2012′s crop of high-end tablets is shaping up to be nothing short of mind-blowing, and Acer is keeping pace with its competitors thanks to the Iconia Tab A700. After teasing it at CES 2012, the tablet is now official after being unveiled in a press event in Hamburg. The Tegra 3-powered 1080p Ice Cream Sandwich tablet is the equal to just about anything we’ve seen thus far, but one thing concerns us is the price: how will Acer keep its reputation as a low-cost manufacturer while cramming in suck high-end parts? Apparently that concern is justified. According to German site Tablet Test, the A700 base model will have a price tag of €549, about $720 in United States dollars.

And that’s just for the 16GB model. A 64GB version will retail for €749, or just shy of one thousand dollars. That probably means that a 32GB model will slide in at €649. Keep in mind that these are target prices, given at a press event without any real commitment on the part of Acer – it’s possible that they could fluctuate up or down between now and the A700′s release sometime in the second quarter. Also consider that almost all electronics cost considerably more in Europe, even accounting for currency exchange rates.

All that said, the specs of the A700 might just warrant a sky-high price. A 1920×1200 IPS panel is downright amazing on a 10-inch device, to say nothing of its quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Throw in Ice Cream Sandwich, HDMI capabilities, a USB host port, a 5MP rear camera, 9800mAh battery and all the standard bells and whistles like WiFi and Bluetooth, and you’ve got a tablet that will put any current Android model to shame. Even so, I think a US price of $600 is the absolute maximum that any manufacturer should consider for their lowest-capacity model. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more official word as Mobile World Congress draws nearer.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : ICONIA Tab A700

Manufactuer : Acer

Carrier : NA

Announced Date : January 25, 2012

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
• Resolution : 1920x1200
• Screen Type : IPS

Dimension & Weight

• Height : NA
• Width : NA
• Depth : NA
• Weight : 650 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Polymer

• Battery Capacity : 9800 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.0.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WAV

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 3

CPU Clock Speed : 1300 Mhz

Core : 4

Ram : NA

Internal Storage : NA

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via UnWiredView]