So, my replacement arrived yesterday and I’m posting an update on the LCD backlight bleeding issue previously discussed.
The unboxing video for the replacement will be uploaded shortly and will be updated HERE.
Specks
Seals were fine on this second shipment. I complained previously that one of the seals were broken. However, there now appears to be a piece of glue stuck between the glass and the plastic casing (see pictures below).
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Photos showing piece of glue stuck between the glass and the plastic casing.
Attempts were made to try to remove the small piece of glue but failed. I will probably need something strong like a pair of tweezers.
Light-bleeding
This time I powered it on and went straight to investigating the light-bleeding issue seen on the first unit. Bleeding appears to be slightly improved with left-side bleeding nearly completely gone. However, distinct bleeding patterns similar to the original unit is still seen on the right side. Granted, this test was performed in a dark room, which is not very practical. However, when watching a movie you do tend to dim down ambient light and there’s always a potential for loss in contrast in key areas of your content.
Some pictures:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Photo in dark room with brightness set to full. Left (NEW shipment). Right (Original shipment).
Comparisons with TF101 (ASUS Transformer)
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Top: NEW (left) and Original (right) shipments of Nexus 10. Bottom: ASUS Transformer TF101.
Under the same lighting and camera exposure conditions, both Nexsus 10 units display significant wider light-bleeding than the ASUS TF101 tablet.
Real-life applications
To simulate a real-life simulation and to see the impact of light-bleeding I took photos of the new Nexus 10 in increasing camera exposure times.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
+0.0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
+0.7
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
+1.3
It is conclusive that under normal use, the light bleeding is not of major issue. Bleeding is only obvious when overexposed at +1.3 where normal use more closely resembles that of +0.0.
Bottom line
Light-bleeding is DEFINITLY an issue on the highly anticipated Nexus 10. I am surprised that NONE of the official reviews every discussed this problem. QC/QA was clearly not well practiced in the assembly line. As a result, I am going to go for a warranty replacement and see if I am LUCKY enough to get the ‘perfect’ build. But I remain skeptic.
A simple exercise of reflection reminded me that the problem was there on most of my laptop LCDs and cell phones but they never really bothered me. What changed about me over the past few months are my expectations for technology products and as a result my increasing appetite for perfection. And I think sometimes I am overly sensitive. I am beginning to suspect that this sensitivity is a result of horrible experiences with HP.
There’s a CLEAR disparity between expert reviews out there and real-life experiences of the Google Nexus 10. It escapes me that even with all the negative forum discussions about the product there continues to be obscenely positive reviews about Nexus 10. In the end, though, it holds true that we as consumers ALWAYS have the final word. If you find similar issues with your Nexus 10, don’t compromise, fight!
What problems have you had with your NEXUS 10?
EOM
UPDATE: I received a second replacement about 4 days later. The bleeding was worse than the first. I’ve sent it back and instead kept the first replacement. It’s doing okay as long as I don’t think about it, too much. Though this is still something left to be desired. Oh, and also the lack of Miracast … story for another day!