Nexus 7 Full Review

Nexus 7 by googleJune 28th I purchased the first version of the Google Nexus 7, 16 GB.  It cost me $249, and I honestly haven’t regretted it.  While sitting around a table with friends or coworkers they constantly ask me, “Why didn’t you buy the iPad?  Or the iPad Mini?  Why a Nexus 7?”

Well, here you go everyone, this is why.

The primary reason I purchased the Nexus 7 over another device was the size.  With a 16/9 ratio at 120mm wide (4.72441-in for us Americans) and 198.5mm tall (7.8 in) it was a great fit.  No really, it fit in almost any back pocket I have, which means no man purse, er, I mean, satchel. That’s a great thing!

Secondary reasons I jumped for the Nexus 7 were; cost, OS, speed, integration, resolution, etc.  Each was only slightly less important than the size, and influenced my decision significantly themselves.  Excluding the iPad (at the time), since I was thinking extreme portability, there were still a host of phones and other tablets to choose from.  I still chose the Nexus 7 for the reasons below:

  • Did I mention that it only cost $249, at its most expensive?  That’s an eye catcher in a market that is inundated with devices competing at a $400-500 price point.  Google did a lot to win me over with their set price alone.
  • Nexus 7’s run the pure android and are constantly updated by Google directly.  That made this device perfect for me as I jumped into the android experience from iOS.  I have to admit, after use, I just like the way android is developing their OS better.
  • It runs off an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor.  I won’t bore you with numbers, just a simple comparison.  Quad-core is twice as many cores as a dual-core.  That makes this device hit the market with a better long term usefulness as far as tech hardware goes.
  • Google has some great applications, web and OS, and they integrate seamlessly with the Nexus 7, as they should.  That means I’m connected with my information all the time, and if I’m offline I just type up some notes and let them sync later.  It works for me.
  • Resolution is great and really clear at 1280×800 (216ppi).  Movie watching just got more awesome, again.
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Those are the big reasons.  However, there are some downsides either I or my friends have noticed.

  • I notice frequently that it isn’t always handy to have the device in my backpocket, say, when I’m sitting down.  But that’s where tables become super handy and I just set it down, or use it.  Just don’t forget about it.  My friend wasn’t so lucky and his stayed in his back pocket and warped.  I really don’t know how he didn’t notice as he sat down…
  • The Nexus 7 doesn’t have 3G.  This isn’t a huge letdown for me, given that I mostly use the device in wifi areas.  That could be an issue for someone else though (but now there is a model that has 3G, so problem solved!)
  • The screen brightness flickers sometimes, as if it’s adjusting for different lighting.  Except I haven’t moved.  I’ll confess, this is my only real complaint so far about the Nexus 7.

At the end of the day, I haven’t regretted buying the Nexus 7 when I needed it back in June.  I haven’t regretted not waiting for the iPad Mini launch, or the revamped 2nd gen model, nor the host of other comparable devices on the market.  My Nexus 7 works great, and it’s convinced me to buy a Nexus 4 too.

Great job Google!

Do you own a Nexus 7? What do you like or dislike about it? Let me know in the comments below.