Acer Iconia Tab A500 is cheapest Honeycomb tablet

We’ve been playing with the Acer Iconia Tab A500 for over a week now and I must say this is a pretty decent Honeycomb tablet and probably the cheapest dual-core tablet in the Philippines with street prices as low as Php18,500USD 315INR 26,725EUR 300CNY 2,296.

The Iconia A500 is actually the first dual-core Honeycomb tablet to be released in the Philippines, sporting an NVidia Tegra 2 chipset. The Asus Transformer and the Samsung Galxy Tab 10.1 have been announced and previewed with the members of the media several months ago but have not yet been sold to the general public.

This 10-inch tablet isn’t the thinnest or lightest we’ve tested in its category but Acer managed to put in a decent effort with their first Honeycomb tablet and at a price point that’s very affordable (currently the cheapest) to most consumers looking for one. And for those who just want a taste of Honeycomb to play with (read: hack) and not put a big dent on the wallet, this could be the appropriate device.

And since the Iconia A500 is powered by an NVidia Tegra 2 chip, expect a slew of really nice HD games on the tablet that’s close to the quality of console games. Of course, that will still depend on how good the display is — and IMO, the Iconia A500 does it well enough (a bit washed out and hard to use outdoors even at brightest settings).

Acer Iconia Tab A500
10.1â€³ capacitive display @ 1280Ã—800 pixels
NVidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor
16GB & 32GB internal storage
HDMI port (1080p output)
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Acer UI 4.5
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1,
GPS w/ aGPS support
HDMI with Dual Display
USB Host
microSD slot
micro USB port
5MP rear camera w/ flash
2MP front-facing camera
Android 3.0 Honeycomb

I wanted to do a full review of the unit in its stock form but this one that I borrowed was loaded with a custom ROM. If you want to check out the details of the tablet, I’ll just point you to the review over at Gizmo Owl (the nice dude who lent us this unit).

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 has a suggested retail price of Php21,900USD 373INR 31,637EUR 355CNY 2,718 for the 16GB and Php23,900USD 407INR 34,526EUR 388CNY 2,966 for the 32GB but you can get units for as low as Php18,500USD 315INR 26,725EUR 300CNY 2,296 on cash purchases. Until the Asus Transformer and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally arrives, looks like the Iconia A500 will be our only choice for a Honeycomb tablet.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

40 Comments

Benchmark says:

13 years ago

If this has the same specs as Samsung Tab P1000 (with SMS and phone capabilities) I will really consider this one….

But if thats the case…. a 10.1 tablet phone?!

Hmmm i might go for 7″ Samsung Tab… heheheheh
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Operation Super says:

13 years ago

I find the SMS (phone features) a bit insignicant on tablets. So you send out an SMS, put your tablet back on your bag, and while walking you receive a reply in the middle of the road. Will you take it out?

The best solution is a good PC suite of the phone you currently have to run on the tablet so you could pair them both. One reason why I love Nokia and its suite. I could do that seamlessly once paired.
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mike says:

13 years ago

how many people really need a fancy tablet. almost all features of a tablet overlaps with a smartphone and laptop. these devices are merely fad. Manufacturers sell this because laptop and smartphone has reached saturation.
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Daryl John says:

13 years ago

I saw one at a shop at Robinson’s Galleria selling for 14k only.
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chinitoguy says:

13 years ago

Wow! Only Php 18,500?!? I want one!
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Mela says:

13 years ago

SWABE!
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mel galima says:

13 years ago

i’d love to get my hands on it and play around with custom roms and games and videos, 16gb is enough for me and i believe this is one heck of a deal
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Num Lock says:

13 years ago

Hi, will the windows version of this tablet, the W500, have the hardware requirement of the upcoming windows 8?
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csseyah says:

13 years ago

sana ma-ipost din dito kung saan pwede mabili ng 18,500 or below itong Acer Iconia kase I’m really interested at ito na nga ang hinihintay kong Honeycomb version na tablet…
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silverlokk says:

13 years ago

One feature that iPad competitors can’t touch is battery life. Standby time of one month?! Of course, you’d have to be crazy to put your iPad on standby for one month. But I digress… How’s the battery life on this baby, Abe?
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Glen says:

13 years ago

Asus Transformer vs Acer Iconia pls :)
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ran says:

13 years ago

ironically, in the US, the ASUS transformer should be $50 dollars cheaper than the ACER iconia tab.
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noy says:

13 years ago

will appreciate name of store where you can buy iconia at 18.5k cash. Likewise name of store in Galle for 14k.
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KBE says:

13 years ago

3.1 Update is up already. So resizable widget are ok.
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Wreek888 says:

13 years ago

This thing looks heavy as i see it in the picture unless it is made of plastic.
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EdwinC says:

13 years ago

Watch on You Tube the Acer Iconia Tab A500 review by stevechippy. Watch and learn.
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friend.com.ph says:

13 years ago

wow this is really cheaper than the other dual core honeycomb… I want to have one!
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prosopagnosia11 says:

13 years ago

sir yuga, yung Iconia Tab A501 po ang may sim card slot diba?
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Jonaflormicfren says:

13 years ago

I like this better than the previous gadget of its kind.
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chamito says:

13 years ago

*troll*
need your help sir yuga and readers.

i just need greetings for a friend. please drop some comments. http://www.mymonchies.com/2011/07/happy-birthday-month.html
thank you.
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qwertbvcxzi says:

13 years ago

this tablet + bb phone = happiness
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itsmeagain says:

13 years ago

A very bad review of an exceptional device. With respect to comments, firstly who cares about weight, I see my wife and daughter use an ipad and rarely would they use it without the ipad resting on something. Next, so what about the looks of the device other than the screen, most tablets are covered with a case anyway so its only the screen that matters. Now heres the beauty of the device;

1. Truly customizable screens, I mean really better than an ipad.

2. A web browser that os faster and MUCH ;ess cumbersome to use than safari on ipad.

3. Connect USB keyboard to type, USB flash drive, usb mouse, even (in my case) USB 500 GB drive.

And there’s more. Yes Ipad admittedly has a better screen, but it what you can do with the ICONIA that makes it great. iOS 4 is still behind, iOS 5 may catch up but by then there’s Icecream Sandwich.
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leypascua says:

13 years ago

What’s good:
– screen quality
– performance and stability (after updating to Honeycomb 3.1)
– build quality
– price

What’s bad:
– availability of apps (most are not optimized for tablets)
– microphone is the worst I’ve used (tried it with Skype, it was just horrible!)
– camera is mediocre
– WiFi adapter is rubbish (as most Android devices are) a
– Tethering with Bluetooth-DUN/PAN with non-Android devices is a no-go. I own a Nokia E52 and able to use it with my MBP but not on this one. Google hasn’t enabled Android to do this after all these years!!!
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Raphael says:

13 years ago

I’m starting to know about different tablets.
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dtnavida says:

13 years ago

san po mkabibili ng cheapest n acer iconia a500 d2 sa philippines at mgkano po??? san po ung 18.5 k?? anung shop???

thanks in advance.. :))
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NongN says:

13 years ago

got mine last saturday sa complink mega mall: 18k s’tin ung 16GB at ung nabili ko ay 21k na 32GB
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