Bought 2012 N7 as semi-replacement for PB

[anon(5597702)]

Got a 2012 N7 for a good deal on Ebay. Sad to begin to retire the PB and I always knew native apps were hard to come by, but now the sideloaded Android apps are starting to drop off due to the outdated runtime and lack of app support for that version of Android. Time to give something new (to me) a try.

I considered some Galaxy tabs for awhile, but I saw the N7 for such a great price that I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm looking forward to receiving it in the mail and playing around with it.

One thing I'd like to ask about the version of Android: I see there are a lot of mixed feelings about Lollipop on this device. The tablet I'm receiving in the mail appears to have 4.2 JB still, so I'm wondering if I should hang onto that version for now and try an upgrade later? Or is 5.1.1 fairly safe? Or 4.4.4?

I'm also not opposed to installing a custom rom (have experience there), so any recommendations about those is appreciated too.

Questionable performance aside, I'm seeing a couple of threads about N7s becoming bricked after Lollipop updates. I think I even saw some that mentioned 5.1.1. A bit disheartening.

So in short, mainly concerned with which Android OS to go with, in your opinion. Any other tips and tricks are appreciated too (especially from people who have the PB point of view!)

Thanks all! Glad to see a dedicated forum for this tablet and look forward to getting some replies and reading using this as a resource.

 

[B. Diddy]

Based on posts in this forum, I'd probably stick with Jellybean. Unfortunately, I no longer have a 2012 N7 (lost it on a plane flight :'( ), so I can't speak from direct experience.

If you do decide to update to Lollipop, do a cache partition wipe afterwards: http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...e-nexus-7-2012-2013-cache-partition-wipe.html. Many people would also recommend a full factory reset after the update.

 

[systemofadown1]

I recently sold both my 2012 Nexus 7's running Android 5.1.1 and now I could kick myself for selling them
Great little tablet's
Using Wugs Nexus root toolkit it's fairly easy and you can run the newest version of lollipop or flash back to Android 4.4.4 ( on one of my Nexus 7s I sold the customer asked if I would flash it back to 4.4.4 for him and it was simple as pie with the tool kit

 

[anon(5597702)]

Thanks to you both! I've read good things about the toolkit; will definitely keep that in my "toolbelt" for any OS changes and the like. Nice to have options in case an "upgrade" doesn't work out as planned, but to start out, I'll probably take bdiddy's suggestion and try out JB for awhile first.

Systemofadown, great to hear your positive review of the tablet. I should receive mine tomorrow and will look forward to tinkering with it.

 

[systemofadown1]

I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the N7
I'll probably buy a cheap one on eBay now that I miss my old two so badly - the N9 is nice but not as hand friendly ( it's a pain to use single handedly for an extended period of time, especially with a defender type case adding weight).

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the N7
I'll probably buy a cheap one on eBay now that I miss my old two so badly - the N9 is nice but not as hand friendly ( it's a pain to use single handedly for an extended period of time, especially with a defender type case adding weight).

Check it out: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...Fgg-asus-nexus-7-32gb-7-tablet&token=NK7rGj9c

 

[anon(5597702)]

Nice deal! I got mine off Ebay from a seller in Canada. Systemofadown, hopefully you can avail of it.

The carrier truck is out for delivery; nothing like the anticipation of a new tech delivery.

One little concern I have is the quality of the integrated speakers. For all the shortcomings of the PB, it has amazing speakers. How do the N7's perform? My sense is they're adequate.

Thanks again to you both! Will post back with impressions and any questions as they arise.

 

[B. Diddy]

The 2012 N7 speaker (it's mono only) is adequate. They're better on the 2013, though, since they're stereo.

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[anon(5597702)]

Just an update: my N7 arrived in the mail safe and sound. It's just been a few days, but I'm very impressed with how this tablet handles! I guess I got used to the PB and its performance, so the N7 seems blazing.

I ended up updating to KitKat 4.4.4 and am very happy with how it performs. I did the cache partition wipe (thanks for that tip, B.Diddy). I like that I didn't have to jump straight to 5.x. I still get a notification to update further, so I'd like to figure out how to disable that (I imagine I'd need to root?); for now will live with it.

Really love the sharpness of the screen, the build quality, and the sound is better than I thought it would be. Very happy with my purchase -- all told, $73CAD.

Thanks to you both for posting your impressions! I'll be back in this forum from time to time, I'm sure.

 

[systemofadown1]

I'm glad you enjoy it
it's a great little tablet and you are correct if you root it can't go past 4.4.4

 

[ericmazariegos]

I've had my nexus 7 for 3 years now. Do not upgrade to lollipop. it is unusable. you cannot do anything. if you click on something the system just freezes. it takes a few minutes for it to work, and even then it lags like crazy. I think 5.1.1 is better than 5.0.2, but only marginally so. I downgraded to 4.4.4 and am never looking back (or forward, in this case)

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