Barnes & Noble NOOK HD+ Pro Reviews

There is the feeling when you're using the Nook that it's really not all that fast, at least in terms of raw processing power. Sometimes when performing fairly simple tasks we'd find the graphical transitions would stutter and lag. Strangely, this doesn't really affect the performance in other ways. We could play videos with few problems and when you're looking at eBooks, there's really no problems at all, even with heavily graphical books. Games might be a problem if you're looking at the high end, but simple games will be no problem. Elsewhere, we love the style and think the battery life is very impressive. The downside of the Nook has to be that it's not very light and so reading with it will be a bit of a chore, but that HD screen really makes text look stunning along with anything else you care to throw on it. As we're writing this the Nook HD+ is just £180. And that really can't be described as anything but a complete bargain.

Great hardware for the money, but hobbled by restrictive video and app stores, and a sluggish UI

Barnes & Noble seems to have figured out how to compete with the iPad: build a light, nice-looking tablet with a great screen, offer a bunch of different ways to watch and read things, and charge a reasonable amount for it. $269 for a 9-inch tablet is a great deal, and if you want a Netflix and Hulu machine this is a pretty good one — as long as you're happy using headphones all the time. But Barnes & Noble shoots itself in the foot over and over, with a slow and bug-riddled interface that is often infuriating to use. I waited a full minute for it to switch accounts at one point, and several minutes to load a game — that's not acceptable. Even worse for Barnes & Noble, other companies have figured out how to make inexpensive tablets with great screens and much better experiences. Google makes a cheap(ish) tablet with a big screen, the $399 Nexus 10. Amazon's $299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9 fits the bill as well — I'd recommend either over the Nook HD+ until Barnes & Noble fixes the performance problems. And, of course, there's still the iPad mini, which isn't much smaller or much more expensive than the Nook HD+, and gives you access to the giant iOS app ecosystem (though its screen isn't anywhere near as good as the HD+). Those devices share many of the same advantages offered by the Nook HD+, and all offer far better and more consistent performance — the Nook models do have a few cool and unique features, but they're ruined by the lag and freezing. The Nook HD+ won the price war, but unless that's your absolute only consideration, you can find a better tablet without looking very hard.

The Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ is a good choice for book lovers, but its smaller 7-inch sibling is a better bet. We want a lot more from a 9-inch tablet.

Staring deeply at the $270 price of the 16GB base model of the NOOK HD+ ($300 for the 32GB version), there’s no arguing that their intent is to keep Amazon itching with anticipation. Rightfully so, they’re able to do just that, as the NOOK HD+ has the more detailed display of the two – while also being lighter as well. However, it’s missing out on several key features to make it an instant buy over other highly-prized full tablet offerings on the market. Therefore, if you’re all about the reading aspect, then you’ll undoubtedly take into agreement to what the NOOK HD+ has to offer with its ecosystem. Beyond that, the Google Nexus 10 still continues to offer the most balanced set of features and hardware to make it the more compelling tablet – and better long term investment as well.

The Nook HD is a solid 7-inch tablet, and its 9-inch counterpart is a pretty good thing in its own right. The software still leaves a bit to be desired, between a staid UI and a limited app selection. (Then again, that built-in microSD slot means hacking the thing is always an option.) From a hardware perspective, however, it's pretty tough to argue with a 1,920 x 1,280 display on a $269 / $299 device -- particularly one that's so comfortable to hold. Magazine and comics fans will find a lot to like here, and as the company builds out its movie offers, it will become an even more compelling device for multimedia consumption. Parental controls, kid's content and the low price point, meanwhile, offer up a temping proposition for families. All told, the Nook HD+ isn't likely to burn up the holiday charts like the Kindle Fire HD or iPad mini, but we definitely wouldn't mind finding one in our stocking this season.

The Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ is a good choice for book lovers, but its smaller 7-inch sibling is a better bet. We want a lot more from a 9-inch tablet.

The Nook HD+ is a well-built tablet with a sharp screen and a microSD slot. Those looking to take advantage of a huge media library will be disappointed as Barnes & Noble struggles to match the current movie, TV show, and apps support enjoyed by its rivals. Still, thanks to their unique and effective implementation, magazines and catalogs are done better here than on any other tablet and the Nook HD+'s book support can easily stand with the best of them. Starting at only $269, the Nook HD+ makes for a fantastic tablet deal.