Pros & Cons
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- In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen.
- Micro-HDMI port.
- Includes Microsoft Office Home and Student.
- Almost 10 hours of battery life.
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- A bit pricier than rivals.
- No GPS.
- No 3G/4G/LTE.
- Lots of bloatware.
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466 Specs
| CPU | Intel Atom Z3740 |
| Dimensions | 0.42 by 8.75 by 5.3 inches |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 |
| Screen Resolution | 1,280 by 800 pixels |
| Screen Size | 8.1 |
| Storage Capacity | 64 |
| Weight | 14.6 |
The Acer Iconia W4-820-2466 ($379.99, as tested) is an entry-level Windows 8 slate tablet that is small enough to carry around while you attend a day's worth of classes or business meetings. It's not quite a laptop replacement until you add extra accessories, but it can give you more utility than a mobile-OS-equipped tablet if you need to use older Windows-based programs like Microsoft Office (which is included). The Iconia W4-820-2466 is a good entry-level Win 8 tablet for students and general business folk alike.
Design and Features
The Iconia W4-820-2466 has roughly the same dimensions as last year's Acer Iconia W3 (64GB), measuring at 0.42 by 8.75 by 5.3 inches (HWD), but it's lighter at 14.6 ounces (compared with 17.6 ounces for the Acer W3). This means you can carry the tablet with you everywhere, since it weighs roughly as much as a paperback book. The Iconia W4-820-2466 has a much nicer In-Plane Switching (IPS) display, compared with the Acer W3's muddy LCD. Reading text on the 1,280-by-800 screen is a pleasant experience, and videos are clear and bright. The 8.1-inch screen has a density of 189 pixels per inch, which is standard for entry-level Windows 8 tablets like the Dell Venue 8 Pro, Lenovo Miix 2 8, Toshiba Encore, and our current Editors' Choice, the Asus VivoTab Note 8.
View All The microHDMI and microSD card slot are on the right, under the volume rocker switch. The microUSB 2.0 port (for charging the tablet) is on the bottom, next to the headset jack. There's a Windows Start button on the bezel under the screen, which is admittedly easier to identify than the plain side button on the Asus Note 8. Taps and swipes registered quickly on the five-point capacitive touch screen. The tablet doesn't have a digitizer, so it's less capable than the Asus Note 8 for taking notes in longhand and drawing. You'll get spurious input from your palm if you try to draw on the tablet using a capacitive stylus.
There are lots of extra programs that come with the system. Acer installed eBay, Booking.com (for hotels), Kindle, Wild Tangent Games, Netflix, NewsXpresso, Evernote Touch, Amazon, Next Issue, Music Make Jam, Hulu Plus, Diddlr, Skitch Touch, StumbleUpon, Zinio, Chacha, Spotify, and a few Acer utilities. These are all in addition to the usual Windows 8 apps you usually expect on the Start Screen. Unless you use all of them or are interested in trying each and every service, you'll probably want to set aside some time to uninstall the apps to reclaim the limited space on the solid-state drive (SSD). Connectivity includes dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. The Iconia W4-820-2466 lacks GPS capabilities, as well as 4G/LTE connectivity, which can be a drawback when you want to surf the Web away from a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Final Thoughts
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
The Acer Iconia W4-820-2466 is a bright, compact 8-inch Windows 8 slate tablet. With a full copy of Microsoft Office Home and Student and almost 10 hours of battery life, it's a viable alternative to carrying an ultraportable laptop to class or meetings.