There is a tablet computer in almost every house, as once in every house you could meet a system unit with a monitor. The tablets managed to win a large part of the market, since no one needs large and noisy cars, when much more compact devices cover the bulk of the needs.
At the same time, like computers, tablets quickly lost popularity, they no longer inspire enthusiasm and are bought as bedside gadgets (watch a movie in the evening or let the child play). In this regard, expensive and advanced devices like the iPad are gradually loosening their grip. Most have enough budget devices. One of these tablets will be discussed in this review - Acer Iconia Tab A1 811.
Equipment
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 that is hardly useful.
Also included are a charger (unit for connecting to the mains) and a USB cable (for charging and synchronization with a computer).
Unfortunately, nothing was found in the box: no covers, no headphones, no other accessories.
Fortunately, all this stuff is easy to find on the Web. The tablet was quite popular at the time, and the hardworking Chinese riveted a ton of accessories suitable for him. Covers, protective films, all kinds of coasters, styluses - in general, everything your heart desires.
Device design
Dimensions: 209 x 147 x 11 millimeters.
The Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 tablet has a classic design. The case is made of ordinary “soft-touch” plastic. The case is not too strong, prone to contamination, slightly backlash.
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 frames 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 from accidental clicks and positively affect the grip, thanks to them the tablet lies in the hands more confidently.
Device display
On the front panel of the tablet Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 there is a display panel with a diagonal of 7.9 inches. The display is not of high quality, despite the fact that the IPS-matrix is ​​used. The picture is not calibrated, the color rendering suffers greatly, and the resolution is also not impressive, 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 (on a bright sunny day, to look at something on the device will be an almost impossible task, not to mention direct sunlight).
The touchscreen of Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 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. There is an oleophobic coating that reduces the contamination of the display panel and allows you to easily remove fingerprints from it.
Device Performance and Memory
The heart of the device was 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 lightweight applications and in standby mode. The processor clock speed reaches acceleration up to 1200 megahertz.
Also, under the cover of the gadget, 1 gigabyte of RAM and 8 gigabytes of main memory were covered (in the version of Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 8gb). Most of the main memory is occupied by the operating system, since the situation is smoothed out by the support for microSDHC memory cards up to 32 gigabytes in size. It is important to note that in the “Android” version 4 the work with memory cards has not yet been established, therefore only documents, photos, music can be stored on it, but software cannot be installed.
Graphics processing is the responsibility of the PowerVR SGX554, which has proven itself in premium devices such as the iPhone.
Performance, in general, should be sufficient for most simple tasks. Trying to play complex games on this tablet is not worth it, they either will not start at all, or they will work with an extremely low frame rate and frequent freezes. Such a small amount of RAM significantly contributes to the unloading of programs, which means that each time they will be restarted (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 milliamps / hours, which can provide no more than 7 hours of operation (with an average load).
Operating time completely depends on how the gadget is used, on the network coverage (if a cellular module is used), on running applications, 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. The main (back) with a resolution of 5 megapixels and an 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 scan a document. The front camera is suitable for video calls (fans of selfies have nothing to do with it). There is no autofocus. For some reason, the developers decided not to add such a function, which greatly aggravates the situation and greatly spoils the impression of using the camera.
operating system
The entire line, including Acer Iconia Tab A1 810, A1 811 and others, runs on the basis of the “Android” 4th generation, named after the KitKat chocolate bars. Today the platform is outdated and significantly inferior to more modern versions. Some applications are not supported (both standard and sold on the Play Store), 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 can not but rejoice, since the software from Google is of good quality and pleases with its functionality. The second one is very disappointing, because a third-party, pre-installed “software” only takes up space and is rarely useful (given that most of it is a demo version of low-grade games).
Wireless and wired interfaces
The device has a number of standard wireless interfaces. These include: Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth version 4.0, as well as support for 3G mobile networks. Unfortunately, the tablet does not work with 4th generation networks (LTE), which for many may be a decisive factor due to the large difference in speed between networks of the 3rd and 4th generation.
Another important feature of the device is microHDMI support, which greatly expands the multimedia capabilities for the subject of this review. It is possible to seamlessly transfer the image from the tablet to a TV or display with HDMI support.
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-format physical keyboard, you can easily connect it to this tablet. The same applies to gamepads, they also work great with this model.
Acer Iconia Tab A1 811: reviews
The main advantage of the device is called the price. Users evaluate the tablet based on its cost, which makes the assessment less objective.
Of the pluses of the device, a correctly functioning GPS is distinguished, since many users purchase such gadgets as a replacement for navigation ones.
Many people like to use a tablet as a phone. It really can receive calls and send SMS, which makes it even more functional.
They also respond positively to a battery that can withstand a full day (of course, it all depends on the particular user, but the fact remains).
There were unexpected flaws in the gadget, such as a very weak Wi-Fi signal and mobile networks. Compared to similar devices, the Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 keeps communication much worse, often losing it altogether.
Well, the common problem for everyone is a weak camera, incapable of creating more or less decent photographs.
Another serious problem is the existing batch of tablets with broken power controllers that can destroy the battery (discharge it to zero, without the ability to charge it on its own).
Some users managed 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. In the event of a breakdown, most of the spare parts can be easily purchased on the Internet and replaced on their own (such work should be carried out only with full confidence in their competence, otherwise you should contact the professionals).
Prices
The gadget belongs to the category of budget devices, therefore it pleases with its cost. A tablet can be purchased for less than 8 thousand rubles. The last price in the store “Svyaznoy” for Acer Iconia Tab A1 811 8gb 3G stopped at around 6,250 rubles.
Instead of a conclusion
This product from Acer seems completely unprepossessing and rather boring, but a good home tablet, a tool for solving life problems and should not be too colorful. The company focused on the user experience for the largest possible audience and device availability.
In fact, this is an ideal device for those who want to own a tablet computer, use it at work or study, but have a modest budget.