Nexus 10 vs iPad 4th gen. vs Surface RT

[Irontheater]

Hello everyone,

I am considering getting a tablet, so I have to make a choice on what to buy. As of the time of writing this sentence, I am unsure where each one of these products stands, and I am writing this article at the same time as I am doing my comparison. Hopefully, it will be able to help me, and help each and everyone of you deciding what to get.

As a starter, and to make the comparison much easier, I am going to rule out the obvious third place, which is the Surface RT.
After checking out some reviews, I quickly noticed that it is very, very laggy, and Microsoft still has to come a long way in order to make it usable. The windows store is also empty, with no signs of life. Plus the 16 GB storage space priced at 500$ (same as the iPad), sporting a 768p display screen doesn't make it more attractive.
But these aren't the only reasons why it is being ruled out. Let me add: Noisy clicks when setting type cover (not practical in a library), only one angle when using the keyboard doc, wearing out reports already landing in...

So now the battle has been narrowed down to: Nexus 10 vs iPad 4th gen.

I'll proceed by doing a normal comparison, based on every aspect of the battle. Bare in mind, as of now, I have no idea of the actual end result.

Nexus10​	iPad 4th Generation​
399$ for 16GB Slightly bigger Higher PPI Constant support from Google (where Google has clearly outdone themselves, new features) Google Now Google Maps Google services (including Youtube native App) Open Platform Faster CPU (Geekbench score: 2700) Battery life: 7,5 Hours Better speakers NFC support Keyboard dock: Price varies	499$ for 16GB Constant support from Apple (... same UI, no new features?, changes after J. Ive took over UI design?) Smoother OS Better GPU Tablet optimized ecosystem Better looking Better build quality Longer battery life (11 Hours) Geekbench score: 1500 Apps cost more (Jailbreak is a MUST, which makes it laggy) Keyboard dock: 80$

.... Nexus 10 is holding up pretty good

Now, all that is needed is devs to show some love for Android tablets.

Anyone has some more ideas I can include here ?

 

[crxssi]

My corrections and additions:
* Ipad is not a "smoother" OS.
* GPU- the Nexus has to push 25% more data, but the iPad's GPU does win.
* CPU- similar overall, when you look at various tests.
* I wouldn't say the ipad 4 is better looking
* I wouldn't say Nexus 10 is laggy (you obviously haven't used it )
* I wouldn't say the ipad 4 has better color. The Nexus 10 screen is drop-dead amazing.
* "Better build quality" is extremely subjective and perhaps a myth.

+ Nexus 10 has a larger screen
+ Nexus 10 has a 25% higher resolution screen
+ Nexus 10 has a brighter backlight
+ Nexus 10 has a 16:10 aspect ratio screen
+ Nexus 10 has a standard USB port
+ Nexus 10 has a standard HDMI port
+ Nexus 10 uses USB charging (which is a huge plus to me)
+ Nexus 10 has a higher res front camera
+ Nexus 10 is thinner
+ Nexus 10 is lighter
+ Nexus 10 has MIMO WiFi
+ Nexus 10 has NFC
+ Nexus 10 has STEREO speakers, not a single mono like the iPad 4
+ Nexus 10 has TWICE the RAM

- iPad 4 has 64GB storage option
- iPad 4 has cellular option
- iPad 4 will likely have more accessories available

From a hardware standpoint, the Nexus 10 is better than the iPad 4 in nearly every way. It is also better in openness and price. The biggest criteria when comparing the two is user preference for the ecosystem (apps, support, compatibility with your other devices, openness) and OS (user interface, features).

 

[Irontheater]

mmm You are right about some points. But while most things aren't really a plus in real world applications, microUSB is indeed a plus for me (having to carry around only 1 cable, instead of 2), plus, I am already deeply embedded in the Google Ecosystem, and can't care less about Apple's stuff (I have never even used iTunes).

While the Nexus 10 has a more lasting appeal because it looks different from the other tablets, when put side to side, the iPad does look more niche, and complete in terms of looks.

GPU tests: AnandTech - Google Nexus 4 Review - Google's new Flagship
I didn't make these up.
But the Nexus 10 does have a better CPU than the iPad.

As for the laggy and color saturation remarks, excuse me, I had based these off of the Review done by The Verge on a PRE-MARKET unit. After checking out some new reviews here and there, I noticed the problems were not showing anymore.

I updated the list to reflect some changes.
The Nexus 10 is starting to hold up against the iPad...

 

[slywalk]

Ok, I'd typed a long paragraph about my opinion on this and....the post decided it wouldn't work...so i'll summarize.
I'm biased, i had an iphone, played with an ipad and can't stand 50% of the people who own macbooks/iphones/ipads. SMUG.
Selling points for iPad- (was) screen, apps and ecosystem.
Selling points for N10- better screen than iPad, faster processor, google device, and for me quite importantly but no one else, NFC.
The choice seems obvious to me.... but I'm a horrible person and all that. Oh and according to my iphone using acquaintances "too poor to buy an iphone". lol xD
Good luck and i hope you enjoy your choice !

 

[xlDeMoNiClx]

The only thing the Ipad 4 might have over the Nexus 10 is apps. The Nexus 10 though has a better screen by far, is much more powerful and apparently the speakers are amazing.

I may be biased but the choice to me on which is better is obvious.

This is from me, on my EVO 3D.

 

[bplewis24]

My corrections and additions:
* Ipad is not a "smoother" OS.
* I wouldn't say the ipad 4 has a better GPU.
* I wouldn't say the ipad 4 is better looking
* I wouldn't say Nexus 10 is laggy (you obviously haven't used it )
* I wouldn't say the ipad 4 has better color. The Nexus 10 screen is drop-dead amazing.
* "Better build quality" is extremely subjective and perhaps a myth.

+ Nexus 10 has a larger screen
+ Nexus 10 has a brighter backlight
+ Nexus 10 has a 16:10 aspect ratio screen
+ Nexus 10 has a standard USB port
+ Nexus 10 has a standard HDMI port
+ Nexus 10 uses USB charging (which is a huge plus to me)
+ Nexus 10 has a higher res front camera
+ Nexus 10 is thinner
+ Nexus 10 is lighter
+ Nexus 10 has MIMO WiFi
+ Nexus 10 has NFC
+ Nexus 10 has STEREO speakers, not a single mono like the iPad 4
+ Nexus 10 has TWICE the RAM

- iPad 4 has 64GB storage option
- iPad 4 has cellular option
- iPad 4 will likely have more accessories available

From a hardware standpoint, the Nexus 10 is better than the iPad 4 in nearly every way. It is also better in openness and price. The biggest criteria when comparing the two is user preference for the ecosystem (apps, support, compatibility with your other devices, openness) and OS (user interface, features).

I would agree with almost everything here except I do believe iPad has a better GPU.

The only other thing I would add is that this comparison does NOT come down to specs. It comes down to OS: one is closed, restrictive and limiting in functionality, but will have more games and dedicated tablet apps. The other (Nexus 10) has more features, will have more feature updates more quickly, more community support and your consumer dollars will be supporting a better company that cares about innovating and progress.

 

[snookasnoo]

The problem is there are facts about these devices and most of what you want to believe is wrong.
Check the Anandtech articles for a start. Read the many other reviews.
AnandTech - Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Performance Preview
AnandTech - Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Performance Preview
Man the iPad gpu especially just wipes the floor with the Nexus 10.
The cpu and gpu in the iPad 4 blow the doors of the Nexus 10, color is much better as iPads are calibrated and these are not.
The OS is certainly smoother and the Nexus 10 does lag.
Anyone looking at both devices will see it is obvious the iPad is better build quality. Read all the reports of poorly made Nexus 7 in these forums and people waiting weeks for a replacement. That's what you get with a Nexus device but now with an Apple device.
The slightly higher res and ppi of the Nexus 10 are marketing points and not noticeable in real life at all.
You can get LTE on an iPad and 16, 32, or 64 GB of memory.
The iPad has MIMO.
Nexus needs twice the ram because of poor OS optimization.
Basically you are just saying what you would like to believe when there is a wealth of information out there saying the opposite.
The Nexus 10 is sold at cost btw as Google is desperate to get someone, anyone, to buy an Android tablet. Same with Nexus 7 and 4. In their desperation they killed the market for 7 and 10" tablets from their partners.
The Android tablet app story is pathetic and will remain so for some time.

 

[snookasnoo]

You do sound biased but you are certainly uninformed. it does not have a better screen by far, it has slightly higher specs to make it look better than an iPad on a spec sheet and much poorer color gamut and no calibration.

 

[bplewis24]

There is a troll in this thread. Please ignore it.

 

[blazin247]

I'm an Android lover. I have the Galaxy Nexus and two Android tablets (and just purchased an S3 since the GN has signal issues).

With that said, the fact that you wrote the Microsoft tablet off already is very disheartening. It is without a doubt the single best tablet I've ever used and none...not a single issue the "expert (aka paid) reviewer's" moan about has been an issue. When it comes to technology I've learned to treat the reviews like movie critic reviews- they are all paid and biased and I don't trust a word they say. And it may shock you to realize that many 'user reviews' on sites like Amazon are fake as are many posts here. Bottom line is try it yourself.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[crxssi]

The problem is there are facts about these devices and most of what you want to believe is wrong.
Check the Anandtech articles for a start. Read the many other reviews.
Man the iPad gpu especially just wipes the floor with the Nexus 10.

I will agree that the iPad 4 GPU is considerably better. My original post was in error on that, and I have corrected it. "Wipe the floor", that is a bit far; especially when you consider the N10 is pushing 25% more data, and all the tests in the sited example are 3D only (OpenGL).

The cpu and gpu in the iPad 4 blow the doors of the Nexus 10, color is much better as iPads

I do not agree with any of the above. The CPU in the iPad 4 certainly does NOT "blow the doors" off the N10, in fact, it is very similar. GPU, see above. Color is subjective- I have *SEEN* them, there is little to no difference.

Anyone looking at both devices will see it is obvious the iPad is better build quality. Read all the reports of poorly made Nexus 7 in these forums and people waiting weeks for a replacement.

1) You can't tell "build quality" by looking at devices
2) The Nexus 7 is a totally different machine, built by a totally different company, with totally different price than the N10
3) Replacement time has nothing to do with build quality.

The slightly higher res and ppi of the Nexus 10 are marketing points and not noticeable in real life at all.

3.1 million vs. 4.1 million pixels. You need to seriously revise your undertanding of the word "slightly". It is 25% more. That is not slight. And if there is no "real life" benefit to all these pixels, then why does Apple stress it so much??

You can get LTE on an iPad and 16, 32, or 64 GB of memory.

Which is what I said in my post.

The iPad has MIMO.

Not according to the sources I researched. But they could be wrong.

Nexus needs twice the ram because of poor OS optimization.

Wrong!

[...]The Android tablet app story is pathetic and will remain so for some time.

Thank you for playing. However, you do not win a prize.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

ITT:
Let's make up for a small pecker by saying our tablet is better.

Ignore him fellows.

 

[crxssi]

ITT:
Let's make up for a small pecker by saying our tablet is better.
Ignore him fellows.

You know me by now. I can't stand by and let such trolling go uncorrected!!!!!

I know he is a troll, he has only a few posts and ALL of them are trolls, but someone might read what he wrote and actually think it is correct.

 

[crxssi]

I would agree with almost everything here except I do believe iPad has a better GPU.

Yep, agreed. And I corrected it in my first post. Thanks

The only other thing I would add is that this comparison does NOT come down to specs. It comes down to OS: one is closed, restrictive and limiting in functionality, but will have more games and dedicated tablet apps. The other (Nexus 10) has more features, will have more feature updates more quickly, more community support and your consumer dollars will be supporting a better company that cares about innovating and progress.

Agreed, again. Do note that I said something similar in my closing on that posting. Although the N10 is technically superior in most every way, what really matters is the user experience- what they expect from the user interface and apps. There is nothing inherently WRONG with getting an iPad, it is even appropriate if you have a lot of Apple equipment already, or the people who you interact with or seek support from use primarily iPads.

 

[xlDeMoNiClx]

The problem is there are facts about these devices and most of what you want to believe is wrong.
Check the Anandtech articles for a start. Read the many other reviews.
AnandTech - Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Performance Preview
AnandTech - Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Performance Preview
Man the iPad gpu especially just wipes the floor with the Nexus 10.
The cpu and gpu in the iPad 4 blow the doors of the Nexus 10, color is much better as iPads are calibrated and these are not.
The OS is certainly smoother and the Nexus 10 does lag.
Anyone looking at both devices will see it is obvious the iPad is better build quality. Read all the reports of poorly made Nexus 7 in these forums and people waiting weeks for a replacement. That's what you get with a Nexus device but now with an Apple device.
The slightly higher res and ppi of the Nexus 10 are marketing points and not noticeable in real life at all.
You can get LTE on an iPad and 16, 32, or 64 GB of memory.
The iPad has MIMO.
Nexus needs twice the ram because of poor OS optimization.
Basically you are just saying what you would like to believe when there is a wealth of information out there saying the opposite.
The Nexus 10 is sold at cost btw as Google is desperate to get someone, anyone, to buy an Android tablet. Same with Nexus 7 and 4. In their desperation they killed the market for 7 and 10" tablets from their partners.
The Android tablet app story is pathetic and will remain so for some time.

I think your line about "what you want to believe is wrong" describes you WAY more than it does anyone else here. trololol

The iPad 4 can't really compare in most ways to the Nexus 10, deal with it.

 

[Davyo]

I'm one of those crazy people that's likes both Apple and Android.

I liked all my iPhones and even my iphone 5,,,, but now I'm loving my new Galaxy Note 2,, got rid of my iPhones.

Love my ipad but I just ordered the Nexus 10,,,, I'm thinking I'm going to love the Nexus 10 more than my ipad but I don't plan on getting rid of my ipad,,,, I think my ipad and the Nexus 10 will both be my daily drivers,,,, they both do some things very well.

Tough choice between the the ipad 4 and the Nexus 10,,,,, but if I had to pick only one I think I would go with the Nexus.

Cheers
Davyo

 

[Irontheater]

I really thank everyone for their helpful replies, and as can be concluded, choosing one of both is very hard, which is why I started this thread anyways.

Both the iPad and the Nexus have their strong and weak points, and both of them are equally good.

Since I will be using them as a replacement to my current work Laptop, I need them to at least handle the same task as a basic laptop.

And while the RT seems to be able to do that, the ability to "only" have 2 Windows open at one with a 3/4 to 1/4 nonadjustable ratio, that kills the whole point of multi-tasking.

But since we are at it, the iPad and the Nexus does not have the ability to open 2 programs at once (have both of the working on screen).

The only tablet which has this feature (and not even yet), happens to be the Galaxy Note 10.1 (Premium suite update).
But since the Note 10.1 is not currently on par with my hardware expectations, and since we are not too far from a Note 2 10.1, I will hold out for a bit here.

Anyone knows if there are third party apps on android that permit multiple windows usage?

 

[Davyo]

The problem is there are facts about these devices and most of what you want to believe is wrong.
Check the Anandtech articles for a start. Read the many other reviews.
AnandTech - Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Performance Preview
AnandTech - Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Performance Preview
Man the iPad gpu especially just wipes the floor with the Nexus 10.
The cpu and gpu in the iPad 4 blow the doors of the Nexus 10, color is much better as iPads are calibrated and these are not.
The OS is certainly smoother and the Nexus 10 does lag.
Anyone looking at both devices will see it is obvious the iPad is better build quality. Read all the reports of poorly made Nexus 7 in these forums and people waiting weeks for a replacement. That's what you get with a Nexus device but now with an Apple device.
The slightly higher res and ppi of the Nexus 10 are marketing points and not noticeable in real life at all.
You can get LTE on an iPad and 16, 32, or 64 GB of memory.
The iPad has MIMO.
Nexus needs twice the ram because of poor OS optimization.
Basically you are just saying what you would like to believe when there is a wealth of information out there saying the opposite.
The Nexus 10 is sold at cost btw as Google is desperate to get someone, anyone, to buy an Android tablet. Same with Nexus 7 and 4. In their desperation they killed the market for 7 and 10" tablets from their partners.
The Android tablet app story is pathetic and will remain so for some time.

Snook,,,, are you aware that we all know you are trolling with your trashing of Android products,,, one quick look at your postings tells the story,,,,, I don't think anyone is taking any of your postings with any seriousness at all.

For the record I own both Android and Apple products and they are BOTH great products and each have there pros and cons,,, I'm typing this on my much loved ipad and my Nexus 10 gets delivered on Monday.

I don't think I will ever understand that fanboy'isim for only one product or OS.

Cheers
Davyo

 

[G-Money713]

I really thank everyone for their helpful replies, and as can be concluded, choosing one of both is very hard, which is why I started this thread anyways.

Both the iPad and the Nexus have their strong and weak points, and both of them are equally good.

Since I will be using them as a replacement to my current work Laptop, I need them to at least handle the same task as a basic laptop.

And while the RT seems to be able to do that, the ability to "only" have 2 Windows open at one with a 3/4 to 1/4 nonadjustable ratio, that kills the whole point of multi-tasking.

But since we are at it, the iPad and the Nexus does not have the ability to open 2 programs at once (have both of the working on screen).

The only tablet which has this feature (and not even yet), happens to be the Galaxy Note 10.1 (Premium suite update).
But since the Note 10.1 is not currently on par with my hardware expectations, and since we are not too far from a Note 2 10.1, I will hold out for a bit here.

Anyone knows if there are third party apps on android that permit multiple windows usage?

For what you want, Note 10.1. You can bang out a lot of work on any tablet. There is no real replacement for a laptop yet. Not even with Windows 8 RT. The main problem I see is size. Tablets have to be small and portable to be of interest. Laptops have to be bigger to have a full sized keyboard and connections to run other devices.

Sent from another Galaxy... Tab 2 10.1

 

[futureandroider]

Please excuse my noobness. I am in the market for a tablet and will use it for streaming movies through Netflix or watching movies all day (average 10 hours daily). I know the iPad has a stronger GPU with a weaker CPU/ram but the Nexus has a weaker GPU with a stronger CPU/ram. As far as what I will be using the tablet for, which would hold up better? The thing I am most afraid of is dropped frames during action scenes or after a long time of playback.



Also, what is the tradeoff between having a weaker GPU stronger CPU, weaker CPU stronger GPU