Acer Iconia B1 finally makes it’s way to India for Rs.7,999

Acer’s budget Android tablet, the Iconia B1, which was showcased during CES this month, has finally made it’s way to stores in India at a price of Rs.7,999 becoming the first budget Android tablet to come from the stables of an international manufacturer in the segment, which was till now dominated by the Indian manufacturers.

The Iconia B1 was initially touted as a Google Nexus 7 rival, but considering it’s price and specifications, it sits a segment lower than the Nexus 7. The Acer Iconia B1 is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core MediaTek processor coupled 512MB DDR3 RAM. The tablet runs on Android Jelly Bean out of the box, which is a big plus, as you you won’t find it on many tablets at this price segment.

Quick Specifications of Acer Iconia B11.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB DDR3 RAM

• -7-inch display with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution
• -8GB internal storage, micro-SD card slot
• -Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• -Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4, USB 2.0
• -front-facing VGA camera
• -2,710 mAh battery

The Acer Iconia B1 sports a 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution (182 ppi) and has 8GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by another 32GB using a micro-SD card. The tablets comes with all the standard connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB 2.0. The camera on the Iconia B1 is a bit of a disappointment, as the device comes only with a VGA front camera and no rear camera. The tablet also houses a 2,170 mAh battery and is available via all the major retailers across India.  

Acer’s budget Android tablet, the Iconia B1 might launch at the end of this january.

Remember our report about rumors of Acer preparing a budget Android tablet to rival Google’s rumored ultra-cheap, $99 Nexus tablet? Well, if the latest report by NDTV is anything to go by, the tablet might hit shelves in India by the end of this month at a price of Rs.7,999. Though the report does not confirm any specifications, but suggests that the tablet will be running on Android Jelly Bean at launch.

Back in the day, WSJ was the first to come out with a report suggesting that Acer was working to build a $99 Android tablet, which would be pitted directly against Google’s rumored ultra-cheap Nexus 7 tablet and would sport a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels. Some of the specifications of the tablet were somewhat confirmed after it’s application arrived at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which revealed others specifications of the Iconica B1 which include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB of internal storage along with a micr0-SD card slot for storage expansion, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi.  

If the latest report regarding the price of the upcoming Acer tablet is indeed true, it would bring a smile to faces of Indian buyers, who were disappointed to say the least with the Nexus 7′s ridiculous pricing in India, considering that the base model of the Nexus 7 retails for $199 in the US.

Though, many Indian manufacturers already offer similar or even better-specd tablets at this price point, but considering that Acer will the first global brand to foray into the budget Android tablet space in India, we can surely expect a better fit and finish on the Iconica B1 as opposed to it’s Indian competitors.

If the launch date of January is considered, it makes complete sense for Acer to showcase the Iconica B1 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which is scheduled to take place next week in Las Vegas.