Skip to main content

Acer launches $380 Iconia W3: World’s first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet

Acer-Iconia-W3-810-lead_dt
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We love it when the rumor mill is right. After plenty of speculation and leaks courtesy of Amazon and Acer Russia, the first 8-inch tablet running a full version of Windows 8 has arrived in the form of the Acer Iconia W3. It’ll be available starting June 4 and comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 pre-loaded. 

What makes the Iconia W3 such a big deal? For starters, Acer has taken the attitude of “Screw Windows RT” and put a fully functional version of Windows 8 on this little tablet. This means it’ll run all of the legacy x86 applications that run on every other version of Windows. Acer paired the 8-inch tablet with an optional (grrr) Bluetooth keyboard/case that is about the same size as the one you would find on a 13.3-inch notebook, which means you’ll actually be able to type on it without scrunching your hands into awkward positions. However, if you need to type on the go, Acer has also made the virtual keyboard thumb-typing-friendly. 

It’ll be available in 32GB and 64GB models, both of which include a microSD card slot will add up 32GB of additional space. A slim 0.45 inches thick, the Iconia W3 tips the scale at just 1.10 pounds. It’s not as thin or light as the iPad Mini, but it’s also housing a full operating system, so we’re willing to give it a pass – at least for this generation. It’s powered by an Intel Atom Z2760 mobile processor and is rated for up to 8 hours of battery life – though we’ll definitely be testing that in our full review. 

Acer-Iconia-W3-810_vertical_dt
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The display on the Iconia W3 measures 8.1 inches and has a 1200 x 800 resolution. It’s not the retina-like or even the full HD display we were hoping for, but it’ll still give you plenty of pixels to work with. Like most tablets, the Iconia W3 includes 2-megapixel front and rear cameras. As far as connectivity, the tablet includes Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11b/g/n wireless, a micro-HDMI port, a microUSB port, and the aforementioned microSD card slot.

Acer tells us the Iconia W3’s MSRP will be $380, but that we’ll likely see it lower than that when presales begin in U.S. stores, such as Amazon, MicrosoftStore.com, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Walmart, and Microsoft retail stores on Tuesday, June 4.

Honestly, we’re not too bowled over by the specs on this tablet. It strikes us as a little heavy (the iPad mini weighs 0.68 pounds), a little low on pixels, and – assuming the price is accurate – a little pricey. However, the inclusion of Office Home & Student and the full version of Windows 8 certainly piques our interest. We can’t wait to get it in for review and see how it performs.

What do you think? Would you buy an 8-inch Windows 8 tablet? 

Editors' Recommendations

Meghan McDonough
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Meghan J. McDonough is a Chicago-based purveyor of consumer technology and music. She previously wrote for LAPTOP Magazine…
Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro: don’t make a mistake you’ll regret
The MacBook Pro open on a table in front of a couch.

When it comes to the best Apple laptops, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the true flagship model. It contains the fastest chips, the most storage, and the largest and most impressive display. It’s also the most expensive MacBook Pro, easily costing you thousands of dollars with just a few upgraded components.

That makes it tricky to work out how you should configure it and which version you should buy. There may only be three main choices you have to make -- the chip, the memory and the storage -- but each one carries a lot of weight. It’s important to make the right decision when you pull the trigger.

Read more
Windows 12 could repeat Windows 11’s big mistake
surface laptop studio 2 review 07

The first details about Windows 12 are starting to take shape, and the rumored OS could repeat the biggest mistake of Windows 11. As we've heard previously, the new OS will likely have a big focus on AI features. Now, we're hearing that many of those features will require a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), as reported by Windows Central.

It's hard to forget the fumble Microsoft made with Windows 11 and its requirement of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). This security chip isn't included, at least in hardware, on the majority of off-the-shelf PC components, leading many to believe their PC wasn't compatible with Windows 11 when it really was.

Read more
All the ways to lower your CPU temperatures, from easy to expert
Intel's 14900K CPU socketed in a motherboard.

If you're overclocking your processor, want to bring down noise levels, or just want to increase the longevity of your CPU, then lowering it's temperature is a great plan. There are a lot of ways you can do it, too, from the easy and cheap to the complicated and costly, and everything in-between.

Whatever your reasoning, here's how to lower your CPU temperatures in a few different ways.

Read more