Google came out with its first tablet - Nexus 7 - in 2012. In many ways, it changed the market. Unlike other Android tablets, which had a clunky user interface developed by Google's hardware partners, Nexus 7 used the default Android user interface. The result wasn't as pretty as the interface on a Nexus phone but it gave the tablet a clean and streamlined look.
Nexus 7 was also quite fast and portable. This made it one of the most popular Android tablets. Now Google has updated the device.
The new Nexus 7 - the name remains same and it is still made by Asus - is a different beast compared to the older tablet. But is it also any better?
Unlike the older Nexus 7, the new tablet comes with a primary camera. This 5MP camera is capable of taking decent shots in daylight. When we say decent, we mean decent for a tablet. The pictures taken with Nexus 7 lack the contrast and clarity of what high-end phones manage. But the focus is mostly right and so is the level of detail.
In low light, however, there is lot of colour noise in images shot with Nexus 7. They also come out over-exposed. If you have a high-end phone like a Nexus 5 or Galaxy S4, you should use that instead of Nexus 7 to take photos. But if you have to click a shot and you have nothing else at hand, the tablet will do an acceptable job in good light.
Powered by Android KitKat
The new Nexus 7 launched with Android Jelly Bean 4.3. It can be updated to Android 4.4. In terms of core user interface, not much has changed for Android since the days of Ice Cream Sandwich and the first version of Jelly Bean. On Nexus 7, KitKat looks clean and uncluttered.
The performance of the tablet is very good. It is fast and very responsive, although it lacks the kind of smooth animations that you see on iPads running iOS. In our use, we found that the tablet handled tabbed browsing and multitasking with ease. There was no noticeable lag. Demanding games like Asphalt 8 ran well and without any framerate issues.
High definition videos in MP4 format can be played using the default media player app. But for videos in other format you may have to download a third-party app like MX Player. The quality of stereo speakers is good. They are loud enough to fill a small room with sound.
Should you buy the new Nexus 7 or not? If you need a tablet and don't want to spend on iPad, go ahead and get the new Nexus 7.
Right now, it is the best Android tablet you can buy.
Unfortunately, with a price of Rs 20,999 it doesn't offer the kind of value that the older version of Nexus 7 offered. In fact, nowadays the entry-level version of older Nexus 7 sells for Rs 9,000, which is one hell of a deal for a tablet that runs Android KitKat and is still better than most of the other Android devices.
To summarize, here is our recommendation: If you don't want to spend more than Rs 10,000, pick the older Nexus 7. It is a great value for money! But if you can spend Rs 21,000, pick the new Nexus 7. The improvements it offers over the older Nexus 7 are significant enough to warrant the premium.
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