Andrew Cunningham
News about Acer's Windows 8 lineup continues to surface: earlier this week, we took a look at the touchscreen-equipped Aspire S7 Ultrabooks, and today we got our hands on their upcoming Intel-based Iconia W700 Windows 8 tablet, which will start at $799.99 when it launches alongside Windows 8 on October 26.
Andrew Cunningham
The W700 will come in three configurations: the base $799.99 configuration includes a 1.8GHz Intel Core i3-3217u processor with the Intel HD 4000 integrated GPU, a 1080p IPS display, 4GB of RAM, and a 64GB solid-state drive. The second $899.99 configuration bumps the processor to a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3317u that can Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz, and the final $999.99 configuration boosts the SSD to 128GB. All models of the W700 include one USB 3.0 port, a Micro HDMI port, a microSD card slot, and a headphone jack, but wireless connectivity options are limited to 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetoothâ€"there's no mobile broadband option available. The device also features a rear-facing 5 megapixel 1080p camera and a 1 megapixel 720p front-facing camera.
Andrew Cunningham
Andrew Cunningham
Intel's low-voltage Ivy Bridge processors will give this tablet the power of an Ultrabook, but that processing power comes at a price: the W700 weighs in at 2.3 pounds, a pound more than Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 and nearly a pound more than the 1.44 pounds of the 2012 iPad. Despite the Intel processor and the form factor, Acer promises up to eight hours of battery life (though oddly this estimate drops to up to seven hours while browsing the Web)â€"we won't be able to test these claims for sure until we have the tablet in for a more detailed review, but its battery life will probably come in a bit lower than ARM tablets when put into practice.
The tablet's 1080p IPS display is bright, colorful, and sharp, and like the screens in the Aspire S7 Ultrabooks is a nice upgrade from the low-rent 1366x768 panels you so often find in PCs. The casing is mostly plastic, but it has a nice firm fit and finish and none of the cheap-feeling flex that was present in the Galaxy Note 10.1. The weight definitely makes it a bit heavy for long sessions if you're using it on the couch or in bed, but it's easy to slip into a bag and take with you if you're traveling.
Andrew Cunningham
Andrew Cunningham
Andrew Cunningham
The tablet also comes with a few accessories, which thankfully don't add anything to the W700's base prices: a Micro HDMI to VGA dongle allows for easy plugging into projectors or older monitors; an included cradle features three USB 3.0 ports and allows you to easily dock the tablet if you'd like to put it on your desk or kitchen counter, and a Bluetooth keyboard helps you to use the tablet more like a traditional laptop while it's docked. All of the accessories are also made of plastic, but unlike the tablet, the cradle especially looks and feels a little chintzy. The utility is nice to have, though, and unlike so many other keyboards and keyboard docks included with Windows 8 PCs, at least they won't cost you anything extra.
Intel processors have found their way into a few Windows 7 tablets over the last few years, but the combination of Windows 8 and more power-efficient x86 processors are making for tablets that should be able to match or beat ARM tablets in performance while maintaining decent battery life. The W700 is a more expensive tablet running Ultrabook-class processors, but cheaper tablets running Intel's Clover Trail (and, later, Bay Trail) platforms will be available to compete more closely with ARM tablets in price and battery life.
At $799.99, the base Iconia W700 definitely overshoots iOS and Android tablets on price, but its price and performance look a bit better when compared to 11.6" and 13.3" Ultrabooks. We'll be doing a full review of the tablet as soon as it is available.
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