Acer has jumped into the budget tablet segment - which is booming in India - with its Iconia Tab B1-A71, a device that looks good even on paper. The tablet has a 7-inch display and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), but we were really interested to see if it is the best device in this price range when compared to rivals. So, we reviewed the device and here are the results.
The Iconia Tab B1-A71 features a 7-inch TFT display with 1024x600p resolution and 170p pixel density. It is powered by a 1.2GHz processor with 512MB RAM and comes in 8 and 16GB variants, and provides 32GB microSD expansion. Connectivity features of the tablet are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. Other features of this tablet are VGA front camera and 2,710 mAh battery.
When it comes to design, Acer Iconia B1-A71 is not the best looking tablet out there. The bezel in the front is surrounded by a thin blue strip that looks very unpleasant to the eye. The build quality of the device seems pretty decent. On the bottom is the microUSB port, whereas the Power/Lock key and volume rocker are on the left.
Acer has not customised the software in Iconia B1-A71, so you get the stock Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS. This means that there is no bloated skin to slow down the operating system and ruin the user experience. However, you do get a few pre-loaded apps, like Chrome browser and other Google apps, movie editor and ebook reader. Jelly Bean ensures that you get to enjoy the capable Google Now digital voice assistant, which is highly responsive. You get an Acer Registration App in this tablet.
On the back is the speaker grill, which gives decent output but nothing that is worth mentioning here. The video playing experience was smooth on YouTube as well as commonly used video player apps, with no lags. This device can play 720p videos, but is not capable of handling 1080p videos smoothly.
Despite not-so-impressive specs, Acer Iconia B1-A71 gives a pretty smooth user experience, as we experienced no lags courtesy Jelly Bean, despite just 512MB RAM. The screen is decent, with good colour reproduction; and the tablet is pretty good for watching movies and reading ebooks on-the-go. What we did not like about the screen was that it is not really bright and we had to keep the brightness at 40% or higher to fully enjoy the colours; however, this is a personal choice and may differ from user to user.
Being a budget tablet, Acer Iconia B1-A71 was never expected to have all the features. Nevertheless, leaving out 3G connectivity is something we do not appreciate, as rivals like Micromax Funbook Talk and Karbonn Velox Tab 8, offer connectivity on-the-go. Another thing missing from the device is a rear camera, which is not really important in a tablet, but is still available in competing products.
The main rivals of Acer Iconia B1-A71 are Micromax Funbook Talk, Karbonn Velox Tab 8 and HCL Me Tab U2. The first two have the main advantage of providing 3G connectivity to the user, something Acer's product cannot give; moreover, Karbonn tablet has a slightly bigger screen. Rest of the specifications remain comparable between these three devices. The tablets by Micromax and Karbonn are priced lower than Acer Iconia B1-A71.
HCL Me Tab U2 is a good tablet as well, giving the same set of features, including Google Play marketplace access and a slightly bigger battery, at Rs 5,999. However, it runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and it is not yet clear if it will be upgraded to newer versions of the OS. Acer, on the other hand, has said that it may port the Iconia B1-A71 to Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean).
So, you have a few good options to check out before you select your next budget tablet, though we refrain from recommending either one of them as we have not checkws them out ourselves.
Acer Iconia B1-A71 is a capable tablet that delivers what it promises. It is perfect for enjoying music, videos, ebooks on the go, but no internet-on-the-go is something we will really miss if we buy this device. Nevertheless, those who care more about media consumption should go for this tablet, as it does that pretty well.
The manufacturer gets a few brownie points for giving international warranty with this device, making it easier to get repaired in case it encounters problems, even when you are out of the country.
What I like: Good screen quality Lag free experience International warranty.
What I don't like: No 3G Brightness not up to the mark.
Price: Rs 7,999
Key specs:
Display: 7-inch TFT display with 1024x600p resolution and 170ppi pixel density;
Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean);
Processor & RAM: 1.2GHz processor, 512MB RAM;
Storage: 8 and 16GB internal memory, 32GB microSD support;
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0;
Camera: VGA front camera;
Battery: 2,710mAh
No comments:
Post a Comment