RealClear Summary
Posted On January 22, 2013
Acer's entry into the blossoming market for "convertible" Windows 8 tablets/notebooks is the Iconia W510. This 10-inch tablet boasts a 1366 x 768 display, a 1.5GHz Intel Atom processor, and 2GB of RAM. You'll find 64GB worth of built-in memory plus front and rear-facing HD cameras, a microSD card slot and a keyboard dock.
The $749 W510 can be had as a tablet-only, without the keyboard dock, for $549. As a tablet alone, the W510 can enjoy up to a 9 hour battery life but using the dock nearly doubles the battery life.
While lauding the battery life, reviewers had a mixed take on the W510. The Intel Atom processor delivers more of a netbook performance than the i3 and higher processors found on Ultrabooks and other notebooks with the same price tag. The keyboard dock also came in for some criticism, as reviewers were disappointed with its ergonomics.
Reviews Sources
Offering low-powered Intel Atom tablet/laptop hybrids for $750 or more is a dodgy proposition for budget-looking systems such as the Iconia W510, but all-day battery life is a great...
The Acer Iconia W510 offers very long battery life and a useful keyboard dock, making this Windows 8 tablet-notebook hybrid a solid but somewhat pricey choice.
The W510 is a decent product, but it's not great and there's a lot of competition.
The 10-inch Acer Iconia W510 comes very close to being our favourite Windows 8 convertible tablet/laptop with Atom inside.
The W510 itself is well executed, but overall the experience seemed a bit less polished than with Microsoft's Surface RT.
By running Windows 8 instead of Windows RT, the W510 instantly sidesteps the lack of compelling software while still offering a decent performance and excellent battery life.
| Approve | Mostly Approve | |
Mixed/Caveated | Mostly Disapprove | Disapprove |