The New Google (Samsung) Nexus 10 10-inch Andriod 4.2 (Jelly Bean) Tablet 16GB SSD 2560×1600 Pixel World Highest Resolution for 300 ppi WQXGA (WiFi Only) 2GB Ram Micro USB Micro HDMI Accelerometer Compass Ambient light Gyroscope Barometer GPS

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!

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.

The Nexus 10 is an absolutely wonderful device. I’ve never been a huge Apple fan, but I got an iPad 3 prior to my Nexus 10. I was impressed, it was certainly a very nice device and it really made every day life much easier. I greatly enjoyed using it, and was very impressed. Then I got the Nexus 10. It was coming out around Christmas time, and I’ve always been a huge fan of Android and the customization that is allowed. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed. Now, the Nexus 10 isn’t the perfect device, but it shows a lot of potential to be so in the future. Now, before getting to the actual review let me point out that it costs $100 more from Amazon than it does in the Google Play Store. So please, save yourself that money.

Pros:

+ The display. It comes with an episode of Life on it so that you can test out what everything looks like, and boy did they pick the right thing type of video to give. It looks absolutely incredible on the Nexus 10. I really can’t say just how good it looks, but when you see it in person you’ll be amazed.

+ The ability to customize it any way you want. I’m a huge fan of being able to get things to look just right. Android gives me this ability, and the Nexus 10 takes full advantage of it. With lots of widgets now supporting the ability to have their sizes changed, it does wonders for the look and feel of the tablet homescreens

+ Google. This may seem like an obvious one, but because it’s so deeply integrate with Google everything syncs with everything. This makes it a breeze to add items on a computer or phone and have them show up on your tablet. It’s especially helpful for to-do lists, calendars, contacts, etc.

+ Always up to date Android OS. Android is infamous for having different devices on different versions of their OS. But, Nexus is always the first to receive new updates. For things like Google Now, it’s amazing.

+ Battery Life. I can get about 10 hours of streaming Netflix on my tablet while having a bluetooth device connected to it. I’m not sure how this compares with other tablets, but I’ve been very impressed by how long the battery lasts.

+ Customer Service. I had a small problem with the first tablet I received (which I’ll go into in the cons section), however Google agreed to send me a new tablet after being on the phone with them for about 15 minutes. Not a refurbished tablet either, a brand new one.

+ Feel. The tablet feels very sleek, it’s a comfortable weight, and it’s not bulky. This is something that’s more to be expected, but it could certainly ruin a tablet if it didn’t apply.

+ Micro HDMI. While the Nexus 10 looks great by itself, sometimes you just wanted to watch it on TV.

Cons:

- The charging time. It still runs on a 5 watt charging cord, and as such it takes forever to charge up. If you charge it every night then it’s not much of a problem, but heaven forbid that you run out of charge and need to continue using it right away.

- Charging bugs. When I got my tablet it would sometimes power off when plugged in or removed from the charger. This wasn’t a huge deal but was very annoying. In addition, the battery function would give false readings sometimes. I talked to Google and they agreed to send me a brand new one.

- No Micro SD Card. I find this incredibly frustrating. I have the 16gb version, and I like to keep some video files on my tablet for things such as working out. Needless to say that bites into most of the storage.

- Battery drain in standby. While the battery life while doing things is great, it does seem to drain quicker in stand by then Apple products do.

- Tool for actually doing work. I have a bluetooth keyboard hooked up to it, and that does work well. However, it’s not a replacement for a laptop as much as I might want it to be. Now, I didn’t really expect it to be but it would be nice if it was. It’s not quite there yet, though they do make a good effort at it.

Overall though I greatly enjoy my Nexus 10.

4.5/5

As some one who originally thought tablets to be stupid and geeky, I must eat my words on this one. Just a warning though check to see that the seal is not broken on the arrival of your package. Okay just let me quickly give the good and bad about this tab
Good: Very hi-res screen, it’s very thin and light, it’s very fast and lag almost doesn’t exist here. I’ve had no crashes or restarts with mines and I’ve been using it daily for about two weeks now(although some people say that theirs has). Play store is excellent!
Bad: stock charger is slow(recommend magnetic pogo), battery life is nothing to shout about, some people may find the 10 inch screen unwieldy (if you have small hands etc)

Do not buy from people trying to profit from under supply… Find these available at Walmart – In-stock now

[...]
These people are no better than ticket touts !!

I want this review to be about the Nexus 10–I know it’s easy for a lot of people to immediately start comparing it (especially to the iPad) but that’s not helpful, if you want to do that, then your mind is made up..go buy an iPad. (Mind you I’m not a fanboy–I own about 9 Apple devices and 6 Android devices, I use all sorts of platforms and OS)
Many of these reviews are touting why the iPad is still better or other better options–I’m here to tell you my experience with this thing and why I love it.

So here a few things that I have found most important (note there isn’t terrible detail but as I note at the end, I will answer any questions you leave):

Display: The Nexus 10 packs an awesome display (in fact so far as PPI Resolution is concerned, it’s the best on the market *mind the date). It is VERY bright. It just looks good. Note that once resolution gets to “retina display” quality the human eye can’t pick out much of a difference. All of this being said, I transferred a ripped version of my Pirates of the Caribbean DVD onto the thing and it looks great. I have yet to rip a BluRay on and watch it, but I am very satisfied with the picture. I don’t see any of the bleeding problems that others may have noted and I have had no issues with the display whatsoever.

Battery: There have been some complaints about battery life from other reviews. I don’t see these problems at all. My wife and I both own a Nexus 10 and we both get a regular 10 hours out of it (if I’m away from wifi I turn it off, otherwise it’s always on. I also adjust the brightness depending on what I’m doing). I only use the tablet about 4-5 hours a day (heavy use) and I can go about two days between the usage and the standby time before it needs a charge. The charge is another matter–it is SLOW. It is very slow. I just let it charge overnight or else it’s too easy to get impatient with it. Once it finally does charge, however, the battery doesn’t concern me.

Storage: This is the only thing that I don’t really like about the Nexus 10, the limited capacity. I’m in Law School so my budget forced me to the 16GB, it’s still plenty of room since I keep a video library on my desktop and most documents on my laptop, but I can see where the smaller memory with no expandable slot could be a problem for many. There is definitely a push to use the Google Drive and other Google cloud options and if that works for you then don’t worry about the size–it’s plenty big, otherwise the limited capacity is something you need to consider.

Physical Quality: It’s a keeper. My wife who hates electronics and technology pulled hers from the box and commented just how light it was and how nice it is to grip. Even without a case or cover, there is nothing cheap feeling about the tablet. Some may say that the plastic detracts from it’s value or appeal, but I have to differ. The plastic on the back makes quite a nice grip and the entire unit feels very sturdy in your hand. The speaker placement should also be noted–they face the front of the tablet. I’ve seen plenty of other tablets where the orientation or just holding the tablet can cover the speakers–not an issue here.

Overall: I’m not going to get much more detailed than what is listed here. These are the things that concerned me when sorting through tablets to see what to buy. As far as Android tablets go, I think this is the best on the market right now. It is also important to remember that this will see OS updates faster than many other devices since it is pure Android straight from Google.

Because of my budget and my overall anxiety when it comes to dropping a considerable amount of money on electronics, I can say that I did my research and I am very happy with this purchase.

If you would like to know further details about something I mentioned here or you just have a question you would like an unbiased answer to before you purchase, please leave a comment and I will respond as quickly as I can.

I am a software engineer of over 25 years and either have or had 4 other tablets besides this one to compare to: Kindle fire, Nexus 7, ASUS Transformer TF700T, Samsung Aitv w/Windows 8 and by far this one is superior in just about every way for the exception of the Aitv – also made by Samsung. Were it not for some design shortcomings with Windows 8, The Aitv would rate as high, however this device is far more responsive and performant than anything else on the market. I purchased it as a direct result of returning the ASUS Transformer due to its lack of performance. It is the best tablet decision I ever made. The Transformer comes loaded with lots of great features, but if you cannot consistently perform basic functions such as browsing and loading multiple apps, then it doesn’t matter if it has a detachable keyboard with a built in battery and a lot of ports. Yes the ASUS detachable keyboard included 5 more hours of battery life, but both batteries drained very quickly. The ASUS almost HAD to have the keyboard attached to make efficient use of the batteries, and it’s pass through recharging capability, which at first seemed like a slick feature, but as I used the device more learned that it was not as convenient. The Nexus 10 drains at a very reasonable rate, effectively providing a longer usage window. Stand by hardly drains it all, therefore all of the concerns I read from other reviews about the slow charge have not been an issue at all.
Other reviews included concerns over a dual core vs. quad core technology and perhaps being limited to run less apps. I have not found this to be the case at all. In fact, this dual core provides better multitasking and battery efficiency than the ASUS quad core, while having a higher resolution screen. The engineers should be commended for selecting chip components that are well synchronized to provide an overall good user experience. Browsing is a joy, searching for things in multiple tabs, having other apps open etc., doesn’t phase this thing. The build quality is excellent – love the “rubberized” back, makes it easy to hold in your hands. The custom Google cover is great for keeping the device easy to transport. The speakers and the screen are great. To give you an idea, my digital pictures taken with a 2.0 megapixel camera come alive on this screen. The device makes me enjoy everything I do with it, makes me want to use it more – that is how you know it provides value.

Blazing fast!, lightweight the battery last really long. The only issue is that is a little too big when typing. Have swiftkey, but could be improved for this size.

First of all, i wanted to say that prior buying this, i just had bought the latest iPad.Basically bought it the day before Google annouced the Nexus10. After receiving the Nexus 10, i returned it, since it was still in the returnable period.Sorry Apple..
Google sent me the nexus 10 already pre-set with my Name and preferences. The design is really nice and it feels very easy to keep in my hands.

Many people are worried about the missing SD card slot, but if you really think about it, you can get 50GB of storage on BOX, and Google gives over 200GB of songs stored in Google music, so storage is really limitless. Plus consider the new Wi-drives that stream wirelessly to any tablet or phone and can connect many devices. My Nexus10 It’s connected to my LTE cellphone hotspot, so i can access all my documents and music instantly, unless i am in the Subway. That is why i opted t=for the $399.00 16GB. I currently still have about 10Gb of free space and never had a problem waiting to open any CLOUD files.

In regards to the randoms Shut downs, it’s basically Android 4.2.1 that keeps all the programs and files you open still on the RAM even after closing them. I see that when my RAM get full, the tablet then shuts down. A prblem that happens to me every 5 days of heavy usage. I also installed a ram memory booster that informs me the usage of the RAM.

Battery life, i usually use the tablet for at least 2 days in a row, with heavy usage before i put it under charge. So i have really no complains with that. ( i never watch movies or listen to music)

As a cove i bought a Fintie for $8 and it fits perfectly and since it’s bright orange i never forget the tablet around.

I hope this review helps a bit.