Design and Build Quality: A Study in Practical Elegance
The Toshiba Excite Pro, model AT10PE-A, immediately strikes a balance between professional austerity and modern tablet aesthetics. Its chassis is constructed from a combination of polycarbonate and a brushed metallic finish that convincingly mimics aluminum, providing a premium feel without the cold, slippery grip of all-metal bodies. Weighing approximately 585 grams (1.29 lbs) and measuring 8.9mm thin, it is comfortably portable for extended one-handed use, though it lacks the almost impossibly slender profile of some flagship competitors.
The bezels are reasonably slim for a productivity-focused device, offering ample space for a secure grip without interfering with the screen. The physical layout is logical and user-friendly. The power button and volume rocker are positioned on the upper right edge when held in portrait mode, offering satisfying tactile feedback. A proprietary docking connector port is centrally located on the bottom edge, flanked by two speaker grilles. This port is the key to the tablet’s expandability, interfacing with optional keyboard docks that transform it into a laptop surrogate. A full-sized USB 3.0 port and a micro-HDMI out port are welcome inclusions, enabling direct file transfers from thumb drives and easy mirroring or extending of the display to monitors and projectors without the need for cumbersome OTG adapters. The 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot, supporting cards up to 128GB, round out the connectivity options, addressing the common user pain points of limited storage and wired audio access.
Display: A Visual Powerhouse
The centerpiece of the Toshiba Excite Pro is its stunning 10.1-inch display. This is not a standard IPS LCD panel; it is a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution screen with a pixel density of 299 pixels per inch (PPI). The “WQXGA” nomenclature signifies a step above standard Full HD, offering a 16:10 aspect ratio that is superior for both document editing and widescreen video consumption compared to the more square 4:3 formats. The clarity is immediately apparent. Text renders with razor-sharp edges, making it an exceptional device for reading e-books, PDFs, and browsing the web.
Color reproduction is vibrant and accurate, with wide viewing angles that prevent significant color shifting even when viewed from sharp angles. The panel utilizes advanced in-plane switching (IPS) technology, ensuring consistency across its surface. With a measured peak brightness of approximately 450 nits, the screen remains usable in most indoor and even some outdoor environments, though direct sunlight can still pose a challenge. The use of Corning Gorilla Glass provides a smooth, responsive surface for touch inputs while offering a robust layer of protection against minor scratches and scuffs. For media consumers, the high resolution brings out the finest details in 1080p video and supports high-bitrate streaming content, making it one of the most compelling displays in its class at the time of its release.
Performance and Hardware: Pushing the Boundaries of Android
Under the hood, the Toshiba Excite Pro was a powerhouse for its generation, built around the NVIDIA Tegra 4 system-on-a-chip (SoC). This quad-core processor, based on ARM’s Cortex-A15 architecture, was clocked at 1.8GHz and was coupled with a 72-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU. This combination was specifically designed for high-performance computing and graphics-intensive tasks. Paired with 2GB of RAM, the tablet handles multitasking with aplomb. Switching between numerous applications, including heavy-weight apps like Adobe Photoshop Touch or complex games, is a fluid and largely stutter-free experience.
In synthetic benchmarks, the Tegra 4 consistently posted scores that rivaled or exceeded contemporaries like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series. In real-world usage, this translates to seamless navigation through the Android OS, instant app launches, and the ability to play the most demanding 3D games available on the Google Play Store at the highest graphical settings. Titles like Dead Trigger 2 and Asphalt 8: Airborne run with consistently high frame rates, showcasing the prowess of the GPU. However, the Tegra 4’s performance came with a notable caveat: thermal management. Under sustained heavy load, the back of the tablet can become noticeably warm, a common trait of the high-clocked A15 cores. While never reaching dangerously hot levels, it is a physical reminder of the raw processing power at work.
Software Experience and User Interface
The Toshiba Excite Pro launched with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which was subsequently upgradable to a later version. Toshiba’s approach to the user interface was commendably light-handed. The skin layered over stock Android is minimal, focusing on value-added utilities rather than a complete visual overhaul. The core Android experience remains intact, with smooth animations and Google’s core app suite front and center.
Toshiba included several proprietary applications designed to leverage the hardware’s strengths. File Manager is a robust tool for navigating the tablet’s internal storage and any connected media via the USB port or microSD card. The Media Player is similarly capable, supporting a wide array of video and audio codecs out of the box, taking advantage of the Tegra 4’s dedicated audio and video processing cores for efficient, high-quality playback. The Resizable Movie Window feature was a novel addition, allowing video playback in a floating window that could be moved around the screen while using other applications—a precursor to modern multi-window functionalities. The overall software experience is clean, fast, and business-like, avoiding the bloatware that plagued many contemporary devices.
Camera Capabilities: Beyond Basic Tablet Photography
Tablet cameras are often an afterthought, but Toshiba equipped the Excite Pro with surprisingly competent sensors. The rear-facing camera is an 8-megapixel shooter with an LED flash and a BSI (Back-Side Illuminated) sensor for improved low-light performance. It captures still images with good detail and accurate color in well-lit conditions. Features like autofocus, touch-to-focus, and HDR mode provide a level of control uncommon on tablets. It is also capable of recording 1080p Full HD video at 30 frames per second, with stable and decent quality suitable for casual recording.
The 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera is more than adequate for video conferencing on platforms like Skype or Google Hangouts. It produces a clear image that handles indoor lighting well, making it a reliable tool for business meetings or staying in touch with family. While no substitute for a dedicated smartphone or standalone camera, the Excite Pro’s imaging system is a capable and versatile tool that exceeds the low bar set by most of its competition.
Battery Life and Real-World Endurance
Powering the device is a non-removable 28Wh lithium-polymer battery. The combination of the high-resolution display and the powerful Tegra 4 chip creates a challenging power dynamic. Toshiba’s claims of up to 9 hours of battery life are realistic under specific conditions, primarily involving mixed usage with screen brightness set to around 50%. This includes web browsing over Wi-Fi, email management, and some video playback.
More demanding usage scenarios, such as prolonged 3D gaming or continuous 1080p video playback at high brightness, will understandably drain the battery more quickly, likely reducing endurance to the 5-6 hour range. The inclusion of NVIDIA’s “PRISM” display technology, which dynamically adjusts backlight levels and pixel states to reduce power consumption without sacrificing perceived brightness, helps to eke out extra minutes of usage. For a typical workday of note-taking, document editing, and media consumption, the Excite Pro proves to be a reliable companion, though power users may need to top up the battery before the day is done.
Audio, Connectivity, and Expandability
The audio experience is delivered through two stereo speakers positioned on the bottom edge. The sound is clear and sufficiently loud for personal entertainment in a quiet room, but it lacks significant bass and can be easily muffled when holding the tablet in landscape mode. For a more immersive audio experience, the 3.5mm jack outputs clean, high-quality sound, and Bluetooth 4.0 allows for connection to wireless headphones and speakers.
Connectivity is a strong suit. Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) 802.11 b/g/n ensures a strong and stable connection to modern routers. The inclusion of GPS with GLONASS support provides fast and accurate location locking, making the tablet a viable navigation device. The aforementioned USB 3.0 port is a significant differentiator, allowing for rapid data transfers from external storage and direct connection to a myriad of peripherals with the right cable. The micro-HDMI port supports a clean, lag-free mirroring experience. The proprietary dock connector is the gateway to its most significant expandability option: keyboard docks that add a physical keyboard, extra battery life, and additional USB ports, solidifying its identity as a hybrid device.
Market Position and Value Proposition
Upon its release, the Toshiba Excite Pro occupied a specific niche in the market. It was positioned as a premium Android tablet that prioritized raw performance and a high-fidelity display over ultra-portability or brand cachet. Its primary competitors were other high-end Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the Google Nexus 10, as well as the entry-level iPad. Its value proposition was clear: it offered one of the sharpest displays on the market and class-leading processing power, wrapped in a well-constructed body with exceptional connectivity, all at a price point that was often more aggressive than its direct rivals from Samsung and Apple. It was an ideal device for the power user, the mobile professional who needed a portable second screen with desktop-level connectivity, and the media enthusiast who valued pixel-perfect visuals above all else.