Reviews
Michael Grothaus
12:30, 13 Jun 2014
HP's Slate 10 HD will get you on the web straight out of the box for £149 with two years of bundled-in 3G connectivity
Typical Price:
£149.00
Pros:
Great price for a full-sized budget tablet, especially with two year’s free 3G service
Cons:
No Android KitKat. Screen ppi is a low 149
Verdict:
For a 10-inch tablet that lets you accomplish all the basics and then some, while only costing £149--including two years of free 3G--it’s not a bad device at all.
If you’re like many the latest Apple iPad Air--while a great tablet--might be overkill for you. Perhaps you just want a nice full-sized tablet that offers a wide array of apps and lets you browse the web and share on social media easily--and a tablet that will do all that without breaking the bank. Thankfully there's a host of Android tablets in the market that fall into the “budget” range that can do what most light tablet users need them to do. Here I look at HP’s entry into the full-sized budget tablet market: the HP Slate 10 HD.
Specs
First let’s look at the raw specs of the HP Slate 10 HD.
Screen: 10" diagonal HD ultra wide view capacitive LED multi-touch (1280 x 800)
Weight: 630 grams
Dimensions: 259 (w) x 178 (d) x 9.7 (h) mm
Processor: 1.2 GHz Marvell Dual-Core PXA986 (ARM Cortex-A processor series)
RAM: 1 GB DDR3 SDRAM
OS: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Storage: 16 GB (expandable to 48GB by Micro SD)
Audio: Beats Audio with stereo speakers
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Ambient Light, eCompass, GPS
Battery: 2-cell (26 WHr) Li-Ion polymer
Cameras: 2 MP front-facing ISP-embedded webcam (720p HD video recording), 5 MP rear facing ISP-embedded, autofocus webcam (1080p HD video recording)
Connectivity: 3G, 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 combo (Miracast compatible)
Colors: Bright Red
Design & Build
The HP Slate 10 HD is the big brother of the HP Slate 7 HD tablet I reviewed a few days ago. Another way to look at that is to say the HP Slate 10 HD is the iPad Air to the HP Slate 7 HD’s iPad mini. But as we’ll see the HP Slate 10 HD is nowhere in the same design league as the iPad Air--as is to be expected from a budget tablet.
The HP Slate 10 HD’s rear shell is made of a red porous plastic that, while thick, gives the tablet the feeling of durability and, thanks to the porous shell, makes it easy to grip in your hands. Because of the camera and logo positioning the default way you are supposed to hold the device is in landscape mode--although the OS and most of the Android apps are orientation agnostic.
On the left hand side of the rear shell you’ll find volume buttons and on the top left corner above them the power button. These buttons are barely raised off the surface and since they reside on the rear of the tablet it’s hard to find them just by touch when using the device. In the center of the upper rear edge of the tablet is the camera while on the upper right corner is the compartment that houses the microSIM and microSD card slot. Along the bottom of the tablet you’ll find the Beats speakers and the microUSB port, which allows you to charge the tablet and transfer files.
Turning your attention to the front of the tablet, the display is lined with a hefty black glossy bezel which is wide enough for even the fattest fingers. I have fairly big hands and even I thought the bezel was just a touch larger than it needed to be. At the top centre of the upper bezel (again, this is in landscape orientation) you’ll find the front camera. At the centre of the lower bezel you’ll find the HP logo--which is something I have a problem with. Because tablets are orientation agnostic I feel any manufactures that place their logo on the front bezel of a tablet are doing a disservice to their users in favour of branding for ego’s sake. Since the HP logo is always showing tipped over in portrait mode it makes the user subliminally feel like they are holding the tablet wrong.
At 630 grams and 259 (w) x 178 (d) x 9.7 (h) mm, the HP Slate 10 HD is in no way the thinnest or lightest full-sized tablet out there, but for a budget tablet it’s a decent size and weight. Yes, it may be a bit too heavy to hold above your face while reading in bed at night, but resting in your lap or at your desk its size and weight is fine.
Display
Unfortunately I’m not as much a fan of the HP Slate 10 HD’s screen as I am of its design. That’s because HP has decided to include the exact same display in the HP Slate 10 HD as it did in the HP Slate 7 HD: a 1280 x 800 resolution screen stretched out from 7 inches to 10 inches. For a 7 inch tablet a 1280 x 800 resolution isn’t the best, but because of the smaller screen size it gives the 7 inch tablet a respectable pixel density of 216 pixels-per-inch (ppi). That’s nowhere near Retina resolution (326ppi or above), but it’s decent. However, give a 10 inch tablet that same 1280 x 800 resolution screen and it will only have a pixel density of 149ppi.
A resolution and pixel density with those specs are fine when you are looking at Android’s home screen, but as soon as you go on the web you can tell text looks pixelated. That’s a big letdown because the display has a great color gamut and the colors on screen really stand out.
Processor & RAM
The HP Slate 10 HD features a 1.2 GHz Marvell Dual-Core PXA986 from the ARM Cortex-A processor series. It also comes with 1GB of DDR3 SDRAM. The processor and RAM are the exact same that are found in this tablet’s little brother. That’s not actually a surprise since HP is trying to keep costs down. Still, it’s always a bit of a let down when you expect bigger tablets to have just a bit more power than mini tablets.
That being said, all the features that a basic tablet user would use a budget tablet for worked pretty smoothly considering the processor and RAM are at the lower end of the spectrum. Pinching and zooming images was fluid, scrolling through web pages produced no lag, and watching video produced no visible stutter or dropped frames. Now of course playing more advanced games did cause some performance issues, but if you’re a big tablet gamer you aren’t going to be looking for a budget tablet. Casual games like Angry Birds were snappy and responsive.
Software, Services & OS
The HP Slate 10 HD comes preinstalled with Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a number of HP and third-party apps including HP ePrint, HP Connected Photo, Kingsoft Office, Box (with up to 25 GB of free cloud storage), HP File Manager, and Skype.
As I said above, Jelly Bean was fluid and responsive on this tablet, which was something I was concerned about because of its low RAM. But I was disappointed that the HP Slate 10 HD only runs Jelly Bean. KitKat is where it’s at and it’s a bummer you can’t run it on this tablet. Part of that is because of the hardware choices HP made, but also it’s caused by a larger problem in the Android community: the OS suffers from fragmentation and will drop tablets from its supported list instead of trying to find ways to optimize the software for them.
Of course the Play store gives you access to hundreds of thousands of apps, but it’s nice to see HP has preinstalled some useful ones like Skype and Kingsoft Office. A lot of budget users might not be comfortable--or even know how to--download apps and if they can just turn on their tablet and go the easier their life will be.
Storage & Cameras
The HP Slate 10 HD comes with 16GB of storage. For light users that’s more than enough--and it’s much better than the 8GB some other budget tablets try to get away with. The nice thing about the HP Slate 10 HD is its microSD card slot, which will accept up to a 32GB microSD card, giving your HP Slate 10 HD a total capacity of 48GB if need be.
As with its little brother, the HP Slate 10 HD suffers on the camera front. The front-facing camera is a 2MP camera that acts as a webcam and also takes photos and 720p videos. The back camera is a 5MP camera that takes photos and 1080p videos. I’m not too chuffed about the front camera, since most people only use it for Skyping, but photos taken with the back camera appeared blown out. To put it bluntly: if you go on holiday and think this is the only camera you will need you are going to be sorrily disappointed with your pics.
Wireless Connectivity & Other Sensors
The HP Slate 10 HD has the normal 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connection and also offers Bluetooth 3.0 (but come on, where’s Bluetooth 4.0?). But the big thing about the connectivity with the HP Slate 10 HD is that everyone gets two years of free 3G service when they buy it. And just like the HP Slate 7 HD, this is a feature that makes this tablet a really compelling buy for budget tablet users.
The microSIM card is already installed in the tablet when you buy it, so you can literally take it out of the box and get online immediately. The two years of free 3G service is limited to a 250MB monthly data allowance, which isn’t a lot, but it’s probably enough for getting through your commute when stuck on a train. And if you need more data you can buy monthly upgrades of 500MB for £7, 750MB for £9, 1.75GB for £12, or 3.75GB for £14.
As for sensors the HP Slate 10 HD is packed with an Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient Light sensor, eCompass, and GPS.
Battery
One difference between the HP Slate 10 HD and its smaller brother the HP Slate 7 HD is the battery. Because of its larger screen HP has wisely chosen to give the Slate 10 a bigger 2-cell (26 WHr) Li-Ion polymer battery. In my tests the HP Slate 10 HD lasted over 12 hours of use. That’s me sending emails, surfing the web, playing Angry Birds, and watching some videos. Recharging the device is done by plugging in the microUSB cable.
Conclusion
The HP Slate 10 HD isn’t a tablet I would buy for myself, but then again I’m somewhat of a power tablet user. It is, however, a tablet I would buy for a child or an older parent who isn’t technically savvy and just wants a device that could get them on the web and allow them to send emails. For these types of parents or grandparents the HP Slate 10 HD is especially tempting because of its free 3G service for two years--get someone this tablet and you don’t need to mess about setting up Internet in their home. The tablet is hamstrung by some underwhelming specs, specifically its screen’s low resolution and some pretty underwhelming cameras, but for a 10-inch tablet that lets you accomplish all the basics and then some while only costing £149--including two years of free 3G--it’s not a bad tablet at all.
HP
Tablets
Android
HP Slate 10 HD
Android Jelly Bean 4.2