onthecouchagain
macrumors 604
At this point in time, if you can wait, I'd wait. The iPad announcement is supposed to occur in October. Then you can weigh your options with real release information.
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Tablets New Nexus 7 (Merged)
- Thread starter Truefan31
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At this point in time, if you can wait, I'd wait. The iPad announcement is supposed to occur in October. Then you can weigh your options with real release information.
I was in the market for a 7" tablet and had it narrowed down to the Nexus 7.2and the iPad Mini-
I couldn't go with the iPad Mini because -
It can't play 1080p because of it's dated screen. I needed a small, efficient device to play 1080p recordings to make sure I get the shots I want in remote locations. Doesn't fit the bill.
The price. On the scoresheet the iPad Mini is about half the tablet the Nexus 7 is at twice the price. It's nonsense.
The Nexus 7 won because -
It has an excellent 1080p+ screen which is essential for what I'll be using it for.
It has OTG support. A $4 app allows me to view files with an OTG USB cable and a card reader, or a device that integrates both, and without rooting my tablet I'm able to expand my memory infinitely, and monitor video in 1080p.
The lower battery capacity with the smaller screen and still respectable battery life makes for an efficient device. I don't think there's another 7" device out there that can deliver 9 hours of video playback from just 3710mAh. That's huge as I'll only have power from two solar chargers for all of my devices so electricity will be at a premium.
The price. I bought a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7, both with bumped capacity for $30 less than the price of an iPhone 5C. The 32gig iPad Mini in all of it's antiquated glory is $430. I could buy two 16gig Nexus 7's for only $30 more!?! COME ON!
My impression of the Nexus 7/Android (I'm a long time mobile iOSaholic) -
My first venture into a non-iOS smart device was some piece of crap Samsung 'iPhone killer' circa 2008/09 from AT&T and it was almost immediately clear that switch from Apple wasn't happening any time soon for me.
Next was a Toshiba Thrive. It had all those awesome ports I wanted so badly but most of them never worked for anything useful. Android was nothing to write home about back then (Honeycomb I think) and the app store was only starting to be useful. It was 'meh'. Back to Apple again.
The third time's the charm. I love the Nexus 7. With almost the same pixel density as the iPhone on a larger display I'm pretty sure it's Retina equivalent (I could be wrong, but my understanding of Retina is that it's pixel density/average viewing distance which would be farther on a 7" screen than a 4" screen and thus a similar pixel density would favor the larger device - hope that makes sense).
I've experienced the same irritating behavior in Chrome that a lot of posters mentioned. FIFA 14 has crashed a couple of times. Aside from this the OS and the device are fast, responsive, and free of quirks. Google seems to have all but bridged the gap between iOs and Android. I was able to find everything I need and almost everything I want from the play store. Overall 4.3 has been surprisingly intuitive.
I'm a bit of a sound snob but I was pretty impressed by the speakers. They're not perfect, but they get fairly loud without much distortion. Ultimately they're better than I was expecting from a 7" tablet. I still prefer to listen through a dedicated headphone amp/DAC and a good set of cans though.
It's a great looking tablet! The larger bezels don't bother me in the least and it just feels like a nice, solid, product. The power and volume buttons and that the speakers are rear facing are my only complaints with the design. Overall great fit and finish, especially at it's price point.
Getting such a nice device for this kind of money isn't something I've been accustomed to. It's great! The Nexus 7 suits my needs well and is a real pleasure to use. Apple needs to get it in gear.
I couldn't go with the iPad Mini because -
It can't play 1080p because of it's dated screen. I needed a small, efficient device to play 1080p recordings to make sure I get the shots I want in remote locations. Doesn't fit the bill.
The price. On the scoresheet the iPad Mini is about half the tablet the Nexus 7 is at twice the price. It's nonsense.
The Nexus 7 won because -
It has an excellent 1080p+ screen which is essential for what I'll be using it for.
It has OTG support. A $4 app allows me to view files with an OTG USB cable and a card reader, or a device that integrates both, and without rooting my tablet I'm able to expand my memory infinitely, and monitor video in 1080p.
The lower battery capacity with the smaller screen and still respectable battery life makes for an efficient device. I don't think there's another 7" device out there that can deliver 9 hours of video playback from just 3710mAh. That's huge as I'll only have power from two solar chargers for all of my devices so electricity will be at a premium.
The price. I bought a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7, both with bumped capacity for $30 less than the price of an iPhone 5C. The 32gig iPad Mini in all of it's antiquated glory is $430. I could buy two 16gig Nexus 7's for only $30 more!?! COME ON!
My impression of the Nexus 7/Android (I'm a long time mobile iOSaholic) -
My first venture into a non-iOS smart device was some piece of crap Samsung 'iPhone killer' circa 2008/09 from AT&T and it was almost immediately clear that switch from Apple wasn't happening any time soon for me.
Next was a Toshiba Thrive. It had all those awesome ports I wanted so badly but most of them never worked for anything useful. Android was nothing to write home about back then (Honeycomb I think) and the app store was only starting to be useful. It was 'meh'. Back to Apple again.
The third time's the charm. I love the Nexus 7. With almost the same pixel density as the iPhone on a larger display I'm pretty sure it's Retina equivalent (I could be wrong, but my understanding of Retina is that it's pixel density/average viewing distance which would be farther on a 7" screen than a 4" screen and thus a similar pixel density would favor the larger device - hope that makes sense).
I've experienced the same irritating behavior in Chrome that a lot of posters mentioned. FIFA 14 has crashed a couple of times. Aside from this the OS and the device are fast, responsive, and free of quirks. Google seems to have all but bridged the gap between iOs and Android. I was able to find everything I need and almost everything I want from the play store. Overall 4.3 has been surprisingly intuitive.
I'm a bit of a sound snob but I was pretty impressed by the speakers. They're not perfect, but they get fairly loud without much distortion. Ultimately they're better than I was expecting from a 7" tablet. I still prefer to listen through a dedicated headphone amp/DAC and a good set of cans though.
It's a great looking tablet! The larger bezels don't bother me in the least and it just feels like a nice, solid, product. The power and volume buttons and that the speakers are rear facing are my only complaints with the design. Overall great fit and finish, especially at it's price point.
Getting such a nice device for this kind of money isn't something I've been accustomed to. It's great! The Nexus 7 suits my needs well and is a real pleasure to use. Apple needs to get it in gear.
R.Stoychev
macrumors 6502a
Thanks a lot for the answers, I'll wait to see the ipad mini refresh and decide, but I'm leaning towards the nexus 7 🙂
I know it's probably a stupid question but can't he nexus output video to either applet. Or boxee box?
I've grown reliant on throwing video on both but tbh, I'm getting a bit tired of the mini, especially with the font choices and speed issues (which can be remedied if you turn off every superfluous effect in fairness)
I don't have any desire to buy a google screen, enough is enough. And I have more than enough devices.
Other things that bothered me before.
Tapia talk absolutely sucked on android
Web browsing was awkward....hard to put a finger on it.
I've opted not to get an iPhone 5s as I'm working out of contract.
Finally, I find that every iteration of iOS makes the keyboard worse and worse. I reset dictionaries, I've tried restores....it's awful.
I also have an eye if card, and from what I gather the 7(2) is way better with eye fi
I returned the original nexus 7 for a few reasons. Number one was the io speed when encrypted or full thing. I need to encrypt client data, and the first one dropped to about 3mbps.
I was heading out to pick one up, but it figure I'll ask those with experience.
I've grown reliant on throwing video on both but tbh, I'm getting a bit tired of the mini, especially with the font choices and speed issues (which can be remedied if you turn off every superfluous effect in fairness)
I don't have any desire to buy a google screen, enough is enough. And I have more than enough devices.
Other things that bothered me before.
Tapia talk absolutely sucked on android
Web browsing was awkward....hard to put a finger on it.
I've opted not to get an iPhone 5s as I'm working out of contract.
Finally, I find that every iteration of iOS makes the keyboard worse and worse. I reset dictionaries, I've tried restores....it's awful.
I also have an eye if card, and from what I gather the 7(2) is way better with eye fi
I returned the original nexus 7 for a few reasons. Number one was the io speed when encrypted or full thing. I need to encrypt client data, and the first one dropped to about 3mbps.
I was heading out to pick one up, but it figure I'll ask those with experience.
Ddyracer
macrumors 68000
That and sticky freezes and crashes and the storage issue where it doesn't show the right gb it should show 26 total storage.
MRU
macrumors Penryn
Many "stock" updates are not major events - the 4.2.2 to 4.3 was hardly revolutionary - that when you factor in a manufacturers own additions and enhancements, I don't think having the very latest OS necessarily is that much of a benefit.
The LG pad does look nice, and whilst I like my Nexus 7 - I do after a month of use feel that 8 inches is better for tablet usage.
Though I am more likely to buy a retina iPad mini just so I have iOS & Android.
Sensamic
macrumors 68040
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
This tablet is great. Bought it today to replace my Nexus 10, which is a great tablet but I just can't use it comfortably holding it for hours. Too heavy and big. Playing games was impossible, as doing almost everything else.
I wasn't quite sure about 7 inches, but after a couple of hours playing with the device I can say it's great. It's AWESOME being able to hold the tablet with one hand for long periods of time without problems.
The screen is even better than the one in my Nexus 10: more bright and better colors. It just pops out.
The performance is great also. It may be slightly slightly faster and more fluid. It's great having such a good GPU: the adreno 320. I've gotalso more RAM available now, since with the Nexus 10 we were losing more and more RAM with every update Google released. They were giving more memory to the GPU and in the end I only had 500MB free. Now I have 1,2GB! This is after all apps installed and everything obviously.
It's so light and comfortable. In the end this is the most important feature.
I'm super impressed with the quality of the speakers! So loud and clear! I got the 32GB model for 249. Great price.
I can definitely see that Google has put more care in the software performance of this device than on the Nexus 10. Performance is consistent, no lags, no reboots or freezes for now. Even touch response is better than on the Nexus 10. Trust me.
I can finally play games comfortably and do everything without having to hold in my hands such a huge tablet. No more 9 inch tablets or bigger for me thanks. Even 8 inches seems big now. I actually tried the Note 8.0 and Tab 3 8.0 on the store before buying the Nexus 7 and they weren't as comfortable to hold as the Nexus 7. The plastic was horrible and it slips out of my hands. Touchwiz didn't perform half as quick and smooth as stock on the Nexus 7.
This is the best experience I've had with Android definitely. Can't imaging how Google will be able to improve this hardware anymore in the next versions. The materials are excellent, screen can't be better, loud speakers... and I'm even getting great battery life.
Now just waiting for 4.4. So happy right now. Selling my Nexus 10 this week.
This tablet is great. Bought it today to replace my Nexus 10, which is a great tablet but I just can't use it comfortably holding it for hours. Too heavy and big. Playing games was impossible, as doing almost everything else.
I wasn't quite sure about 7 inches, but after a couple of hours playing with the device I can say it's great. It's AWESOME being able to hold the tablet with one hand for long periods of time without problems.
The screen is even better than the one in my Nexus 10: more bright and better colors. It just pops out.
The performance is great also. It may be slightly slightly faster and more fluid. It's great having such a good GPU: the adreno 320. I've gotalso more RAM available now, since with the Nexus 10 we were losing more and more RAM with every update Google released. They were giving more memory to the GPU and in the end I only had 500MB free. Now I have 1,2GB! This is after all apps installed and everything obviously.
It's so light and comfortable. In the end this is the most important feature.
I'm super impressed with the quality of the speakers! So loud and clear! I got the 32GB model for 249. Great price.
I can definitely see that Google has put more care in the software performance of this device than on the Nexus 10. Performance is consistent, no lags, no reboots or freezes for now. Even touch response is better than on the Nexus 10. Trust me.
I can finally play games comfortably and do everything without having to hold in my hands such a huge tablet. No more 9 inch tablets or bigger for me thanks. Even 8 inches seems big now. I actually tried the Note 8.0 and Tab 3 8.0 on the store before buying the Nexus 7 and they weren't as comfortable to hold as the Nexus 7. The plastic was horrible and it slips out of my hands. Touchwiz didn't perform half as quick and smooth as stock on the Nexus 7.
This is the best experience I've had with Android definitely. Can't imaging how Google will be able to improve this hardware anymore in the next versions. The materials are excellent, screen can't be better, loud speakers... and I'm even getting great battery life.
Now just waiting for 4.4. So happy right now. Selling my Nexus 10 this week.
onthecouchagain
macrumors 604
tbayrgs
macrumors 604
Yeah, I'm having a better experience this time around. I still don't love the 16:10 screen ratio but the portability/pocketability can't be beat.
For portability/weight and the cost savings, I probably will never own a larger tablet than my Mini and my Nexus 7.
I do not see myself getting the upcoming iPad 5 regardless of the specs and speculated form factor.
Sensamic
macrumors 68040
My spigen screen protector has just been sent. Great.
The performance of chrome on this thing is amazing. Works better than Safari on iOS dare I say. It's fluid, quick and no checkerboards.
Playing emulators now is perfect. The screen size is perfect for this since the controls are near my fingers. On the Nexus 10 it was impossible to play.
I'm really impressed with the overall performance.
I can't see myself going back to bigger tablets.
The performance of chrome on this thing is amazing. Works better than Safari on iOS dare I say. It's fluid, quick and no checkerboards.
Playing emulators now is perfect. The screen size is perfect for this since the controls are near my fingers. On the Nexus 10 it was impossible to play.
I'm really impressed with the overall performance.
I can't see myself going back to bigger tablets.
tbayrgs
macrumors 604
Any larger tablet I purchase will have far more functionality than an iPad. I'm probably picking up a new Note 10.1 tomorrow to test drive the improved S-Pen functionality but may also instead try a Windows tablet/hybrid that also has pen functionality. Not sure yet as going the latter route will likely be a bit more expensive.
I really enjoy my Nexus 7 but won't lie--will take a long hard look at a retina iPad Mini (currently have a first gen that's not getting a lot of love since the Nexus 7 arrived 😉) as I primarily use the smaller tablet for consumption on the go (web browsing, reading, email, video, light gaming) which the iPad is very good at and prefer the 8", 4:3 ratio display. Also want to keep at least one iOS device for interaction with the family, who all use iDevices.
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Google seriously needs to consider making an 8" tablet like the Samsung Note 3. That would bring serious competition to the iPad mini. 😎
Sensamic
macrumors 68040
More.
The multitasking on the Nexus 7 is far superior to anything I've seen before. Not even my Nexus 10 did multitasking as good, mainly because the RAM available was reduced to 400MB or so. With that 1,3GB available on the Nexus 7 everything flies.
I get no homescreen redraws (on the Nexus 10 every day I had some, and the wallpaper disappeared for a second and then came back), even with many apps opened in the background.
The multitasking on the Nexus 7 is far superior to anything I've seen before. Not even my Nexus 10 did multitasking as good, mainly because the RAM available was reduced to 400MB or so. With that 1,3GB available on the Nexus 7 everything flies.
I get no homescreen redraws (on the Nexus 10 every day I had some, and the wallpaper disappeared for a second and then came back), even with many apps opened in the background.
MRU
macrumors Penryn
Some live wallpapers like Origami do have that disappearing issue on the nexus 7.
Sensamic
macrumors 68040
This is really the best device I've ever had.
It's my dream device: a powerful yet easy to hold Android nexus tablet device. It's perfect.
I'm a big tablet fan. I don't care too much about smartphones anymore since I got the SGS3 last year (because it's powerful enough for my needs). I've always liked tablets more, and this is the best tablet experience for me ever.
We've got a winner here.
It's my dream device: a powerful yet easy to hold Android nexus tablet device. It's perfect.
I'm a big tablet fan. I don't care too much about smartphones anymore since I got the SGS3 last year (because it's powerful enough for my needs). I've always liked tablets more, and this is the best tablet experience for me ever.
We've got a winner here.
Not Google but Dell is coming out with an 8" tablet shortly.
Maybe you saw this thread: http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/02/dell-venue-pro-8-and-pro-11-hands-on/
onthecouchagain
macrumors 604
Put Kii Keyboard onto your device, friend. Takes typing to a whole better level. Change it to the "Ice Cream Sandwich" theme and you're set.
Sensamic
macrumors 68040
Will do. Right now I've got Swype installed, which has been my favorite, but still haven't tried Kii.
I think I may have the touchscreen issue of the new Nexus 7. I'm not quite sure but I've been having some issues with touch control in Asphalt 8, Google Maps and when trying to move an app from the drawer to the homescreen or when selecting one icon in the homescreen to move it around.
Everything else has been perfect. Haven't notice any touch issues on other places. I would like to keep this one since it doesn't have any other problems, but maybe I'll exchange it for another to see if it's my imagination or a real touch problem.
How can I be sure I have this problem?
Couch, you had this problem and exchanged your Nexus 7 right?
My problem is that the store where I bought it has Nexus 7 build in July I think, just like mine, and I don't think this problem was solved in July.
Anyone has a Nexus 7 build in July without the touchscreen issues?
Maybe I'm being paranoid but I need to be sure. Is there some app where I can clearly see if I have this issue?
onthecouchagain
macrumors 604
I had a weird way to test it, but here goes:
Go to Play Store, click the search bar so that the keyboard comes up, and then start gesture-typing (swiping) without lifting your finger. Then go off the keyboard without lifting your finger and see if it scrolls the background. It shouldn't do that.
It should "hold" the touch -- meaning if you don't ever lift your finger, it shouldn't scroll the background or anything. It should still think you're gesture typing but just missing the keyboard really badly. The background should not scroll.
Try that.
Also, this might help? Not sure: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=multitouchpro.tests&hl=en
But, at the end of the day, if you're within your exchange period, when in doubt, just exchange it. Better to have the peace of mind even if it's a bit inconvenient.
Sensamic
macrumors 68040
Tried that and with just one finger the background doesn't scroll. Tried it also in Gmail, Maps, etc. If I use another finger to scroll the background while my other finger still uses the keyboard then the background does move.
I tried one multi-touch app in all my devices (nexus 7, nexus 10 and SGS3) and it showed some problems in the Nexus 7. The app or screen though my fingers where still pressing the screen a few seconds after I took them away.
I can clearly see many touch problems in maps when the Nexus 7 is laying on my couch, but if I'm holding it in my hands there aren't so many problems.
Don't know if keep it (if an update could fix it. Some people say it's a software problem with the touchscreen firmware or something, but others say they don't have the problem, so...) or exchange it until I get a good one or get a refund and buy again later when 4.4 is out (to check if that fixed the problem) or when a newer batch arrives to where I live.
onthecouchagain
macrumors 604
By now, you should have the latest firmware that addresses the touch screen issue. There was a report, however, that said the update did not address everyone's touch screen issue so another may come yet, but there's been no official word from Google.
Sensamic
macrumors 68040
Yeah, I think I've definitely got the issue.
Just tried playing Asphalt 8 again and on some moments of the gage, when racing, when I turn the car slightly to one side (left or right) and then pull my finger away the car still goes to that side and crashes. This never happened to me on the Nexus 10.
Will exchange next week probably and see how that goes.
EDIT: if this touchscreen issue is so widespread and so many people are having it then it could be more software related, or it could be a hardware problem from early on.
Just tried playing Asphalt 8 again and on some moments of the gage, when racing, when I turn the car slightly to one side (left or right) and then pull my finger away the car still goes to that side and crashes. This never happened to me on the Nexus 10.
Will exchange next week probably and see how that goes.
EDIT: if this touchscreen issue is so widespread and so many people are having it then it could be more software related, or it could be a hardware problem from early on.
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