PURE, POWERFUL, PREMIUM and definitely not PRICEY
The Nexus brand is Google's promise of a high end device that will receive the latest, pure, version of Android before any other, all at a low price.
Did Google and ASUS deliver on that promise? Well, It took me a while to decide whether this tablet was a well thought out purchase or an impulse buy. It was both. So I guess its safe to say they did deliver (more on that later)
Did Google and ASUS deliver on that promise? Well, It took me a while to decide whether this tablet was a well thought out purchase or an impulse buy. It was both. So I guess its safe to say they did deliver (more on that later)
Gallery
Design
The face of the tablet is kept minimal, a trademark of Nexus devices, whereby physical navigation buttons are replaced by on screen elements when the display is on. The most significant improvements in design is the reduced thickness and weight. Being thinner (at 8.65 mm) hasn't compromised the comfort of holding the tablet in one hand especially now that its lighter (at 290g/0.64lbs). This is a subtle but big advantage over its, cumbersome to hold, competitor: The iPad mini.
"THESE SUBTLE DESIGN FEATURES MAKE IT SO MUCH EASIER TO GRIP THE DEVICE AND IS SOMETHING THAT A LOT MORE TABLETS SHOULD HAVE."
The side bezels are quite thin, making it easier to use the 7" tablet as you would with a phone especially when it comes to text input on the on-screen keyboard. Unfortunately, ASUS have had to compensate for this, to keep enough room for internals, by adding a few millimeters to the top and bottom bezels. This makes it look really tall and narrow but the benefit of it becomes apparent when the device is held in landscape. In landscape mode, two or even single handed use of the tablet is a lot more comfortable than most because those elongated bezels really come in handy when you're holding it for long periods of time during such activities as reading or playing games. The soft touch or matte finish back is smooth but not slippery which makes it additionally more grippy.
As displayed above, the edges of the device are flat but are angled in a way which you can rest your thumb on top of without it digging into your thumb. These subtle design features make it so much easier to grip the device and is something that a lot more tablets should have.
Software
The Nexus 7 is the first device to ship with the newly announced Android 4.3 operating system with many enhancements to the performance putting it on par with the fluidity of the iPad. This version of Android hasn't been tampered by manufacturers adding skins and other bloatware to slow it down. Not all apps from the Google Play store is compatible with the Nexus 7 but most of the ones you would want are compatible. However, certain apps are still optimized for mobile phone displays rather than tablets but its passable for the Nexus 7 considering it almost looks like a big phone. For comparison, its a little behind the tablet app selection from the iPad App Store but, still, not far off. However, the extent to which you can customise Android with widgets and other 3rd party tweaks will always be the trump card over the much more restricted, but easy to use, iOS.
Being a Nexus branded device means that it will receive the latest version of stock Android directly from Google before any network companies or manufacturers have a chance to slow down the update process. This potentially means that this device will stay fast and fluid and you can make use of the latest additions to Android first.
Being a Nexus branded device means that it will receive the latest version of stock Android directly from Google before any network companies or manufacturers have a chance to slow down the update process. This potentially means that this device will stay fast and fluid and you can make use of the latest additions to Android first.
Display and Sound
ASUS finally realized that the whole point of a tablet is to be able to stare at the display for long periods of time and have acted in making that easier. They have fitted the Nexus 7 with a display of pixel density of 323 pixels per inch. In this aspect it beats out that of the iPad retina display and jumps leaps and bounds over the iPad mini. Google claim that it is the most pixel dense tablet out there. Its true, for now. The resolution, at 1900 x 1200, is capable of showing you full HD content without down sampling (Reducing quality). That and the battery being able to deliver an estimated 9 hours video is especially good if watch movies on the go (more on the battery life later). The result: reading from this tablet is enjoyable for long periods of time without getting any strain on your eyes.
"ITS NOT QUITE THE BOOM SOUND ON THE HTC ONE BUT IT DOES THE JOB WELL."
On the top and the bottom of the tablet are dual outward firing speakers. It may seem odd to be outward firing in portrait but in landscape mode the sound from the speakers reflect off the cupping of your hand as you hold the tablet. Its not quite the Boom Sound on the HTC One but it does the job well. The speakers have been designed to produce surround sound quality synthetically by the inventors of MP3: Fraunhofer. You may not acknowledge it at first but its definitely there.
"ITS NOT QUITE THE BOOM SOUND ON THE HTC ONE BUT IT DOES THE JOB WELL."
On the top and the bottom of the tablet are dual outward firing speakers. It may seem odd to be outward firing in portrait but in landscape mode the sound from the speakers reflect off the cupping of your hand as you hold the tablet. Its not quite the Boom Sound on the HTC One but it does the job well. The speakers have been designed to produce surround sound quality synthetically by the inventors of MP3: Fraunhofer. You may not acknowledge it at first but its definitely there.
The standard 3.5mm headphone jack is placed up at the top. The the reason for the off center ergonomic becomes understandable when the headphone plug doesn't obstruct your hands as you grip it. It is these little details that ASUS have paid close attention to make using the Nexus a much more pleasant experience.
Performance
The Nexus isn't powered by the most powerful processor but unlike the majority of high-end Androids, it doesn't need to be. The Snapdragon S4 Pro is more than sufficient for making the Nexus 7 a speedy machine and that's clear throughout all aspects. It is definitely a big improvement over the Tegra 3 chip found in last years model. During my 1 week testing period I have found only one very small case of lag in which the onscreen keyboard was to blame. The fluidity of the Nexus is also thanks to the the software version: Android 4.3 which is "buttery smooth", according to Google and I couldn't agree more. There is this slightly annoying issue I have with Android; the scrolling. It could be much smoother but that's a general problem with Android and not any fault of the Nexus.
"I HAVE YET TO FIND ANYTHING THAT LOOKS BETTER THAN THIS."
Gaming is the Nexus's forte. The graphics is powered by a an Adreno 320 GPU which can push out some of the best graphics on a mobile device and coupled with that high-res display, I have yet to find anything that looks better than this. There are some games from the Google Play store that aren't tablet compatible but the majority of them are. I've been playing Real Racing 3, Ashpalt 8 and Shadowgun at the highest graphics settings and there is no sign of stutter. As expected, running graphic intense games will make the back of the Nexus become slightly warm but its nothing to worry about.
"I HAVE YET TO FIND ANYTHING THAT LOOKS BETTER THAN THIS."
Gaming is the Nexus's forte. The graphics is powered by a an Adreno 320 GPU which can push out some of the best graphics on a mobile device and coupled with that high-res display, I have yet to find anything that looks better than this. There are some games from the Google Play store that aren't tablet compatible but the majority of them are. I've been playing Real Racing 3, Ashpalt 8 and Shadowgun at the highest graphics settings and there is no sign of stutter. As expected, running graphic intense games will make the back of the Nexus become slightly warm but its nothing to worry about.
Camera
This time around ASUS have included a 5MP snapper on the back, capable of filming at 1080p. I'm no advocate of taking pictures/video with tablets but the quality is decent and unremarkable, as you'd expect on a tablet. The front facing camera, at 1.2MP, is, again, decent for taking those shameless selfies though I would prefer that it had better low light capabilities for the face unlock feature to work better in darker surroundings. Video calling with the front facing camera is average and shoots at 720p. There's nothing much to complain about or commend here either.
"THE QUALITY IS DECENT AND UNREMARKABLE, AS YOU'D EXPECT"
The one issue I have here is not with the camera but the positioning of it. Its a little off centre, making it slightly awkward during video chats because looking slightly to the side of your face. This becomes worse if you're doing the same in landscape mode because, while you're looking at the display, you appear to be looking completely away from the camera.
"THE QUALITY IS DECENT AND UNREMARKABLE, AS YOU'D EXPECT"
The one issue I have here is not with the camera but the positioning of it. Its a little off centre, making it slightly awkward during video chats because looking slightly to the side of your face. This becomes worse if you're doing the same in landscape mode because, while you're looking at the display, you appear to be looking completely away from the camera.
Battery life and Storage
With that significantly higher resolution and powerful processor you would have thought that battery life was going to diminish rather rapidly compared to last years Nexus 7 but it actually improves on that. On average usage of browsing a few web pages, playing short games and streaming video at 30% brightness the battery lasted a all day day with about 60% battery remaining for the next day. That's nothing to go by but its an indicator of what to expect with similar usage. You won't be feeling the need to top the battery up at every chance you get which is one less worry and if you ever need to you can use a standard Micro USB charger as you can with most phones. You can even take advantage of the built-in wireless charging system which lets you charge with any Qi (pronounced "Chi") standard wireless charging plate. This is a rather fancy feature considering the price of the Nexus (I'll get to that later).
"YOU WON'T BE FEELING THE NEED TO TOP THE BATTERY UP AT EVERY CHANCE YOU GET"
I have the 32GB variant which, from first turning on the device, had 26GB usable space. I would expect the 16GB model to have between 9-10GB of free storage and for a tablet in this day and age is rather small especially if you want to carry your movies and music collection with you. Which brings us to to the pricing...
"YOU WON'T BE FEELING THE NEED TO TOP THE BATTERY UP AT EVERY CHANCE YOU GET"
I have the 32GB variant which, from first turning on the device, had 26GB usable space. I would expect the 16GB model to have between 9-10GB of free storage and for a tablet in this day and age is rather small especially if you want to carry your movies and music collection with you. Which brings us to to the pricing...
Pricing and Availability
As of writing there are only two variants available: 16GB and 32GB at £200 and £240, respectively. I would recommend the 32GB one for the heavy media consumers. There will be a 4G-LTE variant coming soon to O2 on a pay-monthly contract but the pricing isn't available yet and I will update you here when it is available.
You can find the Nexus in stores and available for delivery at these places:
Google Play store
PC World UK
Tesco Direct
You can find the Nexus in stores and available for delivery at these places:
Google Play store
PC World UK
Tesco Direct
The Good
| The Bad
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The Veridict
"THIS TABLET IS THE BEST ALL ROUNDER"
I have decided that I will be using the Nexus 7 as my main tablet for every day use largely in part to the display and the ease of carrying carrying it around. It fits in my trouser pocket with some room thanks to it being narrow but I wouldn't advise that you go jogging or some other strenuous activity with any tablet in your pocket. This tablet is the best all rounder, excelling in all the key areas so satisfy first time tablet buyers to power users without breaking the bank. You would be so hard pressed to find a tablet that has as much quality with such good value for money that irrespective of its low price point its still one of the best tablets around.
I have decided that I will be using the Nexus 7 as my main tablet for every day use largely in part to the display and the ease of carrying carrying it around. It fits in my trouser pocket with some room thanks to it being narrow but I wouldn't advise that you go jogging or some other strenuous activity with any tablet in your pocket. This tablet is the best all rounder, excelling in all the key areas so satisfy first time tablet buyers to power users without breaking the bank. You would be so hard pressed to find a tablet that has as much quality with such good value for money that irrespective of its low price point its still one of the best tablets around.