Acer Iconia A1-840 FHD

When it comes to tablets, a low price and good hardware need not be mutually exclusive. Acer's new 8-inch Iconia Tab 8 is a good example. At just 200 Euros (~$256), the buyer gets a tablet that runsAndroid 4.4.2, has a high-resolution Full HD display, and it sports a stylish aluminum case.

The Acer Iconia Tab 8 sports a fairly attractive white-and-silver plastic frame. A 2-megapixel camera sits just off-center on the top right of the white bezel that surrounds the 8-inch display on the front. It was refreshing to see a micro HDMI port, as you don't often see that as an option on a tablet at this price.

The tablet's storage capacity stays true to Acer's 16GB claim, but only 8.79GB are available, as Android 4.4 and Acer's own UI layer takes up 6.40GB. There is also a considerable amount of non-removable bloatware that occupies about 770MB of the already-limited storage. You can add up to 64GB of storage with a microSD card for your files and media, but don't count on using it for installing apps.

Budget tablets are known for their modest features and bargain prices, not their au courant designs. The Acer Iconia Tab 8 bucks the trend as a snazzy and slim slate with a starting retail price of $199... Unfortunately, its HD connection and a la mode design don't overshadow its moderate performance.

At the end of it all, I'd say the Iconia Tab 8 is the best Acer tablet I've used to date. The build quality is good (albeit understated), the performance is incredibly smooth and consistent, and the display is very good. Pair that with Acer's subtle software tweaks like WakeApp and IntelliSpin, and this is an excellent device for the money.