It's been a few months since we've been anticipating the release of the Acer Iconia Tab A501 which is basically the SIM based version of the Wifi only version. Since it has been a while since the release of the A500, we were anticipating a few new extra features. Unfortunately most of the features are the same and fell short of our expectations.

The hardware of the Acer Iconia Tab A501 is exactly the same as the Wifi version. In fact, if you put them side by side you could not set them apart aside from the addition of the Sim slot to support the GSM service. The display of the Tab was an area that we felt could be improved upon. Yes, the screen is viewed form virtually all angles with ease. The unfortunate part is that it still gets fingerprints quite easily and the glossy finish of the screen does not make it ideal for viewing outdoors in the daytime. The camera quality is plain out bad just like all other tablets on the market. You would think that this latest release would upgrade on the cameras. The pictures taken are not good quality and the video is average at best. Finally we get to the battery life. As we tested out the A501 with the A500 and other similar models, this unit has some of the poorest results with and average battery life of just over 6 hours. This rate among the lowest of all devices tested.

In summary it is fair to say we are disappointed. As a device it is a solid choice when looking at the features with the pricing. The issue is that there are not improvements compared to the A500 other than the ability to use a sim based HSPA network. Nowadays you can get the same result by simply tethering with your existing phone plan.

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