Acer Iconia Tab 8

“It seems like you can't have it all when it comes to inexpensive full HD 8-inch tablets. The Acer Iconia Tab 8 has impressive multitasking performance for its $200 price, and its premium looks and feel sets it apart from the generic plastic exteriors that dress countless inexpensive tablets on the market. But we still recommend Dell's Venue 8 (2014)$199.99 at Dell for its better display and more reliable performance. If you're looking for a tablet that does have it all and more, including a high-resolution screen and excellent performance, you can't go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4Best Price at Amazon, our current Editors' Choice. Just brace yourself for its $400 price tag.”

“With its high number of positive features in the areas of hardware and performance, the Acer Iconia Tab 8 A1-840FHD leaves a very good overall impression. Fresh out of its packaging, the Acer tablet already scores points for its attractive aluminum back cover, good manufacturing quality and almost non-existent gaps between the case's separate pieces. Up and running, the device offers a bright IPS display with good viewing angle stability and fairly accurate color reproduction, and at a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, the screen is ideal for playing HD videos. The 10-point multi-touch panel reacts to input with precision, making operation under Android 4.4.2 child's play. Even though the Iconia Tab 8 currently costs just 200 Euros (~260 USD), Acer outfitted the device with a high-performance quad-core Intel Atom Z3745 SoC that makes working, surfing and gaming a fast-paced experience. The tablet's low temperatures, reasonably good stereo speaker and fairly long battery life complete the positive overall picture.Still, the Acer tablet does not do everything right. The barely over 9 GB of available storage space is rather small, and the integrated cameras are only good for the occasional snapshot. However, anyone who is looking for a reasonably priced Android tablet and can live with these shortcomings will find the Iconia Tab 8 to be a very interesting option indeed.”

“The Acer Iconia Tab 8 is sleek for a budget tablet, but good looks only get you so far. The tablet performed fine, but didn't excel in anything in particular enough for it to stand out in the crowded budget tablet scene. If you have no use for an HDMI connection and are willing to settle for a slate that doesn't resemble an iPad, I suggest the similarly priced Dell Venue 8, which runs pure Android, or spending a little more for an upgraded model.Offering faster performance and a sharper screen, the Amazon Fire HDX is a viable alternative. The lightweight and slim 7-inch is also preloaded software, but it's more user- and family-friendly. The Nexus 7 is another alternative and, though the Google Play store no longer carries it, you can find it online for as little as $180. Additionally, the Google-branded tablet will be one of the first to update to latest Android Lollipop 5.0 OS.”

“At $199, the Iconia Tab 8 looks, on paper, like it would be a decent deal for an 8-inch Android tablet. However, it doesn't last long enough on a charge, and the screen is too dim. While not as powerful, the Dell Venue 8 offers a brighter display and much longer battery life for the same price. If you can live with a lower-resolution screen, try the ASUS MeMO Pad 8, which lasts even longer on a charge. Ultimately, the Acer Iconia Tab 8 simply doesn't offer enough for the money.”