Acer Iconia W3 - Office 2024

Being the first is always an added challenge and in this case it was not going to be less. It's not just about creating suitable hardware at a competitive price but also seeing how Windows 8 responds on such small screen sizes and with the main touch control. Our analysis of the Acer Iconia W3 is about all this and something else.

Acer Iconia W3 Features

Display: Active Matrix TFT Color LCD 8.1"
Resolution: 1280x800
Processor: Intel Atom Z2760 2 core 1.50/1.80 GHz
RAM Memory: 2GB LPDDR2
Storage: Flash Memory 32/64 GB
Camera: Front and rear 2 mpx
Battery: 2 cells / 6800 mAh
Others: microSD, microHDMI, microUSB, headphones, keyboard accessory
Measurements: 218.9 × 134.8 × 11.3 mm.
Weight: 498 grams
Operating system: Windows 8 / Windows 8.1 Preview

Size, design and construction

I don't think anyone disputes that the Iconia W3 is not the prettiest tablet on the market Even seen on its keyboard it conveys a certain feeling of toy that does little to help the overall image of the team. But one ends up getting used to it and things are not as bad as they seem at first glance.

The 8.1 inches of the Iconia W3 compared to the 10.6 of the Surface Pro.

The tablet has a white frame surrounding the entire edge of the screen, being thicker in the lower area to contain the Windows button. At first, this asymmetry of the frame does not suit it, nor does the contrast between the black and white of the front and the silver of the rear cover. Despite everything, the truth is that said frame ends up transmitting a certain robustness to the equipment and its larger size in the lower area is even appreciated when used vertically.

Its size and manageability are a pleasant surprise. Not so much its design and construction.

The back is unadorned, beyond the embossed Acer logo and the corresponding camera in one of the corners. The material is plastic and completely smooth, which sometimes makes it appear slippery. The material itself does not help at all to dissipate heat and sometimes we noticed a high temperature in the left area when holding it horizontally. We notice it less vertically.

This left area of the tablet contains the heaviest components, which means that the equipment is not completely balanced in its weight distribution and we notice a greater load on one of the sides. Things are also complicated by placing it vertically and seeing that the upper part, the one that remains most in the air, is the heaviest, which does not help with prolonged periods of use.

All in all, this is a tablet weighing 500 grams, therefore, even being above other devices in the competition, the final result is not entirely uncomfortable and its handling in hand is satisfactory. Its centimeter of thickness is not alarming and we will not accuse its excessive weight, although its heat, which makes it almost impossible to use it with your hands when it is loading.

What does make it clear that this is a first version of a computer for Windows 8 of this size is the strange and contradictory distribution of some of the buttons and portsThe speakers, audio jack, and charging port are located on the bottom of the tablet. This might not be very serious, although it could be improved, in a vertical position, but they do pose a problem when trying to hold the tablet horizontally and blocking one of the speakers with your hand or having to juggle to hold it with headphones plugged in.

The power button is on the opposite edge, next to the microUSB and microHDMI ports, the microphone and a small slot that allows you to hold the tablet on the back of the keyboard for transport. It is not a bad position, although on more than one occasion we can accidentally press the button, blocking the tablet. The button itself includes a tiny led that indicates the battery charge when we have it plugged into the current.

For the rest, the right side, vertically, or upper, if we have the tablet horizontally, contains the volume up and down buttons and the microSD slot. On that same side we find the Iconia name, while the Acer logo is on the front, in the black frame and in a horizontal position. This contrasts with the front camera, located on the far left and which seems prepared to be used vertically so that it faces us when holding the tablet like this.

Many things to polish in the physical section. From the materials to the placement of the elements through the general design, Acer has work ahead to improve a tablet that in size and manageability has proven to be more satisfactory than expected.

Screen

One of the most criticized sections of this Acer Iconia W3 is undoubtedly its screen. That's right. The panel used by the Taiwanese does not reach the level of the minimum acceptable far from it. It should come as no surprise that Acer itself has announced a second version of the tablet for the next few months with a better display.

The Iconia W3 comes with an 8.1-inch screen and a resolution of 1280x800 That leaves a pixel density of 178 dpi, which is not far from other tablets and could match well with that screen size.But that is not the problem. The problem is its overall quality.

Constant graininess, colors, and poor viewing angles complete a horrible display.

Right from the start we noticed the grainy appearance of the screen that reminds us of old low quality mobile panels that we thought we had left behind. There is no pure black or white on the panel as some color distortion is always appreciable. Add to that the protective cover used and the effect is such that more than one will believe that their tablet comes with a protective plastic on the screen

The initial disappointment spreads with daily use. Even with the brightness level at maximum the screen is almost unreadable on a sunny day and reflections are a constant. The problem also extends when we check its viewing angles and see that it is impossible to read text or see images as soon as we try to look at the tablet from the side.

As soon as we move away from the center, text and colors become imperceptible.

Not everything is so negative. At least the tactile feedback is as good as you'd expect, although we did find some lack of precision required to hit certain moments in desktop mode. But ultimately, apart from the painful panel assembled by Acer, the experience with this first tablet with Windows 8 of less than 10 inches, as we will explain later, turns out to be more comfortable than expected on such a screen size.

Performance and autonomy

The Acer Iconia W3 carries an Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor at 1.50 or 1.80 GHz depending on the model chosen. The processor proves enough for the everyday tasks anyone expects to perform on a screen this size Its 2GB of RAM also helps keep the system running smoothly , performing well in the Modern UI interface and with similar performance to a netbook in desktop mode.

Of course, no one demands great efforts from you in the form of games with certain graphic requirements or multimedia editing programs. It can get you out of trouble, but it is neither recommended nor the main motivation of such a team. With Modern UI applications and games we shouldn't have any problems, and in our tests we barely noticed slowdowns in any game.

The Iconia W3 comes in two versions of 32 and 64 GB of internal flash storage. The problem is the one that was already seen in other tablets with Windows 8. The 64 GB version that we have been able to test barely allowed access to 49 GB of which the system only leaves 35 GB of free spaceWhen it comes to a computer with a full operating system, 35 GB of hard drive soon starts to fall short.

Snapping two apps together works well even on that screen size.

The team has two speakers at the bottom that do their job and little else. Capable of reaching a good volume, they are not recommended for long periods of listening. Yes, we will be able to watch videos without major problems, as long as we install the appropriate software and codecs, but in this case the screen will ruin the experience again. As in the rest of the sections, no one should expect to use the computer as their primary media player

The rear camera could have been saved to cut costs and no one would miss it.

Two 2-megapixel cameras, front and rear, complete the multimedia section. The front is as expected in any tablet of this type, acting as a webcam and correctly fulfilling that function. The rear is nothing short of accessory and no one should expect to get even decent photos with it. Even less when the application is so poor that it does not even show full focus when photographing.

Positively surprising the battery At Acer they ensure that their two 6800 mAh cells can extend their duration up to 8 hours, and In the tests we have carried out, we can confirm this figure even with an intensive day of work. Under a very high load we will barely reach 4 hours of duration but that should not be its normal use. With moderate use as secondary equipment it is easy that we do not have to charge it for a couple of days or more.

The keyboard as the main accessory

The main accessory of the Iconia W3 is a keyboard that Acer sells separately at a price of 69 euros It is a complete keyboard , somewhat longer than the tablet, which includes a slot to support it and work in portable mode. And that's it. It does not add a battery, nor additional ports, nor does it serve as a cover, although it includes a hole in its back to facilitate the transport of the tablet.

The keyboard works with two AAA batteries and connects via bluetooth with the tablet Without being anything special, the keys are comfortable even for large hands, although its travel is short and the touch can be improved. Its size similar to that of a 10-inch netbook suffers from the same problems as these, ending up tiring due to the position that the hands must adopt.

It is intended to be used with the tablet in a horizontal position with an angle similar to that offered by the Surface kickstand. It can be placed vertically but at the risk of ending up tilting the entire equipment on the table. The bottom pads prevent it from slipping on the table, gripping well to any surface.

The tablet is anchored to the back of the keyboard for easy transport.

It is not the worst of the tablet and it is appreciated to have an accessory like this officially by the manufacturer, but 69 euros seems too expensive for what a simple keyboard supposes bluetooth At least it will serve us additionally as a method of transporting the equipment.

Operating system: Windows 8.1

Perhaps the most pleasing thing about our entire experience with the Iconia W3 is what Acer hasn't had to be a part of. Windows 8 works surprisingly well on the 8.1-inch of the Taiwanese tablet. Of course, much better if we have the public preview of Windows 8.1 installed on it, and not without first fighting with the camera drivers or bluetooth so that everything works correctly.

We're not rejecting having full Windows 8 in 8.1 inches, but Windows RT seems like a more logical choice.

With the system update, working with a tablet smaller than 10 inches like this becomes much more comfortable than a server initially expected.In the absence of a mouse or touchpad with which to improve work in desktop mode, where it is sometimes difficult to hit with your fingers due to the considerably smaller size of the menus and icons, it goes better than I would have bet before using it. Although we have not gotten rid of an occasional crash that has required the typical reboot to get out of trouble.

Now, is full Windows 8 necessary on a tablet this size? In its daily use, Modern UI demonstrates all its value as a touch interface and on many occasions we will look for an alternative application that allows us to carry out tasks that we do with other desktop software. More and more we will find ourselves avoiding access to it and trying to stay in Windows 8 applications, so Windows RT would seem sufficient for a device of these characteristics

Even so, no one takes a bitter sweet and being able to use all Windows programs at any time with an easily transportable computer like this is undoubtedly an incentive to take into account.Of course, always thinking of him as a secondary team or to get us out of trouble We leave everything else to the great members of the family.

Acer Iconia W3, conclusions

It is still significant that the most positive part of the use we have given to the tablet has been provided by the software, which Acer did not even take care of. Taiwanese have been among the most critical of Microsoft, unhappy with Windows RT and concerned about the Surface's market presence. The fact is that the highly improvable Iconia W3 does not even serve as an argument in favor of its position More concern for polishing design and specifications would not have been bad.

That said, this 8.1-inch tablet does hint at the possibilities of these screen formats in Windows environments. We had already seen sizes like this or even smaller on netbooks, but in no case is the experience as satisfactory as with a tablet and Modern UIIf netbooks already had little experience in recent years, this is their final coup de grace. A tablet like this eliminates its segment and opens the door for manufacturers and Microsoft to propose more equipment below 10 inches in which price will become a reference variable.

Price is the key point, being higher than what the Iconia W3 can offer us as a whole.

And the fact is that cost is one of the keys to the whole set. Acer has placed the Iconia W3 on the market at a recommended price of 329 euros for the most basic version Quantity that is well above what the Iconia actually offers tablet and cannot compete with equipment from other platforms where prices are even lower. The cost becomes even less bearable if we take into account that Microsoft has put its Surface RT at that same amount days ago.

In short, at Acer they can do better and they know it.Meanwhile the Iconia W3 remains as a first attempt whose purchase would not be among my recommendations It can be useful to those who urgently need a second device that is easy to transport and very manageable, but it would be better to have a little patience and wait for more elaborate alternatives to appear in a little more than a couple of months. that they will Because if this small tablet achieves anything, it is to demonstrate that Windows 8 works well even under 10 inches.