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Acer Iconia Tab A501 review: Acer Iconia Tab A501

Acer Iconia Tab A501

Headshot of Eric Franklin
Headshot of Eric Franklin
Eric Franklin Former Editorial Director
Eric Franklin led the CNET Tech team as Editorial Director. A 20-plus-year industry veteran, Eric began his tech journey testing computers in the CNET Labs. When not at work he can usually be found at the gym, chauffeuring his kids around town, or absorbing every motivational book he can get his hands on.
Expertise Graphics and display technology Credentials
  • Once wrote 50 articles in one month.
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Headshot of Donald Bell
Donald Bell Senior Editor / How To
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
Eric Franklin
Donald Bell
7 min read

6.3

Acer Iconia Tab A501

The Good

The <b>Acer Iconia Tab A501 4G (AT&T)</b> is the cheapest 4G Honeycomb tablet currently on the market. Also, it includes a full USB port and Micro-HDMI.

The Bad

The tablet ships with Android 3.0.1, limiting its video compatibility, features, and performance. The A501's screen has a narrow viewing angle, and it fails to earn its hefty weight.

The Bottom Line

The Acer Iconia Tab A501 4G (AT&T) is the A500 with HSPA+ connectivity at a very competitive price compared with other 4G tablets; however, its adherence to Android 3.0 limits its appeal.
Photo gallery: Acer Iconia Tab A501
Photo gallery:
Acer Iconia Tab A501

Editors' note: You may experience a feeling of déjà vu reading the following review of the Acer Iconia Tab A501 4G. The basic design is virtually identical to the A500 released earlier this year, so we've taken much of the text of that review and reused it here where appropriate.

The Acer Iconia Tab A501 is the Acer Iconia Tab A500 with 4G and a no-commitment price of $480 (16GB) and $550 (32GB); about $100 or so more than the A500.

For the price of a two-year contract, AT&T offers the tablet for $350, the lowest initial cost of any 4G Honeycomb tablet yet. If two-year contracts for tablets scare you (and they should), AT&T also offers session plans at $15 per 250MB and $25 per 2GB, if you absolutely need that "anywhere" access. But, with its hefty build and Acer's strange decision to ship it with Android 3.0.1, instead of a later version of the OS, is the A501 already too far behind to even enter the race?

Design
The Acer Iconia Tab A501 is nearly twice as thick as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G, making it less comfortable to hold and less sexy in general. Also, Acer's tablet is the heaviest Honeycomb tablet we've reviewed, weighing in at a beefy 1.7 pounds. Something to consider if portability is a priority for you.

6.3

Acer Iconia Tab A501

Score Breakdown

Design 6Features 7Performance 6