About six years ago, Intel announced the Atom Z2760 platform, designed specifically for tablets running the Windows 8 operating system. A year later, the first gadgets on this platform began to appear. From a technical point of view, the tablets looked very attractive.
The Acer Iconia Tab W511 tablet is just the carrier of such a platform. The model can offer its owner an excellent screen, an impressive set of wireless interfaces, as well as an attractive battery life. But one of the main advantages of the gadget is the presence of a docking station in the kit, which in combination is also a keyboard. But first things first.
So, the hero of today's review is Acer Iconia W511. Consider the main characteristics of the device, features of its operation, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the appropriateness of the purchase in certain cases. When compiling the article, the opinions of the owners of this tablet were also taken into account.
Positioning
The manufacturer positions the Acer Iconia W511 tablet as a universal mobile device for a wide range of tasks. In principle, the way it is. Before us is a very good tablet computer, which will more than fit as an entertainment and multimedia center.
It is also a great surfing tool. The desktop version of the Windows 8 operating system involves the full use of all browsers and related software. That is, the user can work with any sites, including business portals, where multi-step authentication with digital signatures is required.
Well, in trains, the Acer Iconia W511 may well replace the ordinary laptop. Here you can run exactly the same applications as on laptops. In general, the appearance of such a platform can be called the second birth of netbooks, which no one has heard of for several years. Only in this case, the "filling" is noticeably more powerful, and more interesting in terms of usability.
The W5 series comes in two versions. One differ from the other only in the amount of internal storage and support for 3G protocols. The W510 version, alas, does not support 3G networks, while the Acer Iconia W511 feels quite comfortable in them. You can also see the letter "P" in the model name. This indicates a preinstalled professional version of Windows (Windows 8 Professional).
Equipment
The device comes in a beautifully designed box made of quality cardboard. On the front side you can see the image of the Acer Iconia Tab W511 32Gb with a docking station, and on the back - the remarkable characteristics of the device in the form of specifications. The ends are reserved for labels, barcodes and other dealer surroundings.
The interior is very sensibly organized, and no accessory interferes with the other. In addition, this allowed to save the lion's share of space, and the packaging does not resemble a box from a laptop, as is the case with a good half of competitors.
Contents of delivery:
- Acer Iconia W511 itself;
- Charger;
- base (keyboard) with a battery inside;
- OTG adapter;
- cloth for cleaning the display from dust;
- user's manual;
- manufacturer's warranty.
The equipment is standard, and there is nothing superfluous here. The device can be used “out of the box”, so there should be no problems with the start of work. All accessories look quite solid, and there are no questions about the quality of their performance.
The only thing worth clarifying is one point. Many users in their reviews have repeatedly complained about a specific charger, or rather, its connector for connection - ADP-18TB A. That is, it will not work here to use the usual mobile micro-USB standard, and this is with the same voltage and amperage. Why the manufacturer needed such difficulties is not entirely clear, therefore, when going on the road, you definitely need to check if you have forgotten the charger for the Acer Iconia Tab W511.
Appearance
Judging by the reviews of the owners, they characterize the model with just one word - "stylish." The design of the Acer Iconia W511 tablet is really brutal and eye-catching: a dark touchpad, a contrasting metal end frame and a silver rear with a beautiful embossed brand logo.
The base with the keyboard also looks attractively, where white, dark and silver structural elements are successfully combined. The design of the model is universal, strict, but at the same time not boring. In general, the Acer Iconia Tab W511 will look equally good in the hands of both a young fashionista and a business, respectable person.
Interfaces
On the front panel, in addition to the screen, you can see the peephole of the front camera, the light sensor, and in the lower part there is a nice Windows button. So it’s worth paying attention that the “Back” and “Search” keys are not provided here for the usual Windows platforms.
The rear part is reserved for the main camera, LED flash and an indicator of their operation. There is also an embossed brand logo and company stickers. Users have repeatedly thanked the manufacturer for the opportunity to clean them without any problems. Such paraphernalia, as a rule, tightly stuck to the body, and it was not possible to remove it without using special detergents (and sometimes even metalwork tools). Here, with a flick of the wrist, everything is removed from the eyes.
The edges of the Acer Iconia W511 are literally crammed with various interfaces. At the top there is a power button with a status indicator, a jack for connecting mini-jack type headphones (3.5 mm), as well as a switch for automatically changing the display orientation.
The left side was occupied by a volume rocker, a pair of micro-HDMI video outputs and one micro-USB. The latter will only be needed to synchronize the Acer Iconia W511 with a personal computer, but not recharge. So you should not strain it once again with attempts to connect a standard memory. There are also slots for operator cards, external SD-drives and a small slot in the speaker.
Users in their reviews have repeatedly complained that the designers did not provide at least some stubs for the outputs. In trains, holes are often clogged with debris and dirt, and picking it out from there is an unpleasant activity.
On the right side is another speaker and an output for connecting a standard charger. Specific “spikes” were immediately located for contact with the base and its reliable fixation.
Dock station
She is the base and keyboard. The keys are island-type, and the size is quite in line with the needs of ordinary consumers. The only ones who leave negative feedback on the small size of the buttons are the owners of large hands, as well as massive fingers.
But such users, alas, not every laptop is suitable, not to mention a tablet computer, so this critical moment is difficult to write down. Moreover, most of the owners are quite satisfied with the ergonomics of the working area and feel quite comfortable.
The keys have a soft and understandable move, and they performed well in printing voluminous texts. Journalists working "in the field", like other leaders of the pen, very positively respond to the convenience of the keyboard.
The tablet is connected to the base not only in the “laptop” version, but also with the ability to rotate the screen 180 degrees. That is, you can turn the dock into a kind of stand. Users in their reviews separately thanked the designers for such an interesting and correct solution. When viewing photo and video content, such flexibility along with fixing in the right position will come in handy.
On the left side of the base there is a familiar USB-connector. This allows not only with equal success to connect mice, flash drives and webcams, but other USB peripherals. Of course, the second exit would definitely not hurt here, so lovers of equipment and wires will have to buy a USB splitter, and with external power (hub).
At the right end of the dock is the output for connecting the charger. To recharge both parts - both the tablet and the base - you need to insert one into the other, and connect the station to an outlet.
Screen
Judging by the reviews on the Acer Iconia W511, the visual part turned out at the highest level. The model uses an intelligent IPS matrix with a resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels and a pixel density of 155 ppi. For a 10-inch gadget, such a sweep is enough for the eyes, and there is no need to talk about pixelation.
The output image is juicy, natural and with excellent color reproduction. The matrix can please with a good maximum margin of brightness and contrast, but in direct sunlight the image fades. In this case, the shadow or the opposite side of the view saves.
The sensor fully supports capacitive technologies and is characterized by good sensitivity. There is also a full five-touch multi-touch. As for viewing angles, the matrix is fine with this: you can safely look through pictures or watch videos in the company of one or two like-minded people.
Performance
A reliable set of chipsets, headed by the Atom of the Z2760 series (1.8 GHz), is responsible for performance. The drivers for the Acer Iconia W511 are provided by default by the platform and are included in the standard kit, so there is no need to install or bother about this. In the system overview through “My Computer” the model is determined as it should and after tests it shows performance in the region of 3.3 points, which is more than acceptable for a mobile device.
In synthetic tests, the device also performed very well, gaining a decent amount of points (among other mobile devices on the Windows platform), and keeps a little above average statistical indicators.
Judging by user reviews, the operating system is stable and does not slow down unnecessarily. As for toys, here everything is not as rosy as we would like. Yes, the tablet “digests” the arcade applications with a bang, but problems begin when more or less “heavy” games are launched. 2 GB of RAM is clearly not enough for the normal operation of familiar computer gaming programs. So you have to be content with the local store and thematic forums.
Speaking of the latter. It is not worth it to abuse the free, as well as broken, software. Users in their reviews have repeatedly complained about the instability of the platform after installing another hacked toy. Sometimes you even had to perform a full recovery of the Acer Iconia W511 system. So it’s better not to take risks and look for entertainment software with a free license, but always in the official copy. Well, or go broke a couple of high-quality games.
As for the internal drive, then, as mentioned above, on sale you can find a couple of modifications of the Acer Iconia Tab W511 tablet - 64 Gb and 32 Gb. The first option, of course, is more interesting, but in any case, the problem of free space is easily solved by buying a memory card.
Cameras
There are two cameras on the tablet - the front camera is 2 megapixels and the main one is 8 megapixels. The first is enough for communicating on video messengers and making avatars, and the second boasts quite a decent shot. The matrix of both cameras supports 1080p recording. Naturally, in the main it comes out much better and with a lot more frames per second.
Resolution varies over a wide range, and you can set both the maximum value and the minimum - 0.3 megapixels. To record sound using the built-in microphone. Judging by user reviews, he is more or less doing his job, but you don’t seem to expect serious results from the tablet.
The camera control interface is simple, straightforward, and it will even deal with the eyes of a person who has never seen such functionality. Here we have a standard set of like zoom in, zoom out, panorama, outline effects and other useful and not so functions. The positioning of the tablet is clearly not in the direction of the photo, so you can skip the existing flaws.
Autonomy
The model has two batteries. One is in the tablet, the other is in the dock. Both there and there, the capacity is limited to 3540 mAh. In mixed mode, and this is the Internet, video and music, the tablet will last about 9 hours. If you connect a base to it, then the battery life increases exactly twice.
Judging by user reviews, the device is enough for the whole day. But if you properly load the tablet with games, high-resolution video and 3G Internet, then the battery life will be reduced by about a third. But this is bearable, especially if you cite the extremely gluttonous “Android” brother as an example, which after a couple of hours of intensive work starts to “ask” for the outlet.
The only thing that upsets a good half of the owners is the non-standard interface of the charger, which in no way fits the familiar micro-USB connector. And the rest, you can safely take the tablet on a trip (with a docking station and a memory) and not be afraid that it will turn off after a few hours of enthusiastic work.
Summarizing
Eiser turned out to have a completely balanced device both technically and in terms of value. First of all, the device boasts the presence of a full-fledged Windows OS of the eighth series on board, a good IPS-matrix, an intelligent keyboard and a long battery life.
Everything that is described in the specification (Wi-Fi, bluetooth, 3G protocols and other functionality) is not implemented for show and works as it should. The pluses include excellent assembly, attractive appearance of the model and the convenience of the design as a whole.
By and large, we have an advanced netbook, which will come in handy for mobile and demanding users in the ergonomic part. As such, the model simply does not have critical flaws, and it completely fulfills the money invested in it. And this is almost more than 20 thousand rubles. Moreover, it is not a sin to buy such a reliable and high-quality assembled design.