The Google Nexus 7 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi & Brian Klug on July 26, 2012 11:35 AM ESTThe Display
In this new age of high resolution panels with small dimensions, the goal seems to be to just get the display out of the way. You shouldn't notice the display, it should just quietly do its job and make you believe that what you're looking at is real. When viewed with this critical eye, very few displays do their job well.
The Nexus 7's display is somewhere between good and perfection. It's not on the latter end of the spectrum, but it's great for $199. Black levels are good, and max brightness is more than enough for indoor use, although you'll have problems outdoors if it's too sunny.
The resolution is high enough that neither Brian nor I were able to identify individual pixels at our normal viewing distances. Images do look better on the new iPad however (not a resolution but rather a panel advantage).
The other interesting aspect of the Nexus 7 is that it is a relatively new and somewhat interesting display form factor. 213 pixels per inch in a 7 inch display is unique for an Android tablet, and puts the Nexus 7 in the "tvdpi" screen density category for Android, 600 x 961 dp (that's dp - density independent pixels, relative to 160 ppi).
The end result is that some applications get a scaled down version of the 10" form factor Android 4.x UI, others don't. Some pages use the phone layout (for example the settings page, play store, and the notifications shade), others use the tablet two pane layout (for example Gmail) due to the 600dp width of the Nexus 7. That is to say it isn't totally correct to say that the UI on the Nexus 7 is a larger, scaled version of the phone UI, but something of an intermediary between the traditional 10" tablet version, and the phone version depending on what the break point is (in dps) for the particular app.
The other interesting note is that because 'tvdpi' isn't a primary display density for Android developers to build assets against, most often bitmaps get scaled down from the hdpi asset. In most places there isn't much of a noticeable softening of the edges, but I'll admit there are a few places where it's obvious bitmaps have been decimated and look a bit soft. Luckily, the pixel density of the display itself is high enough to mask most of this, but it isn't always perfect.
The Nexus 7's IPS panel offers great viewing angles, something that's simply a requirement for any device whose primary interface revolves around the display. Color accuracy is simply middle of the road, but I don't expect many users to do a lot of professional photo editing on the Nexus 7 so I'm not sure how much this actually matters.
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ericore - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
Assuming the price is 299 for the entry 16 GB version of Nexus 10, I will only buy it under the following conditions:-storage option
-2GB Ram
-Preloaded with Ubuntu (duel boot)
-Option to load other distros in its place
Linux complements Android very well and fills a lot of the gaps.
It would be a smart move on Google's part.
It would be my move.
richough3 - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
I would be tempted to buy this but the lack of decent speakers on a tablet like this is one of the deal killers for me. The other one is the lack of an SD card slot. Sure, it's up to preference, but the way I see it is more and more ISPs are moving to tiered services, so to do everything across the cloud will cost more.Chesher - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
Nexus 7 has bluetooth - Kindle Fire does not.So, I can use Google Play with my bluetooth speakers with my Nexus 7.
Just wanted to mention this - because this is a big deal.
tssynergy - Saturday, July 28, 2012 - link
Moore's law is in full effect in the tablet world. Given the recent technological progress in components and the slew of new hardware about to hit the streets, I think the differences in the actual devices will become narrow to the point of being insignificant (excluding Windows RT/8, primary computing tablets for now). The key differentiation, in my opinion, lays in the various ecosystems. iTunes vs. Amazon vs. Google Play is where the battle will be won or lost. Sustainable competitive advantage on hardware will be short lived to non existent.ssddaydream - Sunday, July 29, 2012 - link
While I agree for the larger portion of the market, I think the enthusiast market cannot be ignored. There will always be those who want the absolute best hardware and will just load up AOSP/AOKP. I think the enthusiast market will find a way to bring multi-platform support to their device.Diogenes5 - Sunday, July 29, 2012 - link
Anyone that thinks Windows 8 Tablets will be competitive at all are fooling themselves. People use Windows devices because they have to, not because they want to. i5/i7-based designs don't offer the kind of battery life and form factor needed for what people have come to expect in the storage space and Tegra 3/ARM based windows 8 tablets offer nothing more hardware wise than current tablets.That leaves only the GUI and OS as the differentiating factor between Windows Tablets and Current Tablets. Do people really think that Windows 8 will offer anything near the experience of current android and iOS tablets? Everyone using the RC (including me) is underwhelmed. This is the same Microsoft that produced tablet laptop's for years that nobody bought. Thanks but no thanks, Windows 8 will be a laughingstock just like windows phone.
maximumGPU - Monday, July 30, 2012 - link
Another troll..all you provide are your opinions and you think they're a reflection of the majority.
"People use Windows devices because they have to.." plenty of other OS out there if you don't like windows. And guess what? a lot of people do like it.
"Do people really think that Windows 8 will offer anything near the experience of current android and iOS tablets?" Euh yeah it will, how about proper compatibility and seamless transition between your pc and your tablet for a start?
I'm a New Ipad owner, and i find the OS very limiting. Awaiting a windows tablet.
"Everyone using the RC (including me) is underwhelmed.." have you used it in a tablet environment? thought so.
"Thanks but no thanks, Windows 8 will be a laughingstock just like windows phone". Of course, you'd know that already.
shaolin95 - Sunday, July 29, 2012 - link
I was very happy when I saw this tablet first until I read about not SD card options...totally killed it for me...very lame.bertiebond - Monday, July 30, 2012 - link
but the samsung tab 7.0 (p1000) i use has 3G, has micro SD slot.7inch is perfect size for on the go, emergency phone in a pinch, read comics, books, films.
Nexus, much better hardware specs all round, but critically crippled for what you actually want to use it for.
Shame really. Samsung sucks with OS upgrades, you have to root it just to get ICS, nevermind jellybean!
seanleeforever - Tuesday, July 31, 2012 - link
" In every sense outside of portability, a 10-inch display is much nicer to look at than a 7-inch one in my opinion. There's less zooming in you need to do on web pages or magazines. Text in general is just easier to read and perhaps I'm getting too old, but there's something nice about everything being comfortably bigger.Read more at http://www.anandtech.com/show/6073/the-google-nexu...
"
really, anand, really?
would you say the 17 inch notebook is much nicer to look at than 12 inch one?
my company laptop is a pain in the ass 17 inch dream color elitebook, but i find myself using 12 inch thinpad x unless i absolutely have to do use the company laptop. it is not always the bigger the better.
with that said, i have both ipad 3 and nexus 7, and my experience has been entirely different from yours. the ipad3 is way to heavy as a tablet, and if i have to use a dedicate carrying device, i find myself using 12 inch laptop most of time. the nexus 7, however, is so light (which you should really focus more in the review IMHO) and allow you to use to use it like a tablet. it also magically fit in all my pants and as someone who travels 70% of time, this is a god send.
apple is making a big mistake not to release the mini ipad, and now the market is taken.