Nexus 7 initial impressions

**G3TCASHM0N3Y** · 07-13-2012, 03:33 PM

Hey all you lucky people who picked up your nexus today! Mind sharing some of your impressions with us? I would rather hear it from another normal consumer than another media YouTube video review personally.

Sent from my EVO using Android Central Forums

**evilsaywhat** · 07-13-2012, 03:48 PM

I would rather a thread titled "Nexus 7 Initial Impressions" would be from someone providing initial impressions

**EnDroidable** · 07-13-2012, 03:58 PM

As soon as I get my tablet, I will let you know my initial impressions, but by that time im sure you will have yours as well.

**Cubfan** · 07-13-2012, 04:03 PM

Very first impressions after owning it for all of a couple hours...

It feels more expensive than it was. Absolutely love how it feels in the hand, though it's heavier than I expected. Not as light as the Nook Color, for example. The back is perfect... feels like leather, and I'm one who put Zagg leather on the back of my iPad. So I love that. Will be great if they also come out with some sort of magnetic cover. We'll see. Until then, it will remain naked.

Screen doesn't grab you like my iPad3. In fact, it's rather underwhelming. Color saturation is bland, and the auto-brightness is too dim.

Was surprised to see a dock at the bottom, rather than how the rest of the tablets handle screen real estate. Installed Apex Pro, and there are some quirks when I quickly tried to set it up, so I went back to the stock launcher for now.

Some non-tablet apps like Facebook and Words with Friends aren't as awful in the 7-inch display, but the text can get tiny. Speaking of tiny text, I'm not sure I'll get used to reading a magazine on this size screen. My eyes aren't that good. And will require lots of pinching and zooming.

I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly which is available on the "Next Issue" app. The app installed, but promptly crashes.

Speed and smoothness of JB is crazy good. The Chrome browsing experience feels much faster than the iPad. First portable device where the browser feels almost laptop speedy. For me, that's my biggest gripe about any tablet and may be the biggest reason that this device may stay for me.

Best feature in my book is that it charges with a standard micro-USB. Great, great, great. I have a 2 amp charger that I use for most everything and it charges this tablet well without the need for another cable and odd connector.

I have to pack tonight for a trip and get some sleep for a long drive tomorrow, so it's a bad time to be tempted to play with this.

Jury is out on whether this causes me to sell my iPad, that cost more than double what I paid for this. Not totally sold on the 7 inch size until I hold the 10-inch iPad for a while. This is easily worth the price, but the question is whether it's enough of a step up from my Galaxy Nexus. If there were a Nexus 10 even without SD expansion, I'd be totally in.

My guess is there are crazy excited people that are too over-the-top about this device before they have it in their hands. They'll get it and will be impressed at first, but they'll be after the next thing far too quickly.

That's it for now. Off to play... I mean get ready for my trip.

**cohoman** · 07-13-2012, 04:56 PM

Excellent build quality considering I paid $250 for the 16 GB version from Gamestop. It has an nice aluminum banded rim around the edge of the screen, and a nice leathery back (which is actual is rubber but looks and feels like leather). The screen also looks really nice to me, and the flick response time is super quick.

The WiFi and GPS seem very steady, and haven't had any issues so far. I did get the $25 credit for the Google Play Store when I first initalized my N7, as well as some free books, magazines, and the Transformer movie.

Compared to my Kindle Fire Tablet, the N7 is far better. Having a real Android OS (and Jelly Bean for that matter) versus the half cooked Android OS for the Kindle Fire makes a really big difference.

So far, everything is working great! I'll need to finish up installing all my apps and do a bit of configuring, then it's off to search for a nice case to protect my investment.

**mc511** · 07-13-2012, 05:48 PM

So far I love it. The build quality is excellent. No problems there. The screen is nice as well. And the right size. I like carrying this around and feel very comfy doing so. The rubber back or whatever is nice. I can grip this much easier Than the galaxy tab that I had. The tegra 3 is nice and fast. I can multitask smoother than ever. Like right now I am listening to music from Google play music and reading these forums. Games look great. Shadow gun looks nice. I want to try the new sonic game on it soon.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

**Ftspyder** · 07-13-2012, 05:56 PM

Please keep these coming as I am a second wave guy and have no idea when im getting mine. Im happy for everyone that has gotten theres though. More impressions plzzzz.

**G3TCASHM0N3Y** · 07-13-2012, 06:01 PM

I think everyone is too busy playing with their tablets to suffer with us on these forums!

**jedilow** · 07-13-2012, 06:05 PM

It feels much lighter than my Nook Tablet but just as solid... and it's really fast.

**mongstradamus** · 07-13-2012, 06:15 PM

The one thing I like about it so far is being able to hold it one hand. It doesn't feel like it's too heavy either. Jellybean is really smooth digging the new notification system as well

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

**ragnarokx** · 07-13-2012, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by G3TCASHM0N3Y

I think everyone is too busy playing with their tablets to suffer with us on these forums!

I'm doing both

Sent from my Nexus 7

**silverthornne** · 07-13-2012, 06:18 PM

Well I'm setting mine up and was hit by the big problem I had hoped Google had corrected... I can't freaking buy Apps from the Play Store! Not on tablet anyway sigh. That is a problem in Honeycomb and a problem in Jellybean. I was hoping it wouldn't happen again since I CAN buy apps on my phones (Atrix, Epic 4G, and EVO 4G LTE), which tells me that Google does sell to Puerto Rico, but for some reason it doesn't like selling to tablets ugh.

Anyway, responsiveness is awesome and it feels really sturdy which I wasn't expecting it would feel so solid for that price. I'll just buy NOVA 3 on my EVO LTE and download it on my Nexus 7 then sigh.

Google please fix that annoyance!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

**alhull** · 07-13-2012, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Cubfan

I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly which is available on the "Next Issue" app. The app installed, but promptly crashes.

That's nothing new. Next Issue has always crashed repeatedly on my Transformer Prime. Worst app I've ever seen.

**mongstradamus** · 07-13-2012, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by silverthornne

Well I'm setting mine up and was hit by the big problem I had hoped Google had corrected... I can't freaking buy Apps from the Play Store! Not on tablet anyway sigh. That is a problem in Honeycomb and a problem in Jellybean. I was hoping it wouldn't happen again since I CAN buy apps on my phones (Atrix, Epic 4G, and EVO 4G LTE), which tells me that Google does sell to Puerto Rico, but for some reason it doesn't like selling to tablets ugh.

Anyway, responsiveness is awesome and it feels really sturdy which I wasn't expecting it would feel so solid for that price. I'll just buy NOVA 3 on my EVO LTE and download it on my Nexus 7 then sigh.

Google please fix that annoyance!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Do you mean you can't buy with your 25 dollar credit or can't buy at all on your tablet ?

**Menno** · 07-13-2012, 06:29 PM

Can someone with the tablet check out how netflix works with it? does it give you the tablet layout or the phone one?

**silverthornne** · 07-13-2012, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by mongstradamus

Do you mean you can't buy with your 25 dollar credit or can't buy at all on your tablet ?

Nothing at all. I have the same problem with a Galaxy Tab. I usually buy my tablet only apps when I'm traveling to the US or Europe. Dunno why Google doesn't sell tablet apps to PR but they do let me buy apps on my phones. Makes no sense to me...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

**mongstradamus** · 07-13-2012, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by silverthornne

Nothing at all. I have the same problem with a Galaxy Tab. I usually buy my tablet only apps when I'm traveling to the US or Europe. Dunno why Google doesn't sell tablet apps to PR but they do let me buy apps on my phones. Makes no sense to me...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

That's odd. Have yet to buy any apps still trying to find an good twitter app still for seven inch form factor

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

**silverthornne** · 07-13-2012, 06:46 PM

It's always been like that since Honeycomb. I've just worked around it since most apps work on phone and tablet but it's a pain when I want a tablet only app. I've emailed Google about it but they never reply.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

**cohoman** · 07-13-2012, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by Jason Bauman

Can someone with the tablet check out how netflix works with it? does it give you the tablet layout or the phone one?

Looks like tablet layout on my N7.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

**Menno** · 07-13-2012, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by mongstradamus

That's odd. Have yet to buy any apps still trying to find an good twitter app still for seven inch form factor

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

I thought Plume had a version that worked with 7" Doesn't it look right on there?

**E_man** · 07-13-2012, 07:04 PM

I really like the 7" form factor. This is the best affordable 7" screen out there (Tab 7.7 still wins overall screen though). The build is wonderful. Very light, the back texture is awesome, though it seems to pick up fingerprints a lot. The bezels are perfect. Portrait is thin, but that's fine, no weight to support. In landscape, they are thicker, which gives you a good grip. My biggest hardware complaint is that the power button is recessed behind the ridge of the tablet, making it a pain to hit when it's sitting on a table.

For software, it's fast. I mean really fast. You usually get tablet UI's in apps, which are nice. As for the OS UI, I'm glad it's this mix. I have had 7" tablets before. Honeycomb and that UI wasn't made for 7" form factors. I have yet to get into Google Now. Hasn't learned enough about me yet I guess. Voice search is pretty awesome though. The keyboard is my biggest annoyance here. It doesn't pop the letter you hit up, and the buttons are still small enough for that to help. I have thumbkeyboard on right now, but it seems a little off. Swiftkey Tablet and Phone were terrible. It's a minor annoyance at worst, and I'm sure there will be updates.

This has NFC, which I'm excited to play with. Google Wallet came pre-installed, and I got $10 out of that. Plus $25 giftcard to the play store. Awesome device so far. Really glad I bought it.

Edit: Forgot one thing. Charges off micro usb. THANK YOU! No more ridiculously short tablet charging cables. No more $40 to replace tablet cables/chargers. Charges fine of my phone charger. Great decision.

Originally Posted by Jason Bauman

Can someone with the tablet check out how netflix works with it? does it give you the tablet layout or the phone one?

I'm not a netflix subscriber, but till someone who is chimes in, I can say this. I had the 1024*600 Tab 2 7.0 before this, and mostly got the phone UI (which makes sense the way layouts are done). With the N7, I've gotten tablet apps every time I install a tablet capable app.

**stkorn97** · 07-13-2012, 07:14 PM

I got mine earlier today, been messing around most the afternoon/night. Been loading it up with apps and games mainly. Im amazed how smooth it runs, I was using a buddies galaxy s3 with ICS just yesterday and said how smooth it is compared to my rezound without ICS. But this thing is even smoother/faster than that. Jelly Bean is awesome so far, i love all the little changes thats been made.

Build quality seems really really good also. I like the softer back its got. Its not too heavy. Screen looks pretty impressive, it wont blow you away like a high end tablet will, but for the size, it looks really nice. Overall I love it already. Zero buyers remorse. This is also my first tablet, but Ive used Ipads and Transformer tabs before. This just feels so much better than either of those.

**ReggieTee** · 07-13-2012, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by Ftspyder

Please keep these coming as I am a second wave guy and have no idea when im getting mine. Im happy for everyone that has gotten theres though. More impressions plzzzz.

My receipt from Gamestop said 2nd Wave but I got mine today.