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As with most tablets, the front of the Iconia A1 is simply an expanse of glass which covers the screen and a wide border around it. This isn’t Gorilla Glass, though, so may be more prone to breakages than more expensive models.
Acer has tried to differentiate the Iconia A1 a little from the competition by using a 7.9” screen instead of a more common 7” unit. Most of the extra screen real estate has been gained in the width of the screen as it has a 4:3 aspect ratio. In fact, the A1 has exactly the same screen dimensions and resolution as the iPad Mini.
While the screen size is exactly the same as the iPad Mini, the quality isn’t. The screen is a bit grainy and lacks in both brightness and vibrance of colours. Viewing angles are fairly good thanks to the IPS panel, but the 1024 x 768 (XGA) resolution won’t let you play 720P video natively. The latter is also a flaw of the iPad Mini however and, if we factor in the £100 price difference between the two devices, the less than perfect screen can be forgiven.
The tiny front facing camera is the only clue to which way round you should actually hold the tablet from the front, so we often found ourselves picking it up upside down. The front facing camera features a 0.3 Megapixel fixed-focus sensor which is just about adequate for video chatting on Skype. We wouldn't recommend it for taking ‘selfies’, though, as the quality just isn't up to scratch.
Acer has chosen to use plastic for the back panel which is exactly what we would expect at the price point. Our sample is finished in matte-white but it’s also available in black. It feels good quality and marks much less readily than gloss plastic. If you’re worried about keeping the device in pristine condition we would lean towards black as a colour choice as the white finish can get dirty.
There is a small inbuilt speaker built into the rear casing which is fairly punchy and is adequate for watching a movie on the go. We would recommend using headphones instead, though, as the sound quality isn't great.
The power button is located on the top of the tablet, with the volume rocker and micro SD slot on the right hand side of the device. The camera is located in the same corner on the reverse of the tablet. The camera is a 5 megapixel fixed focus module so we aren't expecting great results in our camera quality tests.
The only other connectors on the tablet are the micro-USB slot in the bottom, the mini-HDMI in the right hand side and the 3.5mm headphone jack in the top of the tablet.
