I have to admit I am a tablet junkie. I own a new iPad, the original Nexus 7 and now this new Nexus 7 (and at one point I also had a kindle fire HD, a iPad 2, a Zeki tablet which was horrible!, and a Nook HD...... before I sold or gave them away). I kept my new ipad and the Nexus 7 because they were the ying and yang of the tablet experience... a pure ios and pure android experience. However I am always on the lookout for another tablet and I held out for the new Nexus 7 as soon as the rumor mill began whirling at a feverish pace. As soon as Amazon had it available I ordered the 16 GB version and waited in anticipation. When it finally arrived here were my thoughts.
Initially I was fawning over the packaging (told you I was a uber tablet nerd) because it was sleeker than the previous generation's box. When I cracked into it I was somewhat so-so about it. Holding the new device in my hand I immediately noticed the difference in its weight and width from the original Nexus 7. To make sure I had my original Nexus 7 on hand and I did a side by side comparison and the new model is most definitely sleeker, easier to hold and lighter weight. I was kind of ho-hum at first at the back of the device because I loved the stippled back of the original Nexus, but holding the new Nexus I kinda did not mind the smooth rubbery texture of it. My hand was loving the warm and inviting sensation of this smooth backing. Upon turning on the new Nexus I did notice after a few attempts that I had to hold down the power button a lot longer than the original Nexus 7 in order for the device to boot up which is not a big deal. As usual you have to set up your google accounts or sign into your account if you already had one and the very first thing it asks you is if you want to upgrade to Android 4.3. Hell yeah I said and I allowed the device to do so.
After I was booted up and updated, here is my reaction to the device itself. When I read reviews and watched youtube videos about the new Nexus 7 every person always brought up the amazing clarity of the screen. I however did not really notice it at first. I may have been spoiled by the retina display of my ipad or the crispness of the Kindle Fire HD (when I had it) or even the great graphics of my original Nexus but I could not see what the fuss was about at first! The screen was not lighter than my original Nexus 7 (which I found out was because I had manually brightened the screen on my original device but kept the factory settings on the new Nexus 7) and I did not see anything that was mind blowingly better than the previous devices I mentioned. I was let down but decided to play around with other things like youtube videos and a new book I bought on the play store. I turned on my original Nexus and decided to compare my e-books. Man, I finally saw what the critics were saying. The text is so much crisper on the new Nexus 7 then the previous model. The navigation on the new Nexus 7 was zippier too! I was able to have multiple things running and not suffer any lag. Android 4.3 is plain but so customizable with widgets and the hold and drag function. Youtube videos were crisp as well. I watched a few things on Netflix and was satisfied with the image quality. The Google centric apps are ones I always use (Youtube, Chrome, Maps etc) and they are all there and tablet optimized! I was not even bothered by the big top and bottom bezels and marveled at the skinny side bezels. I have thus far not have tried out the speakers because I always use my headphones and I have not used the new back camera because I use my phone or digicam to take photos so I can not comment on those features yet but when I do use them I will update this review.
So far there have been no sluggish performance issues that plagued the original Nexus 7 (though my original device never suffered but I am a media consumer and not a power user or rooter). I am absolutely in love with this device and I can say it is the best 7 inch tablet I have played with so far (though I am anticipating the new Kindle Fire HD 2 and will buy one of those because I am a freak). I recommend anyone that has not purchased a tablet yet and wanted to try one out to go for this device because the price point is very fair and it lets you do so many things that other more restrictive devices will not allow. Its a great media consumer, its a great tinker toy for the rooters out there and its a comfortable device for all ages. I have no doubt that you will love this new Nexus 7 tablet and I hope the Google-Asus partnership keeps going for future devices.
UPDATE (08/23/13):
Well I have had this device for a while longer now and just wanted to update a few more things I have found. Firstly I must really commend Google and Asus for putting the headphone jack on the top of the device this go around because the previous generation had the jack on the bottom of the device next to the charging port. This made holding the device in portrait mode uncomfortable especially with headphones on. Now that the input is on the top the cord does not dig into your stomach if you are laying back and holding it.
I have not experienced any multi-touch issues, but I have noticed that my new Nexus has trouble logging onto my workplace's public wi-fi. My original Nexus 7 (which I still use and love) has not issues what so ever so I am unsure what the deal is with that regards. The battery life on my new Nexus is stellar compared to my original Nexus 7 so I have been very happy at how much I can play around with the device and not have to charge it. The only issue I have had is with the charger itself as initially it was very, very snug when it plugged into the port to the point where I had to really pull it (at scary oh-my-god-am-I -gonna-pull-this-plug-port-out sorta levels) to get it disconnected. Over repeated charges this seems to be getting better but it is still on the snug side.
| Standing screen display size | 7 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1200 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1200 Pixels |
| Processor | 1.5 GHz Snapdragon_S4 |
| RAM | 2 GB DDR3 |
| Hard Drive | 16 GB |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Adreno 320 |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11bgn |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 10 Hours |
