Acer Iconia Tab A700 With HD 1080p Display Review

Acer offers the A700 in both black and silver colors. Our test model is black and features a silver edging on both the left and right sides of the tablet. With the exception of the casing, the models are identical. The edges and corners of the tablet are slightly rounded, giving the tablet a nice look and feel.

Like many other 10.1-inch Android tablets, the A700 has no hardware buttons on the front. Above the multitouch 1080p display that supports a resolution of 1920 x 1200, you'll see the 1 megapixel front-facing web cam. An Iconia Tab logo resides at the top right corner of the tablet in the bezel and the Acer logo is located in the center of the bottom bezel. We should note that the display collected some fingerprints during our testing of the tablet, but they didn't seem to impact overall performance.

Viewing angles on the A700's display are very good. If you take the tablet outdoors, however, you'll find the screen is a bit difficult to read under direct sunlight though it's not significantly worse than other tablet displays. In addition, you will notice some glare when viewing the screen under direct sunlight and in other well-lit environments.

On the left edge of the A700, you'll find the power button and 3.5mm headset jack near the top edge. The right side of the A700 houses the microSD card slot which is revealed when you open the rotating cover, along with the micro HDMI port. We aren't a big fan of the door design on this tablet because the rubber stoppers that hold it in place occasionally get in the way of closing it so that it sits flush. With a little bit of wiggling though, you'll get the door back in place. The hinge can also sometimes interfere with the ease of inserting and removing a microSD card. Unless you're changing microSD card slots frequently, this should be a minor inconvenience.

On the bottom edge of the A700, you'll see speaker grills on either side. A reset button as well as a microUSB port is located in the center. The top edge of the A700 houses the volume rocker, rotation lock switch, and a microphone pinhole.

When you turn the A700 over, you'll notice the textured surface that feels a bit rubbery and a bit like smooth leather. Overall, we really liked the back cover on the A700—it's different from others we've seen, feels great in your hand, and makes the tablet feel secure in our hands. The finish also resists fingerprints. The rear-facing 5 megapixel camera is found near the top edge of the tablet in the center.