Acer Chromebook Tab 10 review: the beginning of something new

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Chromebooks are very popular inschools around the world, but they do not offer such portability or convenience as an iPad or Surface device. Recently, Acer introduced its first-ever Acer Chromebook Tab 10 tablet on Chrome OS at a cost of $ 329 ($ 22,380), which was announced back in March of this year.

Inexpensive tablet on Chrome OS - sounds prettytempting, however, it is not intended for the average user, but is more focused on the market for educational devices. You should buy it or not, learn from the review.

Specifications

Tablet design

Screen

Keyboard

Stylus and sound

Performance

Camera and autonomy

Software

Opportunities for school

Should I buy?

Acer Chromebook Tab 10 Specifications

Screen

9.7 ″ IPS LCD, resolution 2048 × 1536, density 264ppi, 4: 3 aspect ratio

CPU

Rockchip RK3399, 2 Cortex-A72 cores and 4 Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of 2GHz

Graphics

Mali t860

Ram

4GB LPDDR3

ROM

32GB

Chrome OS

Stylus

Wacom EMR

Ports

USB 3.1 Type-C

Cameras

Primary: 5-megapixel with 720p HD resolution

Front: 2-MP

Wireless interfaces

2 × 2 MIMO Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.1

Memory expansion slots

microSD

Battery

Lithium-polymer, 8860 mAh

Dimensions

172.2 × 238.2 × 9.9 mm

Weight

544.3 g.

Available colors

Indigo

Tablet design

The beauty of Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is not tryingcompete with iPad or Surface devices. It is made of thick plastic, with a textured back cover. With sizes of 172.2 × 238.2 × 9.98 mm, the tablet weighs quite a lot - 550 g.

The frames around the display are wide, it simplifies it.retention in both landscape and portrait modes. At the top end of the Chromebook Tab 10 is a headphone jack, microphone and three speaker grilles. On the left side there is a power button, volume control button, microSD card slot and a stylus. At the bottom there are three speaker grilles and a USB Type-C port, which can be used both for charging and for connecting external devices, including a display, keyboard, or mouse.

In general, I really liked the design of the Acer Chromebook tablet. This is a simple, and without any frills device, ideal for the classroom.

Good screen

Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is equipped with a 9.7-inch IPSLCD display with an aspect ratio of 4: 3 and a resolution of 2048 × 1536, which leads to a pixel density of 264ppi. Viewing angles are good, maximum and minimum brightness is enough. The colors of the screen have a warm tint, but unfortunately there is no possibility to customize them to your taste.

Any keyboard

Software keyboard on Acer Chromebook Tab 10is the same as other Chrome OS touchscreen devices. Of course, it doesn’t compare with the Gboard, since the hints and text correction are not so accurate here. In addition, for some reason, the keyboard is configured to use the first letter of each word in some Android applications, and this cannot be disabled.

Fortunately, the gadget is compatible with any Bluetooth keyboard. However, Acer does not offer its own, created for this tablet, which is a disadvantage.

Stylus & Speakers

The most noticeable "additional" hardwareChromebook Tab 10 feature is the Wacom stylus. Hidden on the edge of the tablet, it allows users to easily and quickly take screenshots, create notes, draw and scale objects. The pen uses the same electromagnetic resonance method (EMR), which can be found in a counterpart on a Samsung Chromebook. This allows the Wacom stylus to work without a built-in battery or Bluetooth connection.

The accessory itself is small and light. It does not have an additional hardware button on the end, as on Samsung's styli, but still it is quite functional. Since Acer Chromebook 10 can run Android apps, you can install the right note apps from the Play Market if you need something more powerful than Google Keep.

The Chromebook Tab 10 tablet is equipped with six speakers, but despite this, the sound is quite quiet. I'm not sure that the volume will be enough for comfortable viewing of video in a classroom filled with children.

Performance

Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is goodexecutor of tasks if only one application is used. The power of the dual-core Rockchip RK3399 processor and 4 GB of RAM is enough for quick launch of applications, but not enough for multitasking. When switching between two simultaneously running applications, there is a significant decrease in performance.

Camera and autonomy

Another reason why this tablet is clearly notdesigned for the average user - the camera. Acer's Chromebook Tab 10 is equipped with 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras that were relevant for 2010 phones. These cameras are suitable for use in the school class, but no more.

From one charge, the device can work for about 10 hours.

Software

In addition to problems with the keyboard, we are dealing withChrome OS, which can be found on any Chromebook. This means that some things on Chromebook Tab 10 will be a little more difficult. Almost all web applications and Android applications automatically hide the status bar at the top of the screen, so each time you need to do a swipe from top to bottom, if you need to minimize the program. On a Chromebook with a physical keyboard, this function is performed by the “X” key.

Many Android apps are stillincompatible with Chrome OS. The Gboard keyboard is available in the Play Market, but it cannot be installed as the main input method. Most of the problems with Tab 10 are related to Chrome OS. However, some of these errors may be fixed with updates soon.

Acer Chromebook Tab 10 for school features

Acer Chromebook Tab 10 Tablet supportsGoogle Expeditions feature that allows you to make virtual tours without leaving the table. In the future, the device will also support Expedition AR, which will allow students to view augmented reality objects right in the classroom.

IT departments will be able to manage these gadgets withusing the Chrome Management Console. Each student can have their own profile with their personal registration information, so all data uploaded to the user account remains only in this account.

Total

Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is not designed toan ordinary consumer, and I think you will be disappointed by buying it. If your job is related to school, then another thing. The fact that the device will mainly be used by children in schools keeps the Tab 10 from falling face down in the dirt. Its flaws — weak speakers, cameras, and a low-power processor — are excusable in a school setting.

Chromebook Tab 10 has several competitors insegment of the device for education. Including a 9.7-inch iPad worth $ 329 ($ 22,380) for regular users and $ 299 ($ 20,345) for teachers. It has better screen, better camera and faster performance. However, it only supports Bluetooth keyboards, while Acer comes with the included Wacom stylus.

Khrombuki has its own history, as devices forschools with easy setup and reliable operation. Acer Tab 10 fully meets all requirements in this area, and also has the advantages of a thin and light form factor. The software here has its quirks, but schools that are already accustomed to a Chromebook will probably feel at home here.

Benefits of Acer Chromebook Tab 10