Google Nexus 10 (Wi-Fi only, 16 GB)..
Special Price Google Nexus 10 (Wi-Fi only, 16 GB) By SamsungMost helpful customer reviews
583 of 611 people found the following review helpful.
Phenomenal consumption tablet, but bide your time and buy elsewhere!
By Christopher Lee
Before beginning this review, here are products that I own that I have used for comparison (most of which I have reviewed on this site): the ASUS Transformer TF300 T-B1-BL 10.1-Inch 32 GB Tablet (Blue) with the matching ASUS Transformer Pad Mobile Dock TF300T (Blue), the Apple iPad MC705LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, Black) 3rd Generation, the Asus Google Nexus 7 Tablet (8 GB) - Quad-core Tegra 3 Processor, Android 4.1, Windows RT Surface 32 GB Tablet, the HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch Tablet Computer, and the venerable Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I love mobile devices, and have plenty of experience with Android, iOS, Windows RT, and webOS devices. Now for the review.
PROS
+ Dazzlingly sharp screen. If you're looking at the Nexus 10, you've likely seen this specification front and center. The resolution handily beats that of Apple's third and fourth generation iPads, but in practice it's hard to see the improvement. That's not because the Nexus 10's screen isn't an improvement-- if you look, it's there, and reading web pages is truly a joy-- but after a certain point, you really run into diminishing returns.
+ Rich content experience. While you do hit some diminishing returns, the Nexus 10 has quickly become one of my favorite tablets for content consumption, whether that's watching video or reading books. While both the newer iPads and this tablet (and really, a number of other excellent Android options, like the ASUS TF700T-B1-CG 10.1-Inch Tablet (Champagne)) now come with 1080p or better screens, Android tablets tend to have the edge when it comes to YouTube and video content due to their 16:9 aspect ratios (although they all do quite well, really). The Nexus 10's screen helps make web and text reading great, which is important considering many find the 16:9 ratio awkward for such tasks (more below).
+ Sleek, svelte build out of great materials. The backing is soft-touch and ever-so-slightly rubberized, and while not quite as easy to grip as a Nexus 7, the device sticks in the hand. Perhaps more importantly, it has a nice, warm feeling to it-- one complaint I've had about all-metal tablets like the iPads and premium Transformer Pads is that holding cold metal in your hand feels premium, but often uncomfortable. There's zero flex in the chassis anywhere, nothing creaks, and the slim, trim profile looks great. I personally think it looks friendlier than an iPad, but I will note that if you're fond of angular and straight-edged designs, the Nexus 10's pronounced curves may throw you. On the other hand, it's thin and light, and comfortable in the hand.
Oh, and branding is minimal. Most of the required stuff is under a neat little panel that snaps off to let you attach cases and keyboards and such (although said accessories are noticeably missing at this time-- someone dropped the ball on this one).
+ Excellent performance. Performance is really determined by both the hardware and the software, and for now, I'll look at the hardware. Powered by a new chip of the A15 "Eagle" variety, Samsung's Exynos 5250 destroys basically every Android tablet chipset out on the market (note I am not including the Snapdragon S4 Pro, as it's not really available on tablets yet outside of Qualcomm's reference build). Zero lag, zero stutter, fast and snappy graphics playback, and fluid gameplay (but take this last with caution: while every review I've seen has praised its gaming ability, I myself play relatively simple games like Steambirds or Anomaly: HD). Sometimes the tablet will run a little warm, but none of this lap/hand burning people complain about so much these days.
+ Android 4.2 under the hood. Android's come a long, long way in recent years, and even if you're a dedicated Apple user, you should at least look at Google's latest offering with an open mind. Stock Android has morphed from (what I believe! Important caveat!) a gaudy, neo-futuristic mess (Gingerbread) into a sleek, industrial, polished, and smooth system (beginning with Ice Cream Sandwich). In more recent releases, the OS has become far more understated visually, serving only to help you navigate your apps and content and getting out of your way besides. Android 4.2 has released several new features of interest to most buyers, but I'll look at two in particular. The first is multi-user support: now, you can have one tablet service multiple users, with a tap on the lockscreen switching between them. That means a "family" tablet can also hold your personal work e-mail, with no fear of other family members accessing your data. The second is a quick settings toggle. Android OEMs have long built in Wi-Fi/GPS/Bluetooth and other switches into their devices, but until recently you would need an app like Power Toggles to replicate the same on a stock Android device. While Google's implementation of settings toggles leaves a little to be desired, at least the functionality is there (unlike a certain fruit-named brand-- seriously Apple, all I want to do is toggle Wi-Fi. Do I really have to jailbreak for that?!)
+ Great connectivity. You get a micro-HDMI out port and micro-USB, and it's the latter that really opens up the device's capabilities. Buy a cheap USB OTG cable from Amazon (you can get them for south of $2 with free shipping if you look), and hey presto, your Nexus 10 can work with USB keyboards, mice, and with a little tinkering, flash drives. Good way to solve the limited storage issue (see below).
+ Sound sound sound. Taking cues from Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 10.1N designs, the speakers are now on the front panel of the device. The stereo set pushes out quite a good bit of clear, loud, audible sound. For a tablet, the only device I've seen that comes remotely close is the HP Touchpad. But as with all things, keep in mind that the device is ultimately a tablet, so don't expect too much in the way of bass. It's plenty loud though-- I can't fathom why reviewers complain about volume.
+ Dual NFC receivers, one on the front, one on the back. While NFC is just emerging as a technology, if you have another Android device with NFC, you can easily throw links and such between devices (although Chrome sync handles that quite nicely as well), or buy some NFC stickers and play around with an app like NFC Task Launcher for some automation fun.
CONS
- No microSD slot. Personally, I don't find this an issue whatsoever, but if you're a big fan of local content then I can see how this might bite you. Google has long refused to put microSD on its Nexus devices, citing a number of technical and usability challenges (both sides of which I happen to agree with, but I won't go into detail here). If you're really out of space for the road, see my above section on USB OTG cables and use a cheap flash drive to expand your storage. It looks a little silly, yes, but for movie watching on the go, it'll do quite nicely. Google's on-demand download for its streaming services (Play Music, Play Movies, etc.) has so far let me keep what I want on my device.
- New layout. Again, not a huge issue for me, but if you've used Android tablets before, you will have to relearn a few things. Navigation softkeys have been moved to the center, and notifications moved to a notification bar at the top. This change has grown on me with time, since it preserves muscle memory between my phone and tablet, but some of Google's justifications just don't sell me. For one, center navigation softkeys leave a huge amount of wasted space floating around the bottom of the screen, and I liked having those keys and notifications in the bottom corners so I could hit them with my thumbs. Good thing that screen is so magnificent, aye?
- Aspect ratio. Android tablets are notorious for being landscape-only beasts, and although this device is quite tolerable in portrait, everything about it screams to be used in landscape. While this is usually fine, when reading scrolling content (such as books, web pages, and so on), sometimes Apple's 4:3 ratio is far more pleasant on the eyes, especially as such content is usually vertical, not horizontal.
- Cameras. Pass please. Tablets do not make good shooters, and while this one has an LED flash, it's thoroughly unremarkable.
- Somewhat understated buttons makes for some frustration. Power, volume up, volume down-- three buttons with distinguishable functions. So Google/Samsung, why put them all right next to each other with such low profiles? Sometimes I sleep the device instead of turning down the volume, which is just silly.
- Battery life. Please read this one with care-- the Nexus 10 does have a great battery and it lasts quite a long time. Rigorous tests have shown it lasts just as long as its competitors (the iPad included) in usage scenarios. But I have always (subjectively) found my iPad lasts longer in standby than any of my other Android tablets. Take what you will from that, but again, ultimately it does its job quite well.
- App ecosystem for tablets is a bit underwhelming. Again, please read this one carefully-- this is often leveled as a make-or-break charge on Android tablets. While I agree that the market is a little underwhelming, let's be real-- we don't ever have hundreds of apps on our tablets, and Google Play now has more than enough to cover most of my needs. In addition, the Nexus 7's enormously successful launch saw a huge wave of new, 7"-optimized apps. I expect to see increased interest in the 10.1" form factor with the Nexus 10. I've found the apps to do everything I want to do, and with some digging, I believe anyone could.
- Consumption, not production. While you certainly can use this device for production (particularly with a Bluetooth or USB keyboard), and Android gives you real filesystem access, you can't really escape that the Nexus 10 is a content consumption device. So are the iPads. In fact, the only two tablets I've seen and used that took productivity seriously were the Transformer Pad series and the Microsoft Surface RT. The Transformers destroy most Android tablets when it comes to productivity, and (I believe) are in turn destroyed by the Surface when it comes to serious Office-work and overall versatility. Obviously this is a point for debate and contention, but this is my stance based on my experiences with these devices. Feel free to comment if you disagree!
On the whole, do I recommend the Nexus 10? Wholeheartedly. Absolutely. With one little problem. The price. The Nexus 10 is excellently priced at $399 on Google Play for the 16GB Wi-Fi variant. So why is it being sold at $549 and above here on Amazon? It's quite simple-- third-party sellers routinely exaggerate the list price so that they can comply with Amazon's "list price or lower" rule, while still turning a profit on flipping an in-demand device. You can argue it's supply and demand-- I think it's dishonest marketing. Buy from Google Play if you can, or see if you can wait just a bit for the vultures to be brought down by more legitimate resellers.
Either way, I hope this helps, and just comment if you have questions!
185 of 209 people found the following review helpful.
Nexus 10, Best In Class? Absolutely!
By Perry
Let me start by saying I have owned an iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad Mini, Asus Transformer TF300T, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba eXcite 10.1, Motorola Xoom, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. There are different reasons I have continued looking fo the best Tablet Possible for my needs. Oh and my wife has a Samsung Ativ Smart PC Windows 8 Tablet (Great device).
BUILD QUALITY
I know a lot has been said about the quality of the materials and how it is plastic; Let me say I have seen all different builds and while the back might not be as high quality as the aluminum of the iPad, the Gorilla Glass 2 screen is miles ahead of the Apple offering and is almost completely resistant to scratching. Overall I feel that the build is very good and I like the no slip backing more than any other tablet I have used.
SCREEN QUALITY
The screen is flat out amazing! The Retina iPad has a 3 MP screen, a 1080P display is about 2 MP so, at 4 MP this screen even has your TV set beat! Contrast is good and color favors accuracy over pop. In short, you likely will not find a better screen on a tablet for some time to come but, the iPad Retina and Transformer Infinity Displays are as close to this screen as you're going to get. Still, there's not a lick of aliasing on this screen even when zoomed in.
SOUND QUALITY
For some reason most tablet manufacturers decided that the side and back of their tablets were the best place for speakers and the results have been mixed. The Nexus 10 has them bookending the screen and it delivers sharp, crisp, full sound where others fall flat. This is another area where this tablet tops the competition.
PERFORMANCE & STABILITY
The combination of a light weight OS and top notch hardware have made this possibly the fastest tablet on the market. At the very least it on par with the iPad for all around performance. For the most part the tablet is a pleasure to use but, there are times when the unit locks up for no apparent reason and yet, I don't consider this a deal breaker as the other 99% of the time it performs flawlessly.
If I cannot resolve the issues with the locks, it could become an issue quick.
Updating the Review as it appears that others were right, Google Currents is now disabled on the Tablet and all of my Lock-ups are gone! I will be bumping the review up to 4 stars until I get more familiar with it. Who knows, maybe in a week this will be a 5 star Tablet.
OS & APPS
Obviously this is a Nexus product so it will automatically be updated whenever Google releases a new version of Android, an this is a huge strength for the tablet as it will likely get at least two operating system updates per year.
Apps are scalable in Android so they will most likely scale just fine but lower quality textures will make for a slightly less than optimal viewing experience. As things mature, we will likely get some very sharp and nice looking graphics.
I have heard claims that Android is not good for Productivity but, it isn't accurate. A few of the Apps I like for Productivity Purposes are...
Kingsoft Office - Awesome Office Suite Free On Android!
Magisto - Video Editing
Mint - Financial Management from Intuit
Sketchbook Pro Tablet Edition - Excellent Drawing App
Pen Supremacy - Doodle, Jot, make Notes or Diagrams
AutoCAD WS - Autodesk CAD App
Google Drive - Cloud Data Storage
Photoshop Touch - Decent Photo Editing On The Fly
Kindle - eBook Reader
Play Books - Google eBook Reader (Best Available Period)
DeuterIDE - Supports 40 Languages And Feature Built-In Compiler
Maestro - Musical Note Taking App
As you can see, you can pretty much do anything you want with this Tablet and it might not be as powerful as a Desktop but, it is every bit as productive as a Windows RT tablet or an iPad.
Media Consumption is decent but, not great. You do have multiple music sources, movie sources, and book reading apps but, movie and TV apps tend to be lower quality than what I get from my Apple TV (This is a problem to me as I would prefer not to support Apple at all).
CAMERAS
With a 1.9 MP Rear Facing Camera and a 5 MP Front Facing Camera, this tablet does quite well, and although the front facing camera doesn't match that of the Transformer TF700 it is on par with the iPad 3 and 4.
GPS
Very solid but, not as fast as the Nexus 7. Still very good over all and there isn't an iOS device on the planet that would be as good without Google Maps.
CONCLUSION
I really like the Nexus 10 and at 32 Gigs it really is hard for me to beat at $499. With that said, I will keep it and rate the device a Cautionary 4 until Google fixes the issue with Google Currents Locking the Tablet Up. Yes it is about once a day but, it really shouldn't be happening at all and there are several complaints on the Android Forums regarding the issue. Anyway, once that is taken care of, it will be the best Tablet on the block.
Also, I walked into Staples and Bought my 32 Gig model without any waiting so, don't pay these crazy prices because they market doesn't bare the weight of this sellers asking price!
UPDATED 3-23-13
It appears that 4.2.2 has indeed fixed everything that has caused the Tablet to lock up and I couldn't be more pleased with it. This tablet is extremely fast and stable now, I would recommend this over any tablet on the market.
176 of 212 people found the following review helpful.
Great tablet, but too many small flaws to overlook
By Andy
I bought the 32G version of this tablet 6 weeks ago and have been enjoying it, for the MOST part. I will not cover anything spec-related (processor, lack of SD card slot, brilliant screen, etc) but will focus on my general user experience.
Let's start with the good. Even though there is a bit of a learning curve for 1st time Android users, multitasking and feeling in control of your experience is phenomenal. What I mean by that is you feel like you are taking the most efficient route to get to where you want to go, made possible by the multitasking button, Google Now, and the notifications bar. The tablet is also very sturdy and ergonomic and the speakers are just awesome to listen to since they're front-facing. Battery easily lasted me 2 and a half days of moderate use and no charging.
There honestly are not any huge issues with the product itself, just many little ones that accumulate and severely bring you out of the great user experience Google has provided with Android. After a day of use, my tablet froze and restarted itself. I thought I was using it wrong, but this kept happening at least once a day for the next two weeks. The restart only took 15-20 seconds but completely took me by surprise. There is a bit of light bleeding in the lower right corner of my screen. Again, not a big deal, but it makes the N10 not feel like the premium product that it tries to be. Wifi connection, when compared to my laptop and Galaxy Note 2, is inconsistent even when right next to my router. I've stopped watching youtube videos altogether because of this which is a shame since the screen is so beautiful. There are plenty of apps for Android phones, and even for tablets, but not for 10 inch tablets. Half the apps I use on a daily basis are just blown-up phone apps, especially Facebook, which looks absolutely atrocious on such a large screen. The list goes on and on, but you get the point.
As an avid Android enthusiast, I really really wanted to like the N10, even getting a replacement thinking it would fix the problems I was having with my first one. But the problems kept persisting and though they could be fixed by OTA updates, I couldn't help but feel cheated. This hardware-software combo was clearly not ready for prime-time and at the end of the day, I was the guinea pig. I will be using my replacement for the next week and will try to cling to a reason to keep it but if you're on the fence about getting this product or an iOS tablet, I would go with the latter.
---Update---: After a full month of using my tablet, I stand by my original review, for the most part (I never caved in to get an iPad). I've found that the app selection isn't as lacking as I thought and many popular apps available for iPad have near-clones on Android. What is still very annoying is the constant restarts. I don't think I've ever been able to use my N10 for more than 2 hours before the tablet either decides to freeze or restart spontaneously. So, as of right now, this is still a 3-star product.
---Update 2---: It's been a week and a half since my N10 device received the update to Android 4.2.2. The performance is slightly better with freezing being less frequent, but the problem still appears from time to time. (About once every 2 days of medium use). After using it to take notes in some of my classes, I recognize that it is not a BAD tablet. However, everything is relative, and the value proposition of the N10 compared to some other tablets (iPad, Windows 8 tablets, Note 10.1) is noticeably inferior. It's the jack of all trades but the master of none.
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Bloody Useless
Tool Box could be better. Update 11/05/2013: Still reliable after 1 year.
