Compelling reason(s) to choose iPad 4 over Nexus 10?

[Soreloser]

I have now spent the last week searching, researching and reading more reviews and articles I can count trying to make a decision. My wife has decided to purchase a tablet for me for Father's day and has asked me which one I want, the iPad 4 or the Nexus 10. She has an iPad 3 and I really like it's format and screen. My dilemma comes from basically too much information...so many good points about both tablets and some bad points as well, that it makes it impossible to choose. Thus the question here. I figure you people will know best...

I currently use an HTC One for my phone so I have some good familiarity with the Android OS. My previous phone was an iPhone 4S so I am also familiar with iOS.

My use of either tablet will be primarily web browsing, reading ebooks with the Kindle app, some gaming, and also some video. I would really like to stream video from my home network server.

Some good points for the iPad:

1. Better battery life and faster charging.
2. More accessories available.
3. Less issues with component quality. (Light bleeding, random reboots/freezing.)
4. Gaming performance is better.
5. Build/design quality is superb.

Some good points with the Nexus 10:

1. 10.05 inch 16:9 display is better for video.
2. Higher resolution display.
3. Faster CPU, more memory for the OS.
4. Ability to use OTG and a thumb drive to increase storage.
5. USB charging.
6. HDMI output.
7. Non-tablet apps scale well with Android OS.

Negatives of the iPad:

1. Cost, although my wife is willing to spend the money.
2. Video will have the black bars to make it fit the display.
3. No OTG as best I can tell.
4. Weight.

Negatives of the Nexus 10:
1. Reports of light bleeding and/or freezing/random rebooting.
2. Slow battery charging.
3. Portrait view reported to be not so good as Google intended it to be used in landscape view.
4. Very few accessories available.

I haven't found anything definitive that says I cannot access and view video from my PC on either iPad or Nexus so I am not sure if that is easily done.

Thank you all for your detailed reasoning, and please, no flaming. I am sincere in this quest and am not a fan-boy of either OS. I just want the best.

 

[nitinparmar1985]

Hi Soreloser,

My iPad 4 was the first i have owned, i had used them before just not had one of my own.

Since i have had it i have litrally used it everyday!

Few things i would say is reading a book on the iPad is ok as far as the screen is concerned however the iPad is fairly heavy and holding it for 30-40min reading will get to be a chore in my opinion.

The screen for watchin movies is great, the 16:9 back bars dont bother me at all, i use it everyday on the way to work to watch a movie. Using AV Player HD i dont even have to convert the video files, i can litrally just put them on the ipad, great quality and only a ?2.99 app.

I am able to charge my iPad at work through the USB port on the computer however thats becuase its 1amp (charges slowly but gets there in the end)

I Have the 32gb cell version, honestly the 3G is really useful out and about and my wife wished she had to the mini in cell and wifi too. Just something to consider.

Games on the iPad are really good and graphics are smooth, saying that the whole iOS is smooth and ive not had any issues to date.

The iPad does have a HDMI out, but you need to buy the adapter, so thats another positive.

I have used the Nexus before and wasnt impressed in comparision, maybe its becuase I just like iOS better. For some reason i always find the OS a but tempramental...

i Know i havent answered all your questions but hopefully some other memebers will fill the gaps.

Good Luck

 

[mulasien]

Hello Soreloser, good questions. I'll try to give at least my input.

First off, given that you're already familiar with both iOS and Android, you're probably aware of the pros and cons of each OS in general.

I currently own an iPad 4, but also used to own an Asus TF300 Android tablet.

from your points:
- I doubt that you'll tell a difference in video from the iPad vs. the Nexus 10. There comes a point where a PPI count can't be determined by the naked eye past a certain point. The branding of 'retina display' gets its name because it (at least according to Apple) is at the PPI where you can't see individual pixels without putting your eyeball right on the screen (which I don't recommend). Both will look great.
- An iPad is a great product on its own, but goes up in value if you have other Apple products to sync with. I like being able to take pics on my iPhone, and have it automagically appear on my iPad's Photo Stream. However since you have an HTC One now, it doesn't sync up quite as well, although you can use apps like Google+ instant upload to sync pics between both devices
- While the Nexus 10 is indeed a beast in terms of hardware specs, it will still not be at smooth and lag-free as the iPad. This goes for all Android hardware. Yes, I'm aware that 4.2 Jellybean is a significant improvement for smoothness (I know, I had a 4.2 phone and tablet), but even then you WILL notice lag at some points. The question will be how much it irks you, some people are bothered by it more than others.
- Of all 10" Android tablets, I'd recommend the Nexus 10 the most. Gets updates direct from Google, and has incredible hardware to boot. I have no knowledge about the build quality vs. an iPad, so you'll have to google that yourself.
- The Android tablet app selection has improved a good bit over the years, but still lags behind iPad.
- Android by it's nature has more customization and better app communication than iOS, depends on how important this is to you.
- Although the Nexus 10 has a faster CPU, the iPad 4 is still super smooth. There aren't any apps out yet that actually tax it's performance. Also, iOS has been shown to be more optimized than Android (the nature of the beast) and runs faster even if it has a slower CPU.

With all that said, my personal take is that I used to own both an Android phone and tablet, but now have an iOS phone and tablet. Why? I was initially attracted to Android because of the customization and greater control you have over the OS, and the ability to have live widgets on your screen, all of which are nice. However, the lagginess of the OS, the inevitable "this app is not compatible with your device" that you WILL run into (even Nexus products), and lesser app (tablet) selection acted as a 'death by a thousand cuts' for me, and I made the jump back to iOS. Yes, iOS has less customization and no widgets compared to Android, however the trade off is that you get a rock solid OS with an amazing user experience and app selection. I did not miss what I gave up in Android for what I gained in iOS. The 'it just works' moniker is correct (except for Apple Maps, it still sucks ). That, and all your favorite Google apps are available on iOS as well (and in some cases, work better than their Android versions).

That's just my experience, your mileage may vary.

 

[mulasien]

Also, whatever you do, if you get the itch for a smaller tablet instead, do NOT get the Nexus 7. They have been reported to have been failing early, including to a real life friend of mine. Something about the flash memory ASUS uses is of bad quality.

The Nexus 10 is made by Samsung, not ASUS, so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[hpulmer00]

Simple: the iPad is an iPad. The Nexus is not an iPad...

 

[mulasien]

Simple: the iPad is an iPad. The Nexus is not an iPad...

That's not very helpful, at all. Not to mention comments like this are why some people shy away from Apple products not because of the products themselves, but the irritating smugness of their fans who can't give reasons why they like their products other than "It's an Apple product...DUH!", and don't want to be lumped into the same category.

 

[nitinparmar1985]

Simple: the iPad is an iPad. The Nexus is not an iPad...

wow.........just WOW!!

 

[Soreloser]

Alright, Thanks for all the replies and the food for thought.

The question I now have is what are some compelling reasons NOT to purchase the iPad 4 or the Nexus 10? Any deal breakers for either tablet? What are some things that you absolutely dislike and wish were different?


Thanks!

 

[The_colombian]

I never had the nexus 10, I had a Xoom WiFi which was always up to date and fast but I sold it because android tablet apps aren't that great. I still use an android phone but I know most android apps haven't improved yet. That was my deal breaker. It was great being able to hook up a hard drive otg and using a Wii remote and other stuff but I never really did any of it because the tablet games sucked.

 

[mulasien]

Alright, Thanks for all the replies and the food for thought.

The question I now have is what are some compelling reasons NOT to purchase the iPad 4 or the Nexus 10? Any deal breakers for either tablet? What are some things that you absolutely dislike and wish were different?


Thanks!

I think I kinda covered that in my first post. Each platform has their pros and cons. However, in terms of deal breakers, what may be a deal breaker for me might be an acceptable trade off for someone else.

Some common deal breakers for each platform are usually as follows:

iPad (or iOS in general):
- Apple's closed system (walled garden) vs. Android's open system (this is actually a plus for some people, depends on you)
- unable to sideload apps from outside the app store/Play store
- unable to change default apps outside of Apple's versions (e.g. make Chrome the default browser, Google Maps the default maps app, etc)
- in addition, can't change keyboard. SwiftKey for Android is a wonderful, amazing keyboard. iOS' keyboard is the second best out there IMHO, but still not as good as SwiftKey
- no accessible local file system/storage, cannot store a variety of files locally (outside of photos/videos) for access by other apps. iOS apps get around this by either creating their own file storage in-app (usually accessible by only that app) or using cloud storage for file access (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc)
- stuck with a static app grid on home screen, no widgets, quick toggles, etc (though iOS 7 will bring quick toggles via the swipe up control panel)

Keep in mind that all of the above points are just a jailbreak away from being a non issue, if you're into that sort of thing.

Android tablet/Nexus 10 cons:
- selection of tablet apps still not up to par with iOS, though it has improved considerably
- many new apps tend to be available for iOS first, and then Android later
- cross device syncing not as good as Apple counterparts. It's not terrible, but Apple's device syncing is just incredibly good
- user experience in the OS will never be as fluid as iOS. It's improved (and should run fine on a Nexus 10), but a one OS for many devices setup will never be as fluid as one OS made for one device by the same manufacturer. Chrome on Android is especially bad about stuttering when scrolling down web pages - drove me nuts
- you will run into the occasional "this app is not compatible with your device" issue.
- malware is a legitimate concern on Android, but shouldn't be an issue as long as you stick to the Play Store for apps
- support for devices pales in comparison to Apple. If you have a hardware problem with your iPad (assuming it's still under warranty), take it to an Apple store and they'll either fix it, or just give you a replacement. Good luck getting that level of support with any Android device, including Nexus devices.
- while you can 'tinker' with Android more, be prepared to spend tinkering time just trying to troubleshoot annoying issues, like tracking down background apps sucking your battery dry. I work in technology in general, but even I got tired of always having to tinker with my tablet just to restore normal functionality.

That all being said, you need to look at what you need to use the tablet for and see what solution is best for you. There are people who have legitimate need of local file storage and being able to side load apps for their use case, and Android works best for them. In my own personal experience, the 'jankiness' of my Android tablet, app compatibility issues, and overall less fluid experience eventually drove me nuts. There are things I gave up going to an iPad (noted above), but in the end I don't miss them because the overall experience has been much more enjoyable despite the trade offs.

Again, your mileage may vary.

 

[majorusa]

7. Non-tablet apps scale well with Android OS.

Negatives of the iPad:

1. Cost, although my wife is willing to spend the money.
2. Video will have the black bars to make it fit the display.
3. No OTG as best I can tell.
4. Weight.

Negatives of the Nexus 10:
1. Reports of light bleeding and/or freezing/random rebooting.
2. Slow battery charging.
3. Portrait view reported to be not so good as Google intended it to be used in landscape view.
4. Very few accessories available.

The Androids apps scale horribly on the tablet. Not to mention that there are really few apps made for the tablet that work as intended. By contrast, the Ipad scales perfectly the iphone apps. On my iPad 4 you almost cannot tell the difference between a scaled app and a native one.

Flash was big selling point before Android decided to not support the Flash anymore. Most browsers are laggy when encountering flash content and they do not render well HTM5. On the other hand , Ipad has some issues streaming HTML5 content, on certain sites freezing the video but running the audio.

The number of apps on Ios is huge and these are well fitted for the tablet. Not on Android.

I watch video from the PC with subtitles on IPad using Plex. No issues so far. I do not care about the black bars. You will have black bars on the Nexus also at the anamorphic movies. Plus, you ill have a black bar under the screen with three dots where the home touch symbol is.

Ios updates it OS a lot and usually works well after the update. Not the case with Android.

I own an Ipad 4, an iPad 2, a Kindle Fire HD - which is largely based on Android 4.01 and a Minix X5 Android PC running 4.1 Android. I owned a Motorolla Xoom but the experience was so painful that I returned it to the store.

Since buying the iPad I never looked back to any Android device. I own also an Apple TV allowing me to stream Game Pass NFL games on my big screen TV without any additional apps or hacks.

I do not care about jailbreak. So I have no opinion here.

 

[Seth Hoover]

Good advice, I also love my IPad4, hands down....I hope he bought a iPad 4 because he won't regret it one bit.

 

[Eileen89]

If I were you I would wait for the iPad 5 to come out before making your final decision unless you really need a Tablet now.


Sent from my iPad Mini using Tapatalk 2

 

[Soreloser]

Well, after much deliberation I chose the iPad 4 32gb in black. Should be here any day. Looking forward to using it and getting to know its good points and bad points.

My main reasons for going with the iPad over the Nexus 10 were:
1. Wife has iPad 3 and I really like the display.
2. After trying the Nexus 10 at the local store I didn't like the way it felt in my hands. I didn't like the way it pushed me to landscape mode versus portrait mode. I know that doesn't have to be that way it just felt like it really needed to be viewed in landscape.
3. Accessories are readily available for the iPad, not so much for the Nexus 10...in fact I couldn't find a decent case for the Nexus.

I hope I don't have any of the troubles that others seem to have with the iPad 4 like the wireless connectivity issues or the color banding issues. Not that these have been widespread, like the issues with rebooting and lockups on the Nexus 10, but still, no one wants to have trouble with an expensive tablet.

 

[dollah_bill]

I think one of the most compelling reasons lies in one of the most compelling reasons to choose an iPhone as well: the App Store. I have a Nexus 7 an Xperia Z tablet and an iPad and by far the app experience for the iPad is leaps and bounds better than android tablets simply because the App Store has a lot more specially designed for iPad apps. Google Play has mostly stretched out and blown-up versions of their smartphone apps so the QUALITY app selection is very inferior to Apple's offering.

 

[substring]

I am one of the rare persons that use both Android and iOS devices, so I can speak without bias.

I used to have the 4G Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. But I switched to iPad 4 because the Galaxy Tab's battery life is terrible. A short battery life kept me from using the Tab, and what's the point of having a tablet if you cannot use it for a full day without recharging? After I switched to iPad 4, I really love it. The battery life is fantastic. Also I have a very interesting observation. Naturally, my ecosystem is very much around Google.....from Gmail to Google Drive to Google Maps. But I noticed that many of the Google applications actually work better in the iOS than in Android environment which is a big surprise to me.

The UI and navigation of iOS are much easier to use than Android. Android has way too many clicks to accomplish something. For example, when I want to turn on the Airplane Mode, why does Android has to ask you if you are sure to turn it on? Is someone going to die when I accidentally turn on the Airplane Mode on my phone?!?!?! Such confirmation is unnecessary and become nuisance to the users.

With that being said, Android provides more customized configuration by apps than iOS. The biggest upside for Android is that it supports micro-SD card. For iOS devices, you have to buy a new phone or tablet to get more memory which is rather stupid in my humble opinion. Last but not least, another big advantage for Android is SwiftKey. It is the BEST keyboard on this planet and it is for Android only. I wish they have an iOS version but they don't.

Yes, you are going to tell me that Nexus tablet is not the Galaxy Tab. But I am not a big fan of stock Android. In my humble opinion, unless you are in the wireless business or you are a total geek, there is really no need to keep installing the latest greatest custom ROM on your devices, which is what stock Android are good for. Seriously, mobile devices are only good for about two years, then you will trade up to the newer devices. I have more important things in my life to keep me busy than tweaking and upgrading my mobile devices.....and I think it is the same to the majority of the consumers.

Hope this helps.

 

[moshe5368]

Like some of the replies you have already received, I have extensive experience with android and did some developing on the platform. For years, I refused to even look at apple simply because of some of the attitudes of apple users. I owned HP Touchpads, Asus Transformers ( tf 101, tf 300), Huawei S7. Several months ago, the iPad mini hit the market. I was getting bored with constant updates to Roms and tweaks to the OS . I decided to try the mini just to see what all the fuss was about. That was Feb. I now have 2 iPad minis, an iPhone 5, and have a Mac mini on order. All the android devices found their way to Craigslist with the exception of 1 phone which is still under contract.
Several of my friends think I have lost my mind but the simple reason for the switch is this: the build quality and OS integration across the entire apple line cannot, at this time, be beaten. I have not encountered any tasks that cannot be completed with the apple OS and I know the devices will, not only hold up under serious use, but will hold their value over time. I run a small trucking business and my apple devices allow me to do everything I need to do to be productive.
Sorry for the long winded reply but those who know me understand. Good luck with your new iPad. I know you will learn to appreciate its features with use.
Moshe

 

[Eileen89]

Several of my friends think I have lost my mind but the simple reason for the switch is this: the build quality and OS integration across the entire apple line cannot, at this time, be beaten. I have not encountered any tasks that cannot be completed with the apple OS and I know the devices will, not only hold up under serious use, but will hold their value over time. I run a small trucking business and my apple devices allow me to do everything I need to do to be productive.
Sorry for the long winded reply but those who know me understand. Good luck with your new iPad. I know you will learn to appreciate its features with use.
Moshe

I have used Android in the past and currently use the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini. I understand what you are saying and couldn't agree more with you.


Sent from my iPad Mini using Tapatalk 2

 

[FBPD10]

I used the ASUS 32gb prior. I went IOS when i bought an Iphone 5 for integration reasons, plus as an Amazon Prime subscriber i couldn't get Amazon Prime Video even though it was OS native based

 

[impaler]

Cellular. Required for me for any tablet.


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