Acer Iconia Tab A500 can be called such a tablet that does not lose its popularity to this day. An interesting design, good technical specifications and its other advantages stand out against the background of most similar devices, but many do not know what its main advantages and features are, and is it worth buying it today.
Design
First of all, it is worth noting that the design of the Acer Iconia Tab A500 looks rather strange compared to devices from Apple and Samsung, as they differ in a more original and thin design. Many users note that the device is quite heavy and massive, and at the same time does not differ in some thoughtful design forms. In other words, during the development of the Acer Iconia Tab A500, the company was more concerned about how to ensure the optimal screen diagonal at that time, as well as take into account various features of the platform used. Thus, in the end we got a fairly massive tablet equipped with a metal case.
Features
The dimensions, as well as the peculiar design can hardly be called the obvious shortcomings of the Acer Iconia Tab A500, but rather it is worth highlighting them as features of this model. If we talk about a specific device that has similar technical characteristics and functionality, then it could be argued that the use of such dimensions is an obvious drawback of this device. But in reality, the tablet market today is simply filled with a variety of models, so users themselves choose what to give their preference to - lightweight plastic devices or still thick, equipped with a reliable metal body. In particular, thanks to such a robust design, owners will rarely need to repair Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablets , which is already important. Thus, there is only an additional choice in terms of reliability of purchased equipment, and this is pretty good.
Practicality
Due to the fact that a metal case is used, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 practically does not get dirty during its operation. In addition, the metal surface is equipped with specialized laser engraving, which provides effective protection against all kinds of scuffs and scratches. Of course, such defects still appear during the operation of this equipment, but at the same time they cannot be seen on the case with the naked eye. The screen in this case gets dirty just like any other large displays, although, again, the robust design eliminates frequent repairs on Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablets.
According to reviews, in terms of assembly, users note the only drawback of this design is the presence of a sufficiently large gap located between the upper end of the case and the protective glass. The size of this gap is approximately 1.5 mm, as a result of which this gap is quite actively clogged by dust, as well as a variety of small particles. Of course, if you do not look closely, then nothing will be noticeable, but even the very presence of this gap, which distinguishes the tablet (10 inches) for many, is unacceptable.
Dimensions
The dimensions of the tablet are as impressive as its weight, as it is an order of magnitude larger and heavier compared to its direct competitors. Its dimensions are 260x177x13.3 mm, while this device weighs 730 grams. For comparison, the Apple iPad 2, released at the same time, weighs just 601 grams.
How important is it?
To hold this device in one hand is rather inconvenient for a long time, as the hand quickly gets tired. When you hold the device with both hands at the same time, it becomes much more comfortable, but in fact, anyway, over time, inconvenience begins to appear if the device is kept on weight while reading or watching a long video. Thus, many users say that it is better to use a specialized complete cover to which this tablet (10 inches) will fit, since due to it it will be possible to put the device on a suitable surface and easily view any files of interest.
Another option is to constantly hold the device on your lap if, for example, you wanted to watch a certain movie during a flight. It is for this reason that over time, weight still turns into a disadvantage, since it limits the operating possibilities that the Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablet has.
Control
Of course, in this case, the display itself appears to be the main control element, which responds excellently to touch, and there are no problems. Among other things, the tablet provides specialized volume keys, a button on / off the screen, as well as a separate switch, with which you can exclude the possibility of automatic orientation of the display. This button is a fairly convenient innovation, as many users note. Such situations often happen that when you hold the tablet in your hands in case of a slight deviation, the picture starts to turn over. Many users completely disable the auto-rotate function, but, again, it is necessary in a number of situations. For this reason, you need to constantly endure random coups or completely disable this function.
This function does not turn on in the Acer Iconia Tab A500, it is simply activated constantly, but can be periodically disabled using this button. Of course, given the weight and dimensions of this device, users are unlikely to use it often enough in weight, as a result of which such a function is, in principle, not very popular.
Display
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 display specifications are quite good. The screen size is 10.1 inches, and its resolution reaches 1280x800 pixels. The physical dimensions of this display are 136x218.
It is worth noting that, in principle, this device is relatively good, since it has a certain margin of brightness (although even in the daytime it will be difficult to examine the image in direct sunlight), fairly calm color reproduction, and also not juicy, and at the same time not too dull colors. In principle, this display does not stand out anything special, that is, it is no worse than similar options, but it does not have any distinctive advantages. The opinions of users on this issue were divided. Someone of this level is enough, but someone expected more from the tablet. The viewing angles of this display are the maximum possible.
Cameras
In the device, as in standard tablets, two cameras are provided here - the main and the front. In this case, the front camera has 2 MP, while the main camera has 5 MP, as well as a built-in flash. Thus, it is quite simple to get and open the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (cases designed for the tablet allow you to do this) and start taking photos or making video calls. In principle, the capabilities of the cameras are quite standard, that is, they provide the owner with a fairly large number of capabilities, and one can hardly call them less effective than cameras in similar devices. Most users are quite satisfied with the quality of the photos.
It is worth noting the fact that after the Acer Iconia Tab A500 16Gb appeared, its front camera was practically not needed by anyone, and, most likely, the developer initially focused this device on future user requests. Today, when video calls have become very, very common even among owners of mobile devices, such front-facing cameras are used very often.
Battery
This tablet is equipped with a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3260 mAh. Each Acer Iconia Tab A500 charger is included.
The tablet can work for five hours, but if you constantly watch the video, then the charge will last no more than four hours. It is worth noting that 5 hours of operation of the device is the result obtained with the Wi-Fi module constantly on, as well as quite active (but not constant) viewing of various videos.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that if you use the “on-air” mode and at the same time set the brightness to about 20%, you can increase the total equipment up to six hours with constant video viewing, that is, its charge is approximately enough to view three full films.
Performance
This tablet uses a specialized dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz, while the platform at its core is NVIDIA Tegra 2. Many people do not speak very well of various features of this platform, and, in particular, many people support the decoding of modern FullHD video. The thing is that in practice this platform is not very suitable for full HD video playback, and this device is no exception. Thus, if you try to watch videos in 1080p quality, be prepared for the fact that during the video viewing there will be certain delays or even certain frames will drop out. Of course, not all users are willing to put up with a similar situation. Many express their dissatisfaction with such a technical solution.
When you switch the video to 720p quality, the situation becomes more decent, since all kinds of “brakes” in the picture are lost, but some users say that there may be a certain delay in the sound. At the same time, it is worth noting the fact that it is not only about playing video using the standard player, but also about using additional software.
In this regard, this tablet can be used to watch all kinds of movies in average quality, while watching HD video remains unavailable to it. Of course, given the price offered on the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (about 14,000 rubles), this drawback is not so critical, and in principle, tablets can hardly be called a device for fully watching movies in better quality.
Memory
The device provides 1 GB of RAM, as well as 16 or 32 GB of internal, designed to store various information. Among other things, there is also a separate slot in which you can insert an additional microSD memory card, securing it with a special plastic plug. Many believe that this stub is unreliable, but, according to user reviews, it can last a long time.