Acer Iconia W4 Initial Review: Great Windows Tablet for People On the Go

Acer Iconia W4 Initial Review: Great Windows Tablet for People On the Go

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Acer’s newest Windows tablet is small and portable

Earlier today we got together with Smart and their Smart Bro team to talk about their Gadget Bundles. One of the devices in their Gadget Bundle plan is the Window 8 tablet, the Acer Iconia W4. We’ve seen the Iconia W4 before when it was officially launched by Acer two months ago back in December, unfortunately we weren’t able to spend quality time with it. Today, we’ve finally got to spend some time with it and came away impressed by the little device.

Acer Iconia W4 Spec Sheet

  • 1.33GHz Intel Atom Processor Z3740
  • 2GB LPDDR3 memory
  • 32GB eMMC
  • 8-inch 1280 x 800 resolution IPS wit Zero Air Gap Technology
  • 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
  • MicroSD card reader
  • HDMI micro port with HDCP support
  • Comes with full size Acer Crunch Keyboard, Microsoft Office
  • 1 year warranty

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Design and build: Bulkier than most Android and iOS tablets

While the Iconia W4 is a small, 8-inch tablet, it’s still comparatively bulkier than other Android or iOS tablets out there. At around 412g, the Iconia W4 is heavy, though its weight isn’t unmanageable. It’s pretty thick though, measuring in at 10mm. The Iconia W4 uses a predominantly grey colored plastic body with a silver trim running around the front of the device near the bezel.

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The example that we got to play with had a wireless Bluetooth keyboard embedded in an included carrying case. Both the tablet and the keyboard snap securely inside the carrying case, and we had a bit of difficulty prying both of them out of the case, which means there’s no danger of them accidentally slipping out soon. The carrying case increases the overall bulk of the tablet (about the thickness of your typical day planner).

Hardware: Quick and Zippy

The Iconia W4’s display looked great, though it suffered a little bit from glare. The Iconia W4’s display uses an optically bonded IPS display, and while it only has a 1280 x 800 resolution, photos and text are nice and sharp on the 8-inch display.

As far as hardware goes, the Iconia W4 uses Intel’s Atom Z3740 (Bay Trail-T) processor motoring along at 1.33GHz, complimented by 2GB of RAM. It runs Windows 8.1, which is the full version of Windows and not the somewhat crippled RT version. This means that you’ll be able to run most of the programs that run on your full-sized Windows machines at home and at your office, making the Iconia W4 a great choice for road warriors and students looking for a tablet but are unwilling to migrate to iOS or to the Android ecosystem.

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Using the Iconia W4 was pleasant enough. The Intel Atom processor inside the device made navigating through the Iconia W4 quick and zippy. We like that the Iconia W4 uses Windows 8.1 and not the hobbled Windows RT, as it opens up a range of useful applications that’s not found on the Windows marketplace. The keyboard is tactile enough, though it is tiny – which is understandable because of the overall footprint of the device. The carrying case of the Iconia W4 can pull double duty as a stand.

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That’s it for now, we’ll be doing a full review once we manage to snag a review unit. The Acer Iconia W4 is available through Smart Bro’s Gadget Bundle Plan Php 999. That comes with a pocket WiFi, 50 hours of internet surfing time and Smart’s Anti-Bill Shock Guarantee.

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