The Nexus 7 (2013) Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on August 22, 2013 6:00 PM ESTFinal Words
I really like the Nexus 7. It’s easily the best small Android tablet I’ve ever used. The build quality is great, the display is amazing and the hardware is fast. The new Nexus 7 also happens to be the most color accurate Android device we've ever tested - easily competitive with the iPad's Retina Display, and delivers the longest battery life we've ever seen from an Android tablet. You also get the benefits of owning a Nexus device: timely updates and unadulterated Android. My only real complaint about the Nexus 7 is that its screen feels cramped. If you’ve got a large smartphone, the jump between it and the 7-inch display may not be big enough. On the flip side, the 7-inch form factor does make the Nexus 7 quite portable. If you’re ok with the tradeoff, then I have no qualms recommending the Nexus 7 over other 8-inch tablets.
I typically find myself at odds with what a manufacturer wants to charge for a product, but in the case of the Nexus 7 that’s not true at all. At $229 the base 16GB model is extremely well priced. The adder for the 32GB model is a somewhat reasonable $40. If your Nexus 7 is going to be more of a mobile workhorse, you’ll eventually be able to get a LTE model for $349.
The original Nexus 7 gave us a decent Android experience at a very low cost. This year ASUS and Google raised the bar for sure. The new Nexus 7 is no longer just a decent tablet at a good price, it's an incredible tablet. With this Nexus, it's clear that Google no longer wants to rely on value alone. The 2013 Nexus 7 redefines what you should expect to pay for a truly great tablet. If you're in the market for an ultra portable tablet, and definitely if you're shopping for an Android tablet in particular, the new Nexus 7 should be at the top of your list. It's so good that I'm giving it our Silver Award.
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tailwhip - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
Great review, the only error is you say the screen has 1200 lines but it actually has 1080.ASEdouardD - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
It's actually right. There are 1200 lines. Space for the virtual buttons.Impulses - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
It's a 16:10 display, 1920x1200. I'm glad too, cause 16:9 starts to get uncomfortably narrow in portrait (even at 10", try some of the Win 8 tablets).Da W - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
For that mather i'll take a USB 3.0 port with USB keys.YuLeven - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
Concerning the iOS x Android comparision, it really puzzles me the fact that people always assume that iOS is 'easy and great for ordinary people' and Android is for geeks.Whether that may be true for many cases, i'd like to say that's not mine. I'm an absolutely ordinary guy. I work as a Japanese instructor and my interest in gadgets does't stretch anywhere near to custom ROM's, high-end gaming or that sort of thing.
Having owned an iPad mini and dumped it later for a Galaxy Note II, I must say that the Android ecosystem actually was by far more compelling to my work.
PDF experience was pretty much the same in both systems, but iOS's dictionaries apps pales in comparision to those on Android in terms of accuracy and usability. Apps focused on teach the language, as the one's used for flashcards and that sort of thing, followed the same experience. Browsing seemed pretty much the same as I care the most about what it's being displayed rather them scrolling like a freak to see which one is the smoothest. And last but not least, beign forced to convert my video files used in lessons with iTunes whas annoying as it can be. Other features dubbed as gimmick as how Android handle its multi-tasking actually helps me a lot.
Of course I used my tablet/phablet outside the classes and never felt cramped in both systems, though.Yet again watching videos on an Apple device was annoying for being forced to spend hours converting my files.
That's however just my opinion. I can bet that there are not that many Japanese teachers arround buying tablets, I just wanted to say that this argument of 'more optimized APPs' and 'better for ordinary people' it's not always true. Specially on the APP side. People are yet to point me an APP that is lacking on Android for my uses, but there where a few cases on iOS.
And i'd like to point too that all this smoothness thing sound just like bollocks for me. Android seems to be fast enough as I won't die for a stutter or other. Rather i'm please with it as it suits me better than iOS.
ASEdouardD - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
Your reading an Anandtech review and know what a ROM is. Your way above the average tech user.ASEdouardD - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
Good God, ''You're''.amdwilliam1985 - Monday, August 26, 2013 - link
I know, I felt the same thing, Android are for the geeks, iOS and touchwiz are for the norm. All my friends running Android devices are using varies Galaxy devices. My girlfriend dumped her iphone 4s and went with SGS4 because touchwiz was the easier for her to use.touchwiz > iOS > Android
lol
caleblloyd - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
When Anand says "order of magnitude" (which he says a lot), does he mean base-2 or base-10?Aaimnr - Thursday, August 29, 2013 - link
When Anand puts some numbers in his reviews (which he does a lot), does he use base-2 or base-10?