quite popular in its time, and the industrious Chinese riveted a lot of accessories suitable for it. Cases, protective films, all kinds of stands, styluses - in general, everything your heart desires.
Device design
Dimensions: 209 x 147 x 11 millimeters.
The Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 has a classic design. The case is made of ordinary “soft-touch” plastic. The case is not too strong, prone to dirt, slightly play.
The gadget turned out to be quite thick, almost 12 millimeters, and its weight is 430 grams, which is not bad for a device of this size. The bezels around the display are a little disappointing, they are too massive compared to what users of modern devices are used to seeing. The same iPad mini looks much more compact. At the same time, the frames save you from accidental clicks and have a positive effect on the grip, thanks to them the tablet lies in the hands more confidently.
Device display
Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 features a 7.9-inch display panel on the front panel. The display is not of high quality, despite the fact that IPS-matrix is used. The picture is not calibrated, the color rendition suffers greatly, and the resolution is not impressive either, only 1024 x 768 pixels (the number of dots per inch is 160).
The display is covered with glossy glass, which is in no way protected from glare (in brighton a sunny day, seeing something on the device would be an almost impossible task, not to mention direct sunlight).
The Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 touchscreen cannot be called “wooden”, but at the same time it often confuses positioning, reacts with a delay or does not react at all, which is especially noticeable when typing and in games. An oleophobic coating is included to reduce the amount of dirt on the display panel and make it easy to remove fingerprints.
Device performance and memory
The heart of the device is the famous Chinese chip from MediaTek - MT8389. The processor works with four cores, two of which are productive, used in games and complex programs, and the other two are energy efficient, used in light applications and in idle mode. The clock speed of the processor reaches acceleration up to 1200 MHz.
Also, 1 gigabyte of RAM and 8 gigabytes of main memory (in the Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 8gb version) were hidden under the cover of the gadget. Most of the main memory is occupied by the operating system, since the situation is smoothed out by the presence of support for MicroSDHC memory cards up to 32 gigabytes. It is important to note that Android version 4 does not yet work with memory cards, so you can only store documents, photos, music on it, but you cannot install software.
PowerVR SGX554 is responsible for graphics processing, and has proven itself in premium devices such as iPhone.
Performance, in general, shouldbe sufficient for most simple tasks. Trying to play complex games on this tablet is not worth it, they will either not start at all, or they will run at an extremely low frame rate and frequent freezes. Such a small amount of RAM greatly contributes to the unloading of programs, which means that they will be launched again each time (this process takes time, therefore, the tablet will work very slowly).
Device autonomy
Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 3g is equipped with a rather modest battery. The battery capacity was only 4960 milliamp/hours, which can provide no more than 7 hours of operation (at an average load).
The operating time depends entirely on how the gadget is used, on network coverage (if a cellular module is used), on running applications, on the use of geolocation services (GPS).
Image quality
The camera is far from the most important aspect in a tablet computer, and it is pointless to hope for luxurious photos in it. The Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 has two cameras. Main (rear) with a resolution of 5 megapixels and additional (front) with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels. Both cameras perform rather a utilitarian function.
Using the main camera, you can take a photo for a notebook or a scan of a document. The front camera is suitable for video calls (selfie fans have nothing to do with it). There is no autofocus. For some reason, the developers decided not to add a similar feature, which greatly aggravatesposition and greatly spoil the impression of using the camera.
Operating system
The entire line, including the Acer Iconia Tab A1 810, A1 811 and others, is based on the 4th generation Android, named after KitKat chocolate bars. To date, the platform is outdated and significantly inferior to more modern versions. Some applications (both regular and sold in the Play Store) are not supported, but supported versions can be downloaded on the Internet and from other repositories.
This version of the software has made a serious leap in terms of performance, which allows the tablet to work quite smoothly and quickly, despite not the most powerful hardware under the hood. Another important point is the adaptation of the interface for large displays. Also in this version, power consumption is significantly reduced, which has a positive effect on the operating time of the device.
The system has a set of pre-installed "software" from Google, as well as from partners. The first cannot but rejoice, since the software from Google is of good quality and pleases with its functionality. The second one is very disappointing, since third-party, pre-installed “software” only takes up space and is rarely useful (considering that most of it is demo versions of low-grade games).
Wireless and wired interfaces
The device has a number of standard wireless interfaces. These include: Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetoothversion 4.0, as well as support for 3G mobile networks. Unfortunately, the tablet does not work with 4th generation (LTE) networks, which for many may be a decisive factor due to the large difference in speed between 3rd and 4th generation networks.
Another important feature of the device is microHDMI support, which greatly expands the multimedia capabilities for the subject of this review. You can seamlessly stream your tablet to your HDMI-enabled TV or display.
If you have an OTG cable, you can connect all kinds of peripherals to the tablet. For example, if you like typing on a full-sized physical keyboard, you can easily connect it to this tablet. The same goes for gamepads, they also work great with this model.
Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 reviews
The main advantage of the device is the price. Users rate the tablet based on its value, which makes the assessment less objective.
Properly functioning GPS is one of the advantages of the device, as many users purchase such gadgets as a replacement for navigational ones.
Many people like to use a tablet as a phone. It can actually receive calls and send SMS, which makes it even more functional.
People also talk positively about the battery, which can withstand a full working day (of course, it all depends on the individual user, but the fact remains).
Found in the gadget and unexpected shortcomings, such as a very weak Wi-Fi signal andmobile networks. Compared to similar devices, the Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 keeps the connection much worse, often losing it altogether.
Well, the common problem for everyone is a weak camera, unable to create more or less decent photographs.
Another major problem is the existing batch of tablets with broken power controllers capable of destroying the battery (depleting it to zero, without being able to charge it on its own).
Some users were able to connect a USB modem with a SIM card to the tablet.
Interestingly, for this device, it is not at all difficult to find spare parts, including the display. Most of the spare parts in the event of a breakdown can be easily purchased on the Internet and replaced by yourself (such work should be carried out only with full confidence in your competence, otherwise you should contact the professionals).
Prices
The gadget belongs to the category of budget devices, therefore it pleases with its cost. The tablet can be purchased for less than 8 thousand rubles. The latest price in the Svyaznoy store for the Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 8gb 3G stopped at around 6250 rubles.
Instead of a conclusion
This product from Acer seems completely nondescript and rather boring, but a good home tablet, a tool for solving life's tasks and should not be too colorful. The company focused on user experience for the largest possible audience and accessibility of the device.
In fact, this is an ideal device forthose who want to own a tablet computer, use it for work or school, but have a modest budget.
