Acer Iconia W4 evaluate
The Acer Iconia W4 is the company’s back up stab by the side of a compact Windows 8.1 tablet, and it hopes to reach amends designed for end year’s disappointing Iconia W3. On paper, it does everything proper: The Iconia W4 packs in the field of a nippier Atom Bay Trail CPU, bundles a gratis disc of Microsoft function, upgrades the make an exhibition of with a gleaming IPS panel and slashes the penalty to no more than £252 inc basket.
Design and make an exhibition of
It’s the IPS make an exhibition of so as to instantaneously grabbed our attention; it’s a important upgrading on Iconia W3’s granular, washed-out TN panel. The 800 x 1,280 screen decree remains the same, but the wider viewing angles and vivacious colour reproduction are obvious from the persuade turn. If there’s a disapproving, it’s a minor single: The Acer’s brilliant image quality comes by the side of the expense of accuracy, and it only just futile to scour up each tint and tone from the sRGB colour scope. Otherwise, though, it’s a solid make an exhibition of. We measured the Iconia W4’s LED backlight peaking by the side of a brightness of 312cd/m², and it delivered a fine contrast ratio of 1,030:1.
Acer Iconia W4
Make an exhibition of aside, the Iconia W4 is physically analogous to its predecessor. Thankfully, however, Acer has abandoned the cheap-looking matte-white come to an end of the previous mode. The Iconia W4 is far classier looking, recognition to a brushed-metal effect which covers the rear and softens into a dull grey around the edges and front. It is still a thickset 11mm thick, but the rounded edges feel comfy in the field of the pass and, by the side of 415g, it’s 85g lighter than the Iconia W3. Build quality is advantage, too, and apart from a not very spot of undertake in the field of the back panel, this is a solid, substantial-feeling compact tablet.
Unlike Asus’ stylus-equipped VivoTab take notice of 8, the Iconia W4 has to rely on fingertips unaccompanied. Still, the touchscreen is new than approachable adequate designed for flicking through webpages and navigating through Windows. Round about desktop applications can stay fiddly to apply, but it’s at this point so as to the modest screen-resolution and Windows 8.1 scaling settings operate cool to provide logically sized icons and menu items. We were and thrilled to envision so as to Acer has located the raw Windows button on the poorer bezel – Asus’ VivoTab take notice of 8 encouraged the Windows button to the tablet’s tiptoe, and we found it far too uncomplicated to press by oversight.
Performance
Acer Iconia W4
Under the lid, however, nearby retain been round about important changes. Acer has replaced the Iconia W3’s Intel Atom Z2760 with a 1.33GHz Atom Z3740 supported by 2GB of DDR3 RAM. The consequence is a significantly improved performance across the board and, as soon as compared to machine and iOS remedy, Intel’s Bay Trail-generation Atom delivers a serious kick in the field of the SunSpider browser scale. Indeed, while the Iconia W3 soared long-ago much of the competition with a SunSpider consequence of 670ms, the Iconia W4 sped to a keep a tally of 430ms – almost 36% closer. By way of comparison, the Apple iPad mini with Retina make an exhibition of finished the test in the field of 418ms.
Performance in the field of Windows is surprisingly strong designed for such a tiny device. Despite using the same CPU in the role of the VivoTab take notice of 8, the Iconia W4’s Real humanity scale keep a tally of 0.41 outstripped the VivoTab’s consequence of 0.35. This is due to the Acer’s nippier Samsung 32GB eMMC drive. Leave to the test in the field of the CrystalDiskMark scale, the Acer achieved sequential read-and-write speeds of 161MB/sec and 53MB/sec, while the Asus’ Hynix HGB4E eMMC drive lagged behind with 75MB/sec and 35MB/sec in the field of the same tests.
Battery life and connectivity
Acer Iconia W4
The Acer’s battery is strong adequate to keep it powering through a working day of the week. In the field of our looping-video test with the screen usual to 120cd/m², the W4 managed to hang on designed for 10hrs 33mins. The W4’s keep a tally in the field of our light-use battery test was equally impressive. With the screen dimmed to a power-conserving 75cd/m², the W4 lasted 12hrs 05mins, a comfortable 36 minutes longer than the VivoTab’s 11hrs 29mins.
The 32GB of eMMC luggage compartment is literally cramped, but can stay stretched out via the microSD certificate slot on the tablet’s elevation. Acer has hang the ports around new effectively than on the Iconia W3. There’s a micro-USB docks and 3.5mm headset jack by the side of the floor of the hulk, and on the proper there's a micro-HDMI output. The inclusion of a cartridge output is longed-for (it was a notable absentee on Asus’ VivoTab take notice of 8) and adds the option of using the Iconia W4 in the role of a mini desktop PC alongside a observe and Bluetooth piano and mouse. An possible Acer ‘Crunch’ piano is available, which combines a trivial Bluetooth piano with a foldable stand up designed for the tablet.
Verdict
Acer Iconia W4
The Acer Iconia W4 is a vast upgrading on its predecessor, largely recognition to the inclusion of an IPS screen and closer CPU. It and only just bests the VivoTab take notice of 8 recognition to its closer eMMC luggage compartment, improved battery life and extra cartridge output. By the side of £250, it’s a advantage £50 cheaper, too. It might stay absent in the field of premium appeal, but the Iconia W4 is single of the on the whole promising Windows 8 remedy we’ve seen yet.
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