Acer Iconia Tab A110 review
Not a bad tablet, but also not as good or as cheap as its rivals, with a particularly disappointing screen
It’s the quality of this display, however, that’s in question. The first problem is it isn’t very bright. Using a colorimeter we measured its maximum brightness at a mere 208cd/m2. This compares poorly with the Nexus 7 whose screen can go all the way to 330cd/m2, and it means it can be tricky to read the screen in bright conditions. That’s not all, though. Horizontal viewing angles in portrait orientation are well below par, and as you tilt the A110 from side to side, colours and contrast change distractingly.
Neither are we particularly blown away by this tablet’s design. None of the tablets in this price range compare favourably with the stunning design of Apple’s iPads or the top-end Asus tablets, but the A110 is particularly dowdy, with its plain, dark grey plastic finish and chunky profile – it’s 11.5mm thick, and weighs 384g.
Battery life is reasonable, but once again the Acer Iconia Tab A110 falls short of its rivals. The Acer’s 3,420mAh capacity is 25% smaller than the Nexus 7’s, and this is shown in our video playback benchmark. The tablet lasted 7hrs 33mins when playing a video file on repeat, while its rival achieved a time of 10hrs 20mins. Still, the Acer’s battery is still good enough to watch Ben Hur twice over – a feat that should not be underestimated.
In isolation, the Acer Iconia Tab A110 doesn’t look a bad deal. It offers an awful lot of power for not much cash, and it’s good to see a budget tablet with both expandable storage and an HDMI output. The trouble is that the opposition is simply too strong. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD are not only cheaper than this A110 – they’re also better in almost every conceivable way, with better screens, more attractive looks and better battery life.