Google set a new standard for budget
tablets with the Nexus 7; now it's back with the larger Nexus 10. Is the new
benchmark for 10in tablets?
Google's Nexus 10 was the first Android
tablet to launch in 2012 that stands a real chance of taking on the full-size
iPad. Manufactured by Samsung, its design isn’t too far removed from the Galaxy
Tab 2 10.1.
Like most I0in Android tablets, the Nexus
10 is designed to be primarily used in landscape mode. It has a Gorilla Glass 2
front and a plastic casing.
The build quality is excellent, and the
tablet has a soft and grippy feel, but it doesn't match the quality of the
iPad.
Google
Nexus 10
The Nexus 10 is comfortable to hold in
either landscape or portrait mode. It's both thinner and lighter than the
fourth-generation iPad at 9mm and 604g.
Physical power and volume buttons are
located on the top of the tablet, while ports are found on the sides. Refreshingly,
the Nexus 10 charges via Micro USB.
A cover similar to Apple’s Smart Cover can
be attached, but at the time of writing this had yet to go on sale.
Hardware
This tablet is incredibly fast, with some
impressive hardware specifications. Samsung has equipped it with its own 1.7GHz
Exynos 5250, a dual-core processor based on the ARM Cortex-AI5 architecture,
plus 2GB of RAM.
In GeekBench the Nexus 10 crushed its
rivals with a score of 2,505 points.
Its closest rival, the fourth-generation
iPad, managed ‘just’ 1,769. The iPad fared better in the SunSpider JavaScript
test, though, with 854ms versus 1,329ms.
The Nexus 10’s graphics are competent, too.
It beat the third-gen iPad’s 22fps in GLBenchmark with a playable 27fps, but
the fourth-gen iPad was faster still with 39fps.
The Nexus 10 is fast to respond to input,
apps open quickly, and pinch-zooming in the Chrome browser is silky smooth.
This
tablet is incredibly fast, with some impressive hardware specifications
The Nexus 10 is available with 16- or 32GB
of storage, priced at $510 and $622 respectively. This can’t be expanded via a
removable memory card slot.
The third- and fourth-gen iPads boast
Retina-quality screens, but the Nexus 10 sports an even higher resolution at
2560x1600. Its pixel density of 300ppi is nothing short of incredible.
Everything displayed onscreen looks super-sharp and detailed. We found the
screen very responsive and viewing angles astounding. Combined with a 16:10
aspect ratio and front-facing speakers, the Nexus is an ideal tablet for
watching films.
The Nexus is well connected, with Bluetooth
and dual-band 802.llb/g/n Wi-Fi with Mimo antennae and Wi-Fi Direct. There's
also NFC and GPS, but no 3/4G. A Micro HDMI port lets you hook it up to a
big-screen TV, too. A 'Magnetic Pogo pin charger' is found on the bottom edge
of the tablet. At the time of writing, no compatible accessories were
available.
The
third- and fourth-gen iPads boast Retina-quality screens, but the Nexus 10
sports an even higher resolution at 2560x1600.
Cameras
If you don't mind looking a bit odd when
taking photos with a 10in slab of glass and plastic then the Nexus 10 has a
good-quality 5Mp rear-facing camera with an LED flash. It can shoot full-HD
(l080p) video footage, too.
There are a few simple settings within the
camera app, such as exposure and white balance, but you can go to town
afterward. A Photo Sphere mode enables panoramas.
The front-facing camera is capable of l.9Mp
stills and 720p video.
If
you don't mind looking a bit odd when taking photos with a 10in slab of glass
and plastic then the Nexus 10 has a good-quality 5Mp rear-facing camera with an
LED flash
Software
Buying a Nexus device is a sure-fire way to
ensure you always have the latest version of Google's Android operating system.
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean offers the vanilla experience Google intended, with none
of the clutter and bloatware other manufacturers so often add.
The user interface is fluid and has the
familiar set of home screens, permanent Google search bar and customizable app
tray. You can set up the Nexus l0 how you like with app shortcuts, widgets and
wallpapers.
A few new features are found in expandable
and actionable notifications, offline dictation and Google Now. You can also
create and easily switch between multiple user accounts, each with their own
apps, widgets and more.
The interface now has two pull-down bars -
swipe downwards from the left side of the screen and you get the regular
notification bar, swipe from the right and you get a new quick settings bar.
Certain widgets can now be displayed on the lock screen in a rotating carousel,
and a Swype-style keyboard is a real boon.
Battery life
The Nexus l0 has a 33.3Wh battery, which
promises up to nine hours of continuous video playback. The tablet has plenty
of stamina: even with moderate to heavy use, we were able to go a solid few
days between charges.
Specifications
General
·
2G Network: N/A
·
SIM: No
Body
·
Dimensions: 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm (10.39 x
6.99 x 0.35 in)
·
Weight: 603 g (1.33 lb)
Display
·
Type: Super PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen,
16M colors
·
Size: 2560 x 1600 pixels, 10.1 inches (~299
ppi pixel density)
·
Multi-touch: Yes
·
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Sound
·
Alert types: N/A
·
Loudspeaker: Yes, with stereo speakers
·
3.5mm jack: Yes
Memory
·
Card slot: No
·
Internal: 16/32 GB, 2 GB RAM
Data
·
GPRS: No
·
EDGE: No
·
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct,
DLNA
·
Bluetooth: Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
·
NFC: Yes, dual side
·
USB: Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera
·
Primary: 5 MP, 2592х1936 pixels, autofocus,
LED flash, check quality
·
Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face
detection
·
Video: Yes, 1080p@30fps, check quality
·
Secondary: Yes, 1.9 MP
Features
·
OS: Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable
to v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
·
Chipset: Exynos 5250
·
CPU: Dual-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A15
·
GPU: Mali-T604
·
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity,
compass, barometer
·
Messaging: Email, Push Email, IM, RSS
·
Browser: HTML5
·
Radio: No
·
GPS: Yes, with GLONASS
·
Java: No
·
Colors: Black
·
SNS: integration
·
HDMI port
·
MP4/H.264/DivX/WMV player
·
MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA/Flac player
·
Organizer
·
Image/video editor
·
Document viewer
·
Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar,
Google Talk, Picasa
·
Voice memo
·
Predictive text input (Swype)
Battery
·
Non-removable Li-Po 9000 mAh battery
·
Stand-by: Up to 500 h
·
Talk time: Up to 9 h (multimedia)
Misc
·
SAR US: 1.38 W/kg (body)
·
SAR EU: 0.21 W/kg (body)
·
Price group
Tests
·
Display: Contrast ratio: 878 (nominal)
·
Loudspeaker: Voice 68dB / Noise 66dB / Ring
67dB
·
Audio quality: Noise -82.3dB / Crosstalk
-81.4dB
·
Camera: Photo / Video
|
