Acer Iconia A1-830, a pretty great Intel powered Android tablet

Written by B Johnson January 19, 2014
Acer Iconia A1-830
Acer does make some pretty impressive offers in tablet market. One of Acer slates that I believe is worth checking out is definitely Acer Iconia A1-830. Why? It's because it's running on Intel Atom processor.
Hi guys, welcome back!

After publishing, not publishing, haha, i mean showing you guys here some of Acer’s homemade tablets that have made me really impressed a lot, thanks to their Tegra processors inside, like Acer Iconia Tab A110 and Acer Iconia A700.

(Acer Iconia A1-830 specs)


Not to mention, Acer Iconia A500, a 10.1-inch 720p tablet sporting the Tegra 2 processor, now i have another tablet from Acer that i’m really interested to showcase on this website.

It’s called Acer Iconia A1-830.

Acer Iconia A1-830 benchmarks and gaming performance

To be honest, actually, i’ve never been a big fan of Acer’s tablets before.

One tablet from this company that managed to capture my attention was Acer Iconia A110, since 2 years ago after the first-gen Google Nexus 7 made its first debut.

And the thing that made me attracted to give the spotlight to this tablet was actually because it’s powered by Tegra 3.

Interestingly though, since i made that review, i began searching some of other Acer’s tablets to see if there were any other tablets from this company that were worth recommending on this website, especially as gaming tablets.

Turned out, i was quite surprised to see that there were many impressive tablets from Acer, like 2 tablets that i’ve already showed you earlier, Acer Iconia A500 and Acer Iconia A700.

Today, i have one other cool tablet from Acer that i also believe can be a pretty good gaming tablet, if not great.

And as mentioned above, it is Acer Iconia A1-830, a 7.9-inch Android tablet sporting the rather low-resolution 1024x768 pixel resolution.

However, this tablet is not a Tegra-powered tablet though.

But i’ll show you guys why this tablet can be a pretty good choice for you if you’re looking for a cheap budget tablet in the near future.

Well, if you’re eager to know more about this tablet, then here you go, my personal review of Acer Iconia A1-830.

But as usual (sorry to bore you all with this static phrase over and over again :D), before you go straight to the review, please allow me first to give you the brief introduction of this tablet.

Introduction

In the tablet-making business, most tablet shoppers and even consumers in general are more familiar with Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Samsung or Asus’ tablets, or probably Sony Xperia tablets, with other companies’ offerings, like LG G Pad 8.3, Lenovo Yoga or Huawei Media Pad tablets starting to gain ground in many markets, especially the emerging ones.

However, just like HP with its homemade Android tablets, Acer is pretty much on the same level with that laptop-specialized manufacturer.

There are not many HP and Acer’s tablets that you can find on the market right now, even in your nearest town, which is kind of sad because these 2 manufacturers interestingly have some cool and awesome budget tablets in their grasp.

The good news is, Acer, as well as HP, are ready to welcome this new year with some positive spirit.

If HP already had its HP Slate series available to buy on its website since a few months ago, then Acer is also readying this new year with some new line of tablets.

Acer Iconia A1-830 is one of them.

Even though this tablet hasn’t arrived yet to the market, and will launch in the near Q1 of 2014, Acer Iconia A1-830 is actually a pretty interesting tablet though.

It may not have the beast hardware just like other rivals, nor the highest-resolution display, but as a budget cheap tablet, you can put this tablet in your list in case you’re looking for a tablet for your kid or your grandma maybe.

As a budget tablet, Acer Iconia A1-830 comes with some pretty interesting specs here and there.

There are a dual-core Intel Atom processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM and PowerVR SGX 544 GPU (which is the same GPU found on Apple’s iPhone 5), 5MP camera on the back with 2MP camera on the front, a 7.9-inch display sporting the rather low resolution 768x1024 pixels and many more.

But the question is, does this tablet stack up against other rivals in its class and price range?

Well, we’re about to find out more in just a minute.

Design

In term of design, i think Acer did a good job on this tablet. Unlike Asus cheap tablets that mostly look cheap and plastic, say, Asus Memo Pad 7 HD, this Acer Iconia A1-830 actually looks much better and doesn’t have that cheap looking feel on it, which is great.

Acer Iconia A1-830 - Full tablet specifications/SPECS

Acer Iconia A1-830

The rounded corners look perfect, not that fully rounded or chubby like Samsung older-gen flagships (e.g., Samsung GALAXY S3 or Note 2 that have that cheap and chubby looking design, despite being "flagships").

The bezels on this Acer’s tablet also look good, not that huge and still acceptable for a cheap budget tablet.

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  • Release 2014, Q1
  • 7.9 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 768 x 1024 pixels (~162 ppi pixel density)
  • Intel Atom Z2560 Dual-core 1.6 GHz CPU
  • 1 GB RAM
  • PowerVR SGX544 GPU
  • Android OS 4.2 Jelly Bean
  • 5 MP rear-facing camera autofocus
  • 2 MP front-facing camera
  • microSD Card slot, up to 32 GB
  • 16 GB Internal
  • No GPRS
  • No EDGE
  • No SIM
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • No Radio
  • Bluetooth
  • USB
  • GPS
  • Java
  • Li-Ion battery
Acer Iconia A1-830 comes with:
  • a rather low-resolution 7.9-inch 768x1024 pixel display,
  • a dual-core Intel Atom Z2560,
  • 1GB of RAM,
  • PowerVR SGX 544,
  • 5MP camera on the back with 2MP camera on the front,
  • an unspecified Li-on power battery that is non-removable,
  • microSD card for up to 32GB,
  • Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box
  • and many more.
With all of these specs, then Acer Iconia A1-830 can be considered as a low-end budget tablet and will compete with other cheap budget tablets like Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 Lite or Huawei’s new cheap tablet.

Screen

For today’s standard, then the 768x1024 pixel resolution on this Acer Iconia A1-830 is definitely not something to write home about especially compared to its rivals, like Google Nexus 7, Kindle Fire 7 HDX or LG G Pad 8.3 that already adopt 1080p display, which has become industry standards in tablet market.

The display of this Acer’s tablet actually matches the exact same screen resolution of the current-gen Samsung GALAXY Tab 3, which weirdly still inherits that low-resolution display from its predecessors (Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 and GALAXY Tab 1).

But given the fact that Acer Iconia A1-830 will likely be priced at low price point, in probably around $130, in order to compete with other new cheap budget tablets, say, Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 Lite, then its low-resolution display will not be such big a deal considering that this low-resolution is already enough for a cheap budget tablet.

Besides, by using this display, the Intel Atom processor inside this tablet will be able to perform much even faster for daily tasks and its battery life will also improve to be much longer for even heavy usage.

In the real world quality, however, this low resolution 768x1024 pixel display will not make you fully impressed with the screen quality, although it’s also not gonna be that bad and can still accommodate all of your daily needs perfectly, either for watching movies, reading books or magazines, browsing the web or even playing games.

Even so, you would always need to do zoom in zoom out gesture because the text and image might not look so sharp and crisp in normal view.

But overall, for that cheap price point, having a 768x1024 pixel resolution on a 7.9-inch display is still considered as pretty good, if not great.

Besides, you must always keep this in mind that Samsung GALAXY Tab 3, which is the latest generation of this series, is still using the same exact low resolution 1024x600 pixels on its 7-inch display.

So having a bit higher 1024x768 pixels should be appreciated, right?

Features

When it comes to features, Acer Iconia A1-830 is pre-loaded with some apps and features that probably can’t be found on other regular Android tablets out there, especially the ones with the genuine stock Android OS, like, say Google Nexus devices.

So there will be some useful and awesome features that Acer has provided on this tablet, like shortcut apps on lockscreen key, multi-window apps, much improved media player and many more.

I think one of my favorite features on this tablet is the shortcut apps on lockscreen key, which allows you to put your favorite shortcut apps (like gmail, web browser, camera app, etc) right on the lockscreen key.

In order to activate this feature, the tablet must firstly be locked with lock key.

And then, press and hold the on-screen lockscreen key and then move the key to any of your favorite apps (which you just set manually earlier).

I think this feature is really cool and must be implemented by Google on the latest Android build in the near future.

Actually, this feature is already available on any CyanogenMOD-installed devices.

So if you want your tablet or smartphone to have this feature, then you know where to start.

User Interface

Just like any regular Android tablets out there, this Acer Iconia A1-830 also deploys some standard homescreen UI where you’re able to put your favorite widgets, apps or shortcuts all over the screen.

But the good thing about Acer’s UI on this tablet is that, there will be some improvements and enhancements here and there on the software and especially on the features, which is way better than the genuine stock Android UI from Google or on Google Nexus devices.

Performance

In term of performance, as a budget tablet, Acer Iconia A1-830 screams, but not too loud (no pun intended).

With the specs like a dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 CPU clocked at 1.6GHz per core, accompanied with 1GB of RAM and PowerVR SGX544 (which is the same GPU found inside the iPhone 5 internals), all the basic daily tasks can be executed very well on this tablet, in buttery smooth performance with no lag whatsoever.

The reason to believe that is because this chipset is made and manufactured by Intel, which is one of the best chip makers on this planet earth and it has its chipsets found on many computers, laptops, desktops, netbooks and tablets all across the world.

And the fact that this tablet is only sporting the low-resolution 768x1024 pixel display, which a bit equal with 720p display but little below it, then this tablet can perform much even faster given that its hardware is only required to deliver its power to a low-resolution display, compared to other tablets with the real 720p display (1280x720 pixels) or even 1080p (1920x1200 pixels), which need way more pixels to be executed on the hardware to the screen.

So if you love watching movies, reading books or magazines, browsing the web or playing games, you can expect to get a satisfying smooth experience and performance when doing these tasks every single day.

And thanks to its 1GB of RAM, you’ll be blessed with more memory and space that allows you to multitask many apps at the same time.

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When it comes to playing games, there are some pros and cons on this tablet. Just like other tablets or devices with the same kind of specs, dual-core Intel Atom, 1GB of RAM and PowerVR SGX544 GPU, Acer Iconia A1-830 can be a pretty good gaming tablet.

With these goodies, i can rest assure that you’ll be able to play any games across the Google Play Store, even the most graphically demanding games, in buttery smooth performance and in high graphics setting.

There are new and latest games that will likely work on this tablet, like Asphalt 7: Heat, Minion Rush: Despicable Me and Temple Run 2, while other older games released in 2012 will definitely work great on this tablet.

I’ve actually already seen other tablet, Asus FonePad, which has the same type of specs but much higher than the ones found on this Acer Iconia A1-830, like a dual-core Intel Atom Z2580 (higher than this Acer’s tablet), 2GB of RAM and PowerVR SGX 544MP2.

And this Asus FonePad tablet is capable enough to run the aforementioned games above really smoothly, like Asphalt 7, Minion Rush, Despicable Me and of course other older games released in 2012.

However, when faced with more graphics intense games like Modern Combat 4, this Asus FonePad tablet starts to struggle when running the game.

I think its high-resolution display is the one to blame given its 1080p resolution.

The result is probably different if it’s played on Acer Iconia A1-830, which has much lower-resolution screen.

But the bad thing is, this chipset of this Acer’s tablet (Intel Atom Z2560) is not the same exact model like the one found on Asus FonePad tablet (Intel Atom Z2580), which also has much higher clock speed (2GHz) than on this Acer’s tablet (1.6GHz).

So i don’t think this Acer’s tablet is capable enough to run Modern Combat 4 in smooth performance, even in low-resolution display.

Unless.. unless, you download the game right away from Google Play Store, which usually will automatically adjust the game file according to hardware of the tablet, thus giving you the low-graphics version of Modern Combat 4.

So this game will work perfectly on this Acer’s tablet.

So with that being said, then i can assume that Acer Iconia A1-830 will not be capable to run the latest games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, GTA San Andreas or Dead Trigger 2 in full graphics.

Yes – you probably could play these high-performing games on this Acer’s tablet, but they would NOT run smoothly in medium or even low graphics setting.

So you probably have more luck if you set these games on the lowest level of graphics setting in order to run perfectly.

But i can’t guarantee that.

The good news is, for other older games released around 2012, like Need for Speed Undercover, Modern Combat 1 and 2 (and probably 3), N.O.V.A 2 (and the predecessor), PES 2012, Dead Trigger 1, ShadowGun, Samurai Showdown or Asphalt 7: Heat, i’m pretty sure these games can run very well on this Acer’s tablet.

Camera

It’s good to hear that Acer Iconia A1-830 comes with 5MP camera on the back and 2MP camera on the front.

However, when it comes to quality, you can’t expect the rear-facing camera of this tablet to have the same great quality just like the camera on Samsung tablets or iPad, which both have the best cameras on tablet market.

But still, it’s good to see Acer is still aware of user’s needs for a rear-facing camera on a tablet.

It may not have the best photo nor video quality compared to other rivals, but this camera might come in handy in case you forgot to bring your digital camera or your smartphone at your disposal, enabling you the other option to take shots. Unfortunately, there is no LED flash found on this tablet.

So you can’t take some great shots at night especially in low-light condition, which is a bummer.

Battery Life

Acer Iconia A1-830 comes with unspecified Li-on power battery, which is non-removable.

When it comes to battery life, i don’t have any clue whether this tablet will have great battery life or sadly, short one.

But given the fact that this tablet is only sporting the low-resolution 768x1024 pixel display, then you can expect this tablet to have good battery life in one single charge.

However, its battery life will likely drain much faster if you’re gonna use this tablet for doing some heavy intense tasks without resting the screen, like watching movies in marathon or playing games in the row.

And with this type of usage, its battery life would probably last around 5 to 8 hours of usage, which is still considered as pretty good, given its low-resolution display and a good processor.

My Personal Opinions

So to sum this up, i personally think that Acer Iconia A1-830 is a pretty good tablet, of course in its class and low-end price around.

And given that this tablet HAS NOT YET been released to the market, i believe this tablet will be prepared by Acer to counter attack the arrival of Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 Lite, which will likely launch in this quarter and come bundled with some specs that are lower than the original Samsung GALAXY Tab 3.

So i can assume this Acer tablet to be positioned in low-end tablet market and will likely be priced in around $130 price range, which is the exact price that Samsung is going to ask for its GALAXY Tab 3 Lite.

Some of the great things that make Acer Iconia A1-830 a good cheap budget tablet are its hardware, which are considered as powerful for its price range, its 5MP camera, its microSD card slot and probably its software or pre-loaded apps and features.

However, there are some sacrifices that Acer has to make on this tablet, and they are: the lack of LED flash, low-resolution display (768x1024 pixels) and no cellular connectivity, which is the main selling point of Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 Lite.

But the good news is, as a cheap budget tablet, Acer Iconia A1-830 can still be a good gaming tablet, if not great (let alone the best).

Some older graphically demanding games like ShadowGun, Dead Space, Modern Combat 1 and 2, N.O.V.A 2, Need for Speed Undercover, Asphalt 7: heat, Dead Trigger 1, Samurai Showdown or Minion Rush Despicable Me, will run nicely on this tablet, plus in full graphics.

However, for other latest graphics intense games like Modern Combat 4, Dead Trigger 3, Asphalt 8: Airborne or GTA San Andreas, this tablet will definitely struggle really hard to deliver its best smooth performance, especially when these games run in full graphics, which will be unplayable for human being.

But aside from gaming performance, i think Acer Iconia A1-830 is still pretty decent tablet in its class and low-end price range (to be more specific, around $130 price range).

If you’re looking for a cheap budget tablet at low price, you definitely can add this tablet in your list.

However, if you want to get a much better alternative that is just better than this Acer's tablet in many ways, i recommend you to add more cash in your current budget and pick up either Tegra Note or HP Slate 7 Extreme.

These 2 tablets are only $199 but they have many things to offer to you.

They both are powered by Tegra 4, 1GB of RAM, 7-inch 720p display, great stylus, powerful gaming performance (and capable to run the latest games like Asphalt 8 or GTA San Andreas in full graphics), 5MP camera that is able to take great shots and many other great goodies.

You just won't make mistake if you decide to buy any of these 2 tablets.
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