Acer Chromebook Tab 10
Great for schools and educators, but those seeking pure entertainment should look elsewhere
SCORE PRICE £256 (£307 inc VAT) from laptopsdirect.co.uk
The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is unique in this Labs: not only is it the sole tablet to use Google’s Chrome OS, it’s also been designed specifically for educational use. But, if you’re familiar with iOS or Android, working with the Chromebook Tab 10 takes a little getting used to. There is a desktop-like taskbar interface, but Android apps – downloadable from Google Play – open full-screen rather than in windows. Split-screen mode works for some apps, though, which helps with multitasking.
It’s not an entirely intuitive interface when used on a tablet as Chrome OS was designed as a desktop OS and isn’t optimised for the tablet format. Not yet, anyway. Google is working on many enhancements and promises a better experience by the end of the year, so we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
Given the education focus, though, Chrome OS makes a lot of sense here. Many schools already use Google Classroom, so it will be a simple matter for school IT departments to deploy and manage another Chrome OS device. Even the battery life has school days in mind: the 4,500mAh battery is quite small for a tablet of this size, but our looping test video lasted for 8hrs 57mins – not great, but enough for a day’s work before it gets shunted onto the charging station.
In terms of classroom devices, the main competitor to the Chromebook Tab 10 is Apple’s 2018 iPad, and so it’s no surprise that Acer has almost exactly matched the iPad’s physical dimensions. The Chromebook Tab 10 is a little chunkier and heavier than the iPad, but it feels well built and the textured plastic case is comfortable to hold. It’s also less slippery than the glass or smooth metal cases of rivals.
The 9.7in IPS panel has a 2,048 x 1,536-pixel resolution, which equates to a crisp 264ppi – exactly the same as the 9.7in iPad. The iPad is brighter and more vibrant, but the Chromebook Tab 10 still has a great screen.
We’re more concerned that Acer hasn’t matched the performance of the Apple device, with the 2GHz Rockchip RK3399 puny in comparison to the Fusion A10 CPU inside its rival. That pushed the Tab 10 to a singlecore score of just 1,295 in Geekbench 4 and a multicore score of 3,176; that’s enough for the sort of education and productivity tasks that it’s designed for, but the iPad feels much snappier.
Gaming isn’t the focus for a tablet such as this, which is a good thing as 10fps in GFXBench Manhattan is little better than most budget tablets can manage. But, it’s good enough for light gaming… once you’re away from the classroom, of course.
No sane person should consider taking photos with a tablet, but the cameras come in useful for taking pictures to include in school projects, or for AR apps such as Google Expeditions. The Chromebook Tab 10’s cameras are fine for these tasks, but the five-megapixel rear and two-megapixel front cameras are basic offerings compared to the iPad. At least it will limit the amount of storage that is taken up with selfies.
Where the Chromebook Tab 10 scores over the iPad is with the included EMR stylus, which neatly stows into the lower-left corner in portrait mode. Apple charges an extra £89 for its Apple Pencil, but there’s nowhere to stow it, which means it’s easier to lose. Given how good children are at losing things, this could end up being costly for any school or parent going the Apple route. The Acer stylus is comfortable to hold and note-taking was smooth and accurate using Squid, while doodling in Autodesk Sketchbook was great fun.
Elsewhere, Acer makes sensible decisions. A 3.5mm headphone jack, volume and power buttons, SD card slot and a USB-C port sit on the tablet’s various edges. The USB-C port supports Fast Charging and could be very useful for educators who want to connect to a HDMI TV or projector, using a suitable adapter.
Shop around and you can find the Chromebook Tab 10 for around £300, placing it in competition with the 9.7in iPad. Factor in the £89 cost for the Apple Pencil, though, and the Chromebook Tab 10 represents good value. Schools would likely get a hefty discount on this price, depending on how many are purchased.
You could argue that a Chromebook laptop or 2-in-1 could be had for similar money, but that’s missing the point. The Chomebook Tab 10 is designed to be used as a tablet, not as a cross-over device that is trying to be both. This is likely why there is no official keyboard accessory, and though any Bluetooth keyboard would work, that’s again straying from its intended purpose.
Overall, those looking for a quality entertainment device would be better served with the 9.7in iPad or Huawei’s 8.4in MediaPad M5, but if Chrome OS on a tablet is something you want or need, the Chromebook Tab 10 is a solid device.