Google Nexus 7 Review

Name: Google Nexus 7
Brand: Google

By John Velasco

Updated: Jul 25, 2012, 2:49 PM

57comments

Android Tablets

Introduction:

It’s crowded arena in the consumer electronics industry. As we’re all too familiar with by now, things live and die in a heartbeat, but for few that transcend above the crop, they live on in memory having a long lasting impact in the market. This is the case with many popular device families out there, such as Motorola’s DROID, Apple’s iPhone/iPad, HTC’s EVO, and Samsung’s Galaxy S line. Simply people, there are many reasons why companies continue to pump out devices that retain the monikers – not only for their brand recognition, but mainly because they invoke something more profound over previous offerings.

Google established itself as a premier force in the industry when they built Android from the ground up many years ago. However, it wasn’t until the release of the original Google Nexus One that they also managed to solidify themselves as a hardware maker as well – albeit, it’s despite the fact that another company (HTC) actually manufactured the device. Still, being graced with the “Nexus” moniker has its advantages – like being the first to feature a totally new Android experience. When we dig down further, the Nexus name continues to be the single point in the Android world where everything seemingly converges in the right proportions to offer users that authentic Android experience.

Previously, all Nexus devices released thus far have been smartphones, but this time around, Google decided to bring its Nexus to the table sphere. Catching some people by surprise, the Google Nexus 7 tablet redefines what it means to be a budget tablet. Oh no people, this isn’t a quick rush out the door kind of job. Rather, this love child between Google and Taiwan-based ASUS is aiming to broaden the appeal of Android tablets as a whole. Furthermore, it doesn’t skimp out in the hardware, as it boasts a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor – much like some of its highly respected brethren. And did we mention that it’s the first tablet to feature Android 4.1 Jelly Bean? Riding into the sunset at top gear, let’s see how far the Google Nexus 7 tablet is able to go.

The package contains:

microUSB cable
Wall Charger
Quick Start Guide
Warranty Guide

Design:

We cannot stress about it enough, but ASUS has done an excellent job with the design of the Google Nexus 7 – especially when you factor in the kind of pricing constraints they had to deal with. Honestly, this isn’t the first time we’ve come across a decently made 7-inch tablet, as both the Amazon Kindle Fire and NOOK TABLET showed us already. However, the Google Nexus 7 manages to inch out over its rivals, as it embodies all the qualities we’d expect to find in a device bearing the Nexus brand.

Although it maintains a conventional design from the onset, we actually find it more comfortable to hold and use since its edges are rounded to conform perfectly to our hands as we grasp it. On top of that, the rear casing has a tough rubbery feel to it, allowing us to not only have a proper grip in the hand, but it also maintains a clean appearance at all times. Sure, it’s constructed out of mostly plastic, but you can rest peacefully at night knowing it’s the tough kind that’ll withstand most normal wear and tear. Rounding things out, it obliterates its competition by donning a super skinny (0.41” thick) frame and lightweight (11.99 oz) feel in the hand. Essentially, when you add in all of those elements, we’re still at awe in wondering how ASUS has managed to pull it off – even more taking into account the price that it’s flaunting.

The bezels surrounding the display are still wide enough to accommodate our resting thumbs – though, the top and bottom bezels are wider than the left and right. Nonetheless, we find them adequate with their spacing to enable us to easily hold onto the tablet with a single hand. As expected, the tablet sports the buttons-free approach with the surface of its display, however, the only item that stands out is the front-facing camera that’s positioned squarely into the middle area of the top bezel. Interestingly enough, you can’t take self-portraits with it, since there’s no camera app. Instead, it’s only activated with certain apps – such as video chatting with Google Talk.

On the bottom edge of the tablet, we’re presented with its microUSB port for charging/data connectivity and 3.5mm headset jack. We would’ve preferred the jack to be positioned on the top edge since it gets in the way if we rest the tablet on a surface.

In the bottom left corner, there are four dock connection pins that enable it to be used with various accessories – while a pinhole sits nearby for its microphone.

Conversely, we can find both the power button and volume control in the top right corner of the tablet. Even though they’re raised slightly to offer some distinction with our fingers, we still have just a tiny bit of difficulty in first feeling them out because they’re positioned at an angle. Nonetheless, they’re extremely springy with their response.

Finally, there’s nothing in the rear except for a small strip towards the bottom that discretely hides away its speaker grill. Also, the “ASUS” and “NEXUS” names are etched into the tough rubbery surface of the rear casing. Obviously, we’re forgiving in the fact that its 4,325 mAh battery isn’t accessible, but it pains us to know that there isn’t any sort of storage expandability with this one, since it lacks a microSD card slot. Undoubtedly, it’s evident that compromises are needed to keep its cost at $200, but still, it makes us wonder how much of an increase we’d see.

Display:

Again, it’s really hard to believe we’re looking at a $200 priced tablet because it’s sporting one pleasant looking 7” WXGA (1280 x 800) IPS display with Corning's Fit Glass to give it strength. Indeed, it’s not the most cutting-edge thing we’ve seen out there, but for a 7-inch tablet, it’s something head above water from most of the pack. For starters, its resolution is rarely seen in the 7-inch form factor, which delivers a respectable pixel density of 216 ppi. Therefore, it’s able to produce sharp details that make even the tiniest and faintest of text exquisitely legible to the eye.

And considering that this is an IPS panel that we’re talking about, color production tends to be more natural looking when compared to other competing display technologies – like AMOLED. Rounding things out, it boasts some decent viewing angles and a high brightness output to maintain its clarity in almost all conditions. Even though it’s more than visible on cloudy days outdoors, it still requires some shielding in direct sunlight. Overall, it’s a nice looking display that no doubt gets the job done, but it isn’t necessarily regarded as a class-leading thing.

Interface:

So what’s the hoopla surrounding the Google Nexus 7? Well, unless you’ve been hiding underground in a bomb shelter waiting for the end of the world, you know that it’s all about the Jelly Beans with this one. Specifically, the outstanding reason why this has been given the Nexus moniker, is that it’s packing the most up-to-date version of the platform – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean! It’s not an entirely new experience per se, much like how Android 3.0 Honeycomb was a major departure from Gingerbread, but there are enough new elements thrown into the mix to give it some distinction over its predecessor in Ice Cream Sandwich. Meaning, if you’ve been sitting idly with Gingerbread, this will undoubtedly be a dramatically new experience for you, but if you’ve been using an ICS device, or even a Honeycomb one to an extent, you’ll see many commonalities.

Right away, we’re still exposed to all of the core foundational aspects of Android – like its rich level of personalization thanks to its vast and ever-so-useful set of widgets. However, they’re not particularly new since most of them are the same ones we’ve seen with ICS – and Honeycomb as well! Still, we do notice that Jelly Bean is more refined with its layout since it’s brandishing a cleaner appearance than what we’ve seen previously. Gone are the TRON-like highlights that we saw with Honeycomb, and instead, it follows in tandem to what we’ve seen with ICS already – with that being softer toned highlighting elements and text. Still, there are some obvious untouched characteristics with the experience – such as Android buttons being incorporated into the interface, the multi-tasking pane, and the same ICS app panel that breaks down apps and widgets.

The “My Library” widget

There’s a single widget that seems to uncover the underlying focus of the Nexus 7, and interestingly enough, it follows similarly to what we saw on the Amazon Kindle Fire. As we know, Google is transforming and moving beyond just being an internet search provider. Most notably, they’re expanding into the multimedia content community, where they’re focusing on providing television shows, movies, books, magazines, music, games, and apps courtesy of Google Play. Well folks, it’s quite obvious that they’re making it a focus on the Google Nexus 7, as the “My Library” widget on the homescreen aggregates our stored/purchased content. Certainly, it adds a splash of interest, but it’s also another reminder from Google that the tablet is becoming an all-in-one content solution.

There’s no questioning that Android has the best notifications system of any platform, but with Jelly Bean, Google has managed to solidify it functionality even further. Specifically, the new gestures in play with the notification panel are pretty useful, as we’re able to preview snippets, like email, directly from the panel by simply executing pinch gestures. Additionally, there are even more intuitive functions that help increase productivity – like having the option to share a screenshot or photo from within the notification panel, as opposed to going into the gallery. Simply put it, these new functions are not only appreciated, but they show how comprehensive it is over competing platforms.

Functionality:

With a major platform update, one would probably expect to see new layouts with existing core organizer apps, but sadly, we don’t find anything out of the ordinary on the Nexus 7. In fact, the clock, calendar, address book, and calculator all maintain their layouts. Yeah, they’re all optimized for the tablet form factor, which is made known by the 2-panel layout we’re accustomed to seeing, but it still would’ve been nice to see some improvements.

Email, of course, is pretty much the same as it has always been with Android as whole – fantastic! Again, there are no noticeable changes with the presentation and functionality of both the standard Email and Gmail apps. Nonetheless, we’ve made it clear already that it would’ve been nice nonetheless to see even a minor update to celebrate the new software – but hey, at least the setup process is still a painless one!

If we’d have to choose, we prefer typing with the portrait style keyboard of the Google Nexus 7 over its landscape counterpart – mainly because our thumbs are better equipped in comfortably encompassing its layout. As for the keyboard itself, it’s nearly identical to the ICS one. Still, we would’ve liked to see numbers at least incorporated into the top row of buttons to lessen the time to switch between layouts. Regardless of that, it’s super responsive in allowing us to keep a moderate rate of input.

Having been a staple with Android, gestures aren’t new as we all know, but Jelly Bean throws in new one into the mix. We’re all familiar with the swipe down gesture from the top of the display, which reveals the notifications panel at any time, but now there’s a swipe up gesture from the bottom bezel to gain access to Jelly Bean’s Google Now service.

Google Now:

Back during the early beginnings of Palm’s webOS, we were enamored by the possibilities associated with Synergy, seeing that it was being promoted as a serious personal digital assistant. Well folks, Google Now may actually be just that! Relying on complied data that consists of our search history, calendar, and location, it’s here to provide specific suggestions to us. Presented to us in these stylized “cards,” it’s pretty cool that most of its suggestions are automated. From informing us about traffic on our route home or telling us about inclement weather, it’s unbelievable how it’s able to deliver these useful suggestions. And the more we take around and use the Nexus 7, the more it learns our habits and provides us with tangible suggestions. Honestly, it’s still in the early stages, but we’re excited to see how Google refines the experience even more down the road.

Google Voice Search:

Google’s expertise has always been centered around internet searches, but with the arrival of Jelly Bean, we’re seeing a monumental upgrade in the experience that makes good use of Google’s knowledge graph. Similar to what’s offered by Apple’s Siri, Google Voice Search follows in succession by providing tangible search results – all by simply speaking. Not only is it accurate with its recognition, but it’s also intelligent as well! From computing basic math, conversions, and answering some obtuse questions, it’s really effective in coughing up some relevant searches. Even better, the voice is more natural sounding and distinct when compared to Siri’s robotic tone.

Processor and Memory:

A cheap price point means an equally weak processor, right? Actually, that’s not the case with the Nexus 7, as it continues to impress us with its serious knocker under the hood. Running the show behind the scenes, its 1.3GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM is sure to wow many people – especially when you figure in its price point! Beyond that, the tablet operates at a very responsive rate to make the Jelly Bean experience even more gratifying. Some might be shocked by its low benchmark scores with Quadrant, but it doesn’t depict its true real-life performance. Whether it’s kinetic scrolling or opening apps, nearly everything is accompanied with a buttery smooth operation, primarily thanks to…

Project butter! In the past, we’ve seen even some of the highest spec’d Android devices exhibit signs of choppiness and lag with their operations, but with Jelly Bean’s arrival, Google seemingly eliminated the issue – albeit, we do notice just a pinch of delay on rare occasions. Moving around the homesceeen, with a graphically intensive live wallpaper, it’s able to maintain a buttery smooth operation. So yeah, we totally dig the uniform performance we’re seeing thanks to “Project Butter”.

Of all things, one of the biggest eye strains for the Nexus 7 tablet is its lack of storage expandability. With our 8GB review unit, it translates to 5.92GB out of the box, which isn’t sufficient at all if you happen to be a multimedia fiend.

Internet and Connectivity:

Gone is the tried and true Android browser of yesterday! Instead, it has been replaced with Google’s very own Chrome browser, which is already available to other Android and iOS devices. In terms of functionality, it’s significantly more extensive as it features tabbed browsing, synchronization with your Google account, incognito mode, and swipe gestures to easily navigate between open tabs. Indeed, it doesn’t offer Adobe Flash support, but that doesn’t detract from its worth – seeing that its performance is still top notch with smooth operations all around. We can cry about the death of Flash support with Jelly Bean, but when it’s this darn good, we’re quite forgiving.

To broaden its appeal to a wider audience, the Google Nexus 7 tablet is only available in Wi-Fi only form – and of course, it helps in keeping its price very manageable. However, it does pack on all the usual connectivity features we’d expect to find. In fact, the listing consists of aGPs, Bluetooth, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and NFC.

Camera:

As we’ve noted earlier, the Nexus 7 only has a front-facing camera, which is only accessible with certain apps – specifically, it’s for those that offer video chatting. It’s arguable to say how much more its price would’ve increased if they put in a rear camera, but it still would’ve been nice to at least throw one in. Sure, not everyone will rely on a tablet to snap a photo, but when it’s the only thing within reach, we’re convinced that most people would swallow their pride and use it.

Multimedia:

The Gallery app

At first glance, the Gallery app seems unchanged, but after a meticulous walkthrough, we do notice some added and missing elements. With the latter, Jelly Bean removes the coinciding animation that accompanies each displayed item in the gallery when tilting the tablet left of right. However, it’s still achieved by essentially swiping our finger in the appropriate direction. Again, there are some new gestures in play here as well. More specific, a pinching gesture while viewing an image allows us to view all of the stored photos in a singular carousel view. From here, we can easily delete photos by swiping up on the ones we don’t want. Simple enough, right?

Much like what we’ve seen with the core set of organizer apps, the music player on the Google Nexus 7 is unchanged from what we’ve seen previously. In fact, it’s the same exact one that first rolled onto the scene with Honeycomb. Nevertheless, it’s still flaunting an attractive interface with its 3D carousel in landscape. Audio quality, though, is a surprise in itself seeing that its output is not only powerful, but distortion-free as well. Plus, it helps that various equalizer settings are available to enhance its quality.

Strangely, there’s no support for videos encoded in XviD or DivX out of the box. Regardless of that, it’s able to flawlessly play our test video that’s encoded in MPEG4 1920 x 1080 resolution. No doubt, its sharp looking screen is effective enough in providing a rich experience on the go.

With the “My Library” taking the entire area of the tablet’s main homescreen, it’s Google’s way of trying to reel people into its content service via Google Play. If you’re into reading books, magazines, and newspapers, you’ll be able to view them with the corresponding Play Books, Play Magazines, and Google Current apps. Naturally, all of the apps work like what you’d expect, but there are some features, like the text-only mode of Google Magazines, that optimize the layout of the content for easier reading. Furthermore, if you’re into movies, television shows, or music, the experience is unmodified from what we’ve seen in the past already.

Software:

Everything might seem fine and dandy with the tablet optimized version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but there is one underlying issue that we have with it. For the most part, the core apps are optimized for tablet usage, but there is still a lack of optimized third-party apps. Of course, there are some noteworthy third-party ones that stand out from the bunch, like Flipboard. But honestly, it’s a shame that apps like Twitter and Facebook don’t get the love – instead, they’re simply the same ones found with Android smartphones.

However, Google+ really showcases the visual treatments that tablet optimized apps have to offer. Not only does it work in both portrait and landscape, but the experience is strengthened by its rich use of transition effects and aggregating content to make it a stand out in what it truly means to be tablet-optimized.
Additionally, the same can be said about the updated YouTube experience with Jelly Bean. Staring straight at it, the look and feel of the new YouTube app seemingly borrows some of the stuff we see with Google+. Specifically, it makes good use out of the familiar 2-panel interface we’re fond of seeing – while still presenting us with all the cool sharing functions of the app.

Taking into account that this is a vanilla Android experience we’re talking about, there are no third-party apps preloaded whatsoever on the tablet. Being the Google branded device it is, we’re presented with all of the company’s arsenal of apps – these include things like Google Earth, Google Latitude, Google Maps, Google Talk, and Google Wallet.

Gaming:

Testing out its gaming prowess with Dead Trigger, the Nexus 7 tablet is a remarkable device in keeping pace with all the action of the game. With the graphics processing capabilities of its NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, it shows very little pause or choppiness with the intense 3D visuals of the game. Therefore, if you’re seeking out a tablet that’s going to be adequate in the gaming department, this should no doubt appease your inner most gaming desires.

Performance:

Amazingly, there’s a ton of juice provided by the 4,325 mAh battery it’s packing inside of its body. Fully charging it, we’re able to blow pass the one day mark with heavy usage with the tablet, which is an exceptional feat of its own. For those who aren’t as demanding, you’ll be able to easily achieve at least two days with light usage. Factoring its IPS display, power-efficient quad-core processor, and Jelly Bean performance optimizations, they’re undoubtedly aiding its battery life.

During our testing, we didn’t experience any fluctuations with its Wi-Fi connectivity, as it’s able to sustain a connection to a hotspot located approximately 30 feet away in another room. Even better, it didn’t drop the connection at any point either!

Conclusion:

It takes the correct set of ingredients to be a best-seller, but it requires winning the hearts and minds of consumers all around in order to be remembered long after it’s gone. Honestly people, the tablet industry is seeing a revival thanks partly to the arrival of the Google Nexus 7. Simply put it, the tablet sets the bar in what it means to be a tablet in this day and age. Obviously, we’ve seen a handful of competitively priced budget tablets, like the Amazon Kindle Fire and NOOK TABLET. However, with those offerings, you don’t receive the full potential of Android’s capabilities – and instead, they were simply vessels for their respective content services.

We can list all the wonderful reasons why to pick up the Nexus 7 over other comparable tablets, like knowing it’ll more than likely receive updates faster since it’s a Nexus branded device, but beyond that, it’s compelling in the fact that it’ll instantly capture the attention of consumers thanks to its killer $200 price point. Needless to say, this is a strategic move in closing the gap between Android’s market share against its main rival in the iPad. When you think about it, you’re still getting an all-encompassing tablet experience with the Nexus 7 – while being able to relish on all the dynamite new features found with Jelly Bean. And seriously people, who doesn’t want to experience the latest and greatest in terms of software?

Google has obviously learned from its past hardships, like being the sole seller of the Nexus One, but with this, they’re embarking in an entirely new quest. Of course, the tablet highlights the possibilities that can be achieved with even a budget tablet – such as having killer spec’d hardware to complement the updated Jelly Bean experience. Although it’s not hyped about as much as other things, the long term goal sought out with the Nexus 7 is to get consumers familiar with its various content services. Already, it’s having a profound presence here, as it’s blatantly presented to us right from the homescreen.

In the end, if you’re in the market for any tablet, there’s no reason why the Google Nexus 7 shouldn’t be on or near the top of your list. Sure, it’s not a particularly cutting-edge device in the hardware front, but there’s nothing else close at the moment that can match its sheer offerings at its phenomenal price point. This could potentially be the best-selling Nexus branded device thus far!

Software version of the review unit:
Android Version: 4.1.1
Build Number: JRO03D
Kernel Version: 3.1.10-g52027f9

Google Nexus 7 Video Review: