Like the title says, the Beast Tablet from Google is back. And its back with a bang!
I have divided my review in sections and rated this device on a scale of 10 or 100 according to what we’re rating for. For reference, I have compared it with the iPad Mini and Galaxy Tab 3.
I.Uses -
The Older Nexus 7 which sported Tegra 3( A great CPU+GPU in its days) sold millions of units, and it without a doubt needed a successor.
The new FHD N7 2013 is the perfect successor TBH. If your usage includes heavy hardcore gaming, browsing and surfing, and light photography, this one is for you. It is perfect for other tasks as well like watching movies, etc. But if gaming isn’t your need or if your a casual gamer, the older Nexus 7 is the better choice especially if you can get one in 10K. That tablet still is good for those normal tasks, but if your planning some heavy gaming, pick this one( P.S - with heavy gaming, I mean graphically demanding games, like Dead Trigger, Injustice:Gods Among Us, Riptide GP2, etc and no Temple Run 2, and Subway Surfers are not included. They are playable on the older N7.) More details on performance is below.
II.Looks and Durability -
First of all, the new N7 looks damn sexy. The black front and the rubber back with the NEXUS logo is just freaking awesome. I mean seriously, it looks and feels really great. If you unbox one, you’d probably hold it and stare at it for 1 min atleast. TBH the feel and looks of the N7 FHD are far more better than any of those plastic craps from Samsung and Apple’s bulky iPads. Its featherweight size will help you play for longer duration without pain( A big trouble if you do the same on the iPad minis.) The rubber back ensure grip, far more than iPad’s aluminium backs which tend to slip on wet hands. Oh, dont even compare it to Samsung’s plasticky crap, that’ll be a huge shame, LOL. The scratchproof Gorilla Glass ensures your device will be scratch less, eliminating need of a scratch guard. So you dont have those blurry pictures that many scratchguard give+ no bubble trouble. THe back is scratch less as well, coz its rubber. So only place that can ever get a scratch is the sides and camera lens. But a simple silicon cover like that of Amzer would easily protect you from those. And TBH a bit gentle handling will eliminate need of any cover. As fasr as Durability is concerned the device ought to survive a those minor drops and bumps. Sill like I said, a bit delicate handling will save you from all troubles.
Looks - 10/10
Design - 10/10
Durability - 9/10( 10 will only go Apple’s aluminium backs)
III.Hardware -
Ah, my favorite part. The Hardware. Well in this one we have the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, The Adreno 320 and 2GB of overkill RAM which is almost similar to the Nexus 4 except for the slightly higher clocks. This is excellent VFM considering Apple is selling its outdated A5 chips on its 21K on iPad Mini( the iPad Mini Retina is at par as well) and Samsung selling the crap Vivante GC chips or the Exynos 5s, all being not even half as good as the Snapdragon S4 Pro. Well before I talk more on this, here’s some benchmarks that speak for themselves( Score given on Price/Performance Ratio)
AnTuTu 3DRating Open GL 3.0 - 3082( 9.3/10)
AnTuTu 3DRating Open GL 2.0 - 3988( 9.5/10)
AnTuTu Benchmark Overall Rating - 20192( 9.5/10)
AnTuTu Benchmark CPU, GPU and RAM Rating - 13636( 9.5/10)
3DMark IceStorm - Maxed Out( 10/10)
3DMark IceStorm Extreme - 7599( 9.8/10)
3DMark IceStorm Unlimited - 10555( 9.7/10)
So that totals to 67.3/70( close to 95%) which is excellent. And I can assure with this killer hardware, you can play any( and I mean any) game available today on the Play Store and most of em will be maxed out too. While the iPad Mimi will play most games, it will surely lag too. Same for the Galaxy Tab 3.
So I rate the Hardware this way( Price/Performance Ratio) -
CPU - 25/25
GPU - 25/25
RAM - 25/25
Benchmarks - 23.8/25
Total - 98.8/100
IV.OS, Connectivity, Speaker and Camera -
Well since it comes from Google, it feature the stock Google OS which TBH is a fresh and easy to use UI and OS if you compare it to Samsung’s TouchWiz. We cant really compare it to Apple’s iOS here because its on a completely different level. Anyways the best part is you get OS updates far more quicker than you’d on other devices as Google makes it stock, so what it gives to companies is what it gives to you. The reason of why you’d get updates quicker on Nexus devices is that other brands have to upgrade/modify OS for their devices and test it+ the regional racism( lol, but its true).
In terms of connectivity, again the N7 is light years ahead. I’ll talk a bit of em all.
First of all we have Dual Band Wi-Fi support( 2.4GHz/5GHz) which means routers capable of 5GHz will receive a new friend. Well 5GHz band means less range and more battery consumption but better speeds. Till now no Tablet under 30K sports dual band WiFi except this one.
NFC, ah, something most new tabs still dont have and something that is useless in this outdated country, no comments here.
Bluetooth, again we all know so nothing to say as well.
DLNA is useful for streaming and transferring, videos, music and photos if you have capable devices and router.
Miracast, something most havent heard of yet, allows you to cast your tabs display on a HDMI display if you have a Smart TV with Miracast or a Dongle.
The physical connectivity includes Micro USB and 3.5mm USB jack. Lack of mHDMI is going to be trouble but still Miracast can back it up and they probably didnt consider India here. LOL.
Now the mixed bag and proably the weakest part of this great device, our Camera. Well TBH the camera is still good and shoots pics better than the iPad Air in normal light. In lowloght conditions it still does good. But the problem is mic which when shooting breaks voice consistently. But still its good.
The speakers deliver clear sound but is not loud enough.
OS - 10/10
Connectivity - 9.5/10( no mHDMI)
Camera - 8/10
Speakers - 9/10( good for a tab)
V.Battery, Storage and Display -
The 3950mAH battery is big enough to last a day for me, which includes 14hrs Wi-Fi, 3 hrs of gaming, 1 hr of browsing. Thats all I can say TBH.
Available in 16 GB( actual 12.4) and 32GB( actual 26-28) this is all I can say for this one. Since their’s no mSD slot pick urs piece correctly.
Finally, the best part, the Display. At 1920x1200( more than your expensive HDTVs.) you know ur in for a treat especially when its a 7inch display with 332ppi. TBH its clarity is quite like the iPad mini Retina, and million time betters than iPad Mini and Galaxy Tab 3 and others in this range. Meh, felt like You Don’t Say here.:P
VI.Rivals -
In this price range, the iPad Mini( non Retina), Galaxy Tab 3 and the new comer Windows 8 tabs like Acer Iconia W8-420, you do have a huge selection to spend ur money on.
Conclusion - The N7 FHD is the best ANDROID tablet in 20-25K range and if your looking for a great tab, this one should be in ur shortlist.
Overall Score - 98.5/100
The only 3 thing I hated thus far -
No mHDMI
No mSD
Poor Mic
I hope I helped with my review.