Google Refreshes 7 Inch Nexus Tablet With Bells And Whistles

Last year Google made headlines with its flagship Android tablet Nexus 7, which got favorable reviews from majority of industry. It was a worthy contender to rival Apple’s iPad, the reigning king of tablet market so far. In fact, it did sell well despite the launch of iPad Mini. With nearly every contender releasing updated versions of their tablets in 2013, most notably Samsung, Google has released the updated version of Nexus 7. The new tablet has received positive response, with technology buffs going gaga over its improved hardware specs and plethora of features.

Asus is making the device and apart from processor speed boost the updated Nexus has got enhanced display and rear camera. While it costs $20 more than the predecessor, the feature list and performance boost more than make up for the price hike.

The first generation Nexus looked somewhat chubby and some bezel amount around the screen area. This did mar its appeal as a premium tablet to an extent. With the updated Nexus, this issue has been addressed. It is lightweight, feels solidly built and has scratch-resistant glass. Asus and Google have ensured the build quality is impeccable and there is hardly any flux. Beneath the display area you get notification light which indicates email and Facebook messages. At the back of this device, you find the Nexus logo and a 5MP rear camera. This is a big jump from its predecessor. Dual rear speakers boost sound output beyond doubt. The edges contain 3.5mm jack, microUSB port, power button and volume rocker. The button quality is really good.

The highlight of the new Nexus 7 is its 1920 x 1200 display. The IPS panel and 323 ppi density ensures you can enjoy all those full HD flicks anytime. Web browsing is a joy on the screen as well and texts appear sharp. As for color reproduction, Nexus 7 performs well, on par with devices like Samsung Galaxy S4. Google has bundled in reflection reduction technology, making outdoor usage easier. It also has auto-brightness adjustment feature.

Nexus 7 runs unadulterated Android 4.3 ‘Jelly Bean’ OS without customization. This does help in improving its performance but number of apps are lesser compared to iOS App Store offerings. The tablet is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset and Krait 300 CPU cores. The quad-core Krait 300 CPU with 1.5 GHz clock speed is complemented by a powerful Adreno 320 GPU. There is 2 GB of DRR3 RAM as well. This translates to overall snappy performance and lag free gaming experience.
When it comes to connectivity, the new Nexus 7 ticks all boxes, well almost! You get Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless connectivity. The internal storage is 16 or 32 GB but the microSD slot omission is a deficit. Google also has a model with LTE support included.

To slim down the device, Asus has equipped it with a 3950 mAh battery, while the predecessor had a 4325 mAh one. However, this is compensated largely by power-efficient CPU and software optimizations. Its 5 MP camera, while not the best in class, beats many other tablet cameras by a large margin. Overall, new nexus 7 tablet gets almost everything right and offers superb performance at its price point. Lack of microSD may dishearten some, but it is not deal breaker.