Nexus 7 User review(s)

[Verdes8891]

The Nexus 7 tablet has been out for a few weeks now. I have had mine for a few days and i am loving the thing. Havent really seen a centralized thread for user reviews on this tablet yet, so figured i would start one up.

My review

I picked mine up just the other day from my local Office Max. Got the 16gb model for $250. Took it home and i have had alot of trouble putting this thing down!! I have had a few different tablets from the Asus Eeepad Transformer, the Lenevo Ideapad, the Pantech Element, and i use an iPad for work. I also have two android phones that i use daily to compare usage too. Here are my thoughts.

Display:

This thing is a beaut. I have seen the thread on here about the washed out screens alot of users seem to be having as well as the screen seperation too. Honeslty, mine is suffering a little from the screen seperation on the left had side of the screen, but it is not bad. When i get my case that i ordered for it, it should help keep it in check. As far as the screen wash out, i havent noticed anything like that. True, the colors on my N7 are not as viberant when i compare it to my Galaxy Nexus, my HTC One X, or the Galaxy S3's that i sell at my store. But i am ok with that. I wasnt expecting 1080 HD quality for a $250 price tag. But what i got for that $250, is stunning in my mind. The Galaxy Pack live wallpaper that i have is just awsome.

Software:

The Vanilla experience of an Android device is an amazing thing. But it is not for everyone. I myself like the feeling of just pure google android. Nothing else to interfere with it on your device you bought and paid for. I still end up usually downloading a replacement home launcher for the customization abilities offered in others. So far i am using Nova Launcher Prime on all my devices. It just adds a little more smoothness to it and really brings out the capabilities of the screen display.

Jelly Bean itself is really smooth. As it goes with what Project butter, just the screen transitions as you are swiping through your apps, or within an application scrolling through everything, it just moves so seemlessly. I am a big fan of how the new notification system works. expanding my emails without having to go right into them to know if it is junk or something important or not is big.

Battery:

I always charge my devices every night regardless just to make sure i can make it through the next day without having to rush to a charger in the middle of a day. I have no problems whatsoever getting through a full day with heavy usage on this thing. I unplugged it yesterday around 10am. During the day there was alot of texting through google voice, forum browsing here through tapatalk, facebook, web browsing, youtube, some netflix and watched some of the transformers movie that we got. At night i read through news articles and searched through the play store for some more fun apps to download, and still when i pluged it in at midnight, i still had about 25% battery left. I love it.

Portability:

The 7" dispay and body design have made this tablet a monster when it comes to everyday use. When i am not at work, this thing fits nicley in my jeans pocket when i am out and about. I have my nexus on my hip holster with tethering on so literally, the night i got this, i pulled this tablet out of my pocket to text my gf instead of my phone. Needless to say my friends looked at me like WTF?!? But it is just so easy and light to cary this thing around, and since it uses the same chargers as my phones, i can use my car charger if i ever need to (havent had to yet).

All these wonderful things to say about the Nexus 7 is not taking away from the fact that i have had my fair share of issues. I have had some lag issues in some apps. A few times my nexus has also just closed an app i was using on me and sent me back to my home screen. As well as i do have the screen seperation issue myself. But what do you expect on something that is only $250? What would you expect it to be when you compare it with other $500 or $600 tablets? I chaulk up the lag issues i have been having to being a brand new device that launched the new Jelly bean version. Bugs are going to be there, but i am not letting ruin my experience.

If i could, i would still buy this thing all over again (just would need to find somewhere they are in stock lol). But for only $250 retail price on the 16gb model, you cannot go wrong really. It is a great device for the price and really can show that you can still get good quality without having to empty half of your bank account.


What are yours guys thoughts? Dont just tell us the negative, put what you like about it as well.

 

[javy009]

Sent from my ZTE-Z990 using Android Central Forums

 

[mookster]

I've had mine for two weeks and I can;t find anything negative to say about it at all. I love it. It's a massive upgrade from a kindle fire.

 

[booboolala2000]

Got mine in the mail Thursday. No screen separation at all. Nice tight fit and finish. Compared to my GNex, colors are less saturated, which to me is better on a larger screen. Hammering out emails is a breeze as I have big hands. No keyboard issues here as some people have said that they don't care for it. The minute I walk n the door I don't use my GNex at all, this thing is a beast. Jellybean is the smoothst and strongest ui from Google ever. Is easy to conceal in my suit coat pocket, but wouldn't carry it around as a replacement to my phone. Blows my old Xoom LTEand iPad 2 out of the water. Apps look super clean for the most part. The screen size really is an advantage as the phone apps look even better on this size. Happy happy happy with my decision.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[lasty12]

OK my review of the N7, short and sweet.

As a UK user I have a slightly different opinion of the N7; firstly let me start by saying I too think it is the most awesome bit of kit since Android existed!

The thing barely leaves my side. I find there are barely enough hours in the day to explore all the different uses for the N7, but I am slowly getting there.
My poor old HTC sensation doesn't stand a chance! ( However it's battery does last a lot longer now it's barely being used! )

Battery life is great, impressed with jellybean/butter and everything being totally Google just works seamlessly - Google now getting a special mention even though I haven't fully exploited it yet.

Only quibble's for me at the moment is the lack of flash And silver light support as lots of the video streaming sites I use rely on this so Please add this support Google!
Second is the fact that the UK seems left out on features like the full Music service and Google talk; when are we going to get these awesome capabilities?

Overall, being a total Android addict, I can't think of anything better to spend ?200!

 

[TauntingBull]

Good Writeup

 

[MikeLip]

I've now had this gadget for a couple weeks, and it's time to pronounce judgement. But first, who am I to judge?

I am a tech junkie. I am also an electronics engineer with a very strong background in embedded software systems. So I know a little about computer gizzies. I also have a house full of computers, both laptops and 2 towers (for games). I have in terms of tablets, an HP Touchpad, Blackberry Playbook, Asus TF201 and TF700 10" tabs, a Samsung 7" Galaxy Tab 7 Plus, an iPad2, and a Lenovo IdeaPad. So I have messed with a few tabs, yes.
Just as a btw, my smartphone is a Razr Maxx. I am coming off Blackberry, with great sadness. My 9930 was awesome, but while I hate the thought, BB seems to be fading and there are just not many people building good new apps for it. So while it's a perfectly wonderful phone and does what I wanted, it's just not as much fun as it should be. I could live with it easily, but my phone also is becoming entertainment as well as a phone. So my BBs are regretfully retired.

Now, to the Nexus 7. I ordered mine during the Google pre-order. Like many of you I sat and waited for my preorder while it seemed like everyone around me was getting theirs from Gamestop and stuff. I went to Sams Club and there they were. So I bought a 16Gig unit and when my 8gig preorder came I simply returned it, keeping the rubber cover I bought. More on that later.

The first one had the dreaded display issues. The left side seemed to have fallen apart and the illumination LEDs were clearly visible, casting conic light projections on the *top* of the display, with the top left being in almost total darkness. I took it back to Sams and got a replacement, which was perfect.

When I started it, the very first thing I noticed was the amazing display. Far sharper than anything else I had, even the iPad2. The only thing I have that compares is the new Asus TF700, which has the same display density. It looks as good as an iPad3.

The colors are good without being in your face super saturated. This is a very nice screen. The device itself is slim and light, with controls being where you expect them. The unit runs Jelly Bean, and it's similar to Ice Cream Sandwich, but with enough differences to drive you slightly nuts if you have ICS units you use as well. I am always forgetting subtle differences. For instance the icon to clear the notification list is different. And for some reason that always throws me and I am wondering where the heck that thing is .
However, as far as how does this thing work? In a word, it's awesome. It's fast. It looks good. It's responsive. I took the Google Now widget off the main screen and now I have a more or less vanilla Android tab. And that's how it should be. Now may be OK, I don't know. My pad doesn't need to guess what I want it to do - I will tell it. Just give me the main screen. I piled the apps on and everything works just fine. There are a few apps that choke on the Jelly Bean revision number, but those are being sorted out by their developers pretty quickly. I had none of those problems.

I don't game on my tab beyond solitaire and Osmos. Both run just fine. This thing is an incredible book reader. All the bookreaders - Kindle, Nook, etc - all work and they look great. Reading on a hi-def tab is definitely a pleasure. I also use Netflix, and it looks good too. However the sound quality of this thing is not good at all. You will want to use some kind of external speakers if you have them. I was able to deal with it, but it's nowhere near as good as my Samsung 7", and far below the Asus 10" tabs. This is an area overlooked by lots of mobile computing devices - Lenovo, I'm looking at you and your abysmal Thinkpad sound. What Lenovo Thinkpad sound is to the laptop world, so Nexus 7 sound is to the tablet world. You can understand voices, and you can tell music is playing, but what exactly IS that music?

The device is exactly the right size to take with you anywhere, and adding a bulky case would impede that. The Google case is perfect for just covering the screen. The rubber material makes the device easy to hold for long periods. Don't expect it to protect the unit from a drop. It won't. It's mostly a dustcover, which is fine with me. Oddly the cover does not have the magnets to tell the 7 to turn off when the cover is closed. Aftermarket cases are including that, but they are somewhat thicker. Poetic seems to have one available - have a look at that one. I have one on my Asus TF700, it's slim and seems well made. Just not as slim as the Google case. The Google case is $20, which seems, well, excessive. OK, it's a ripoff. I like it, but it's far too expensive for a piece of formed rubber.

To summarize, the tab is not perfect. The display, if you get a good one, is very good indeed. Performance is amazing. I don't have a faster tab. Touch response is very good. I never see any lags or stuttering. It does get slightly warm, but thermal management seems well done. It uses what is sort of a proprietary charger. That is, it *looks* like a USB charger. However while I can plug in any of my generic USB chargers to the 7 and it will charge from them, I cannot plug the 7s charger into anything else. Sound.... is there. It makes noise, usually intelligible noise. But not very good noise.

This is definitely a tab worth the money unless the sound is a deal breaker. For me, I use my tab for reading, watching Netflix, notes in meetings, etc. Nothing that requires high fidelity sound. I always use and am used to subtitles in Netflix (I'm a hearing aid wearer, so subtitles are the rule of the day in our house anyway) so it's useable for me there as well. I won't listen to music on it - that seems pointless. I'd rather use my Razr and a Jambox. I guess I could use the Jambox with the 7 too. Hmmmm.....

Recommended, with a few caveats.

 

[jd914]

Great reviews. I was listening to The Engadget Mobile weekly podcast this week and one of the Engadget writers, Miriam Joire was talking about it and she couldn't say enough good things about it. If anyone knows Miriam, she's very critical about technology and for her to say how great it is, just shows you what a magnificent device Google managed to create.

I personally love my N7 and have had really no issues with it. Unlike my HP Touchpad I can carry it everywhere. It fits easily in the pocket of my cargo pants. I have been an android user since the Nexus one and though I love android it still lacked that certain smoothness that iOS and yes wp7 have. Jellybean finally offers that experience that the others have had. The smoothness of android 4.1 and the great hardware that the Nexus seven packs makes it a steal at $199 or $250. For the price that you pay, you're getting an absolute powerhouse and the best android offering. My device is sold, no screen separation and the display looks great. The only thing that is a little annoying is that some apps aren't compatible but with updates I'm sure they will work on android 4.1. For the most my smart phone has become merely a Wi-Fi hotspot for my Nexus Seven. Google has a hit!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[MikeLip]

Great reviews. I was listening to The Engadget Mobile weekly podcast this week and one of the Engadget writers, Miriam Joire was talking about it and she couldn't say enough good things about it. If anyone knows Miriam, she's very critical about technology and for her to say how great it is, just shows you what a magnificent device Google managed to create.

I personally love my N7 and have had really no issues with it. Unlike my HP Touchpad I can carry it everywhere. It fits easily in the pocket of my cargo pants. I have been an android user since the Nexus one and though I love android it still lacked that certain smoothness that iOS and yes wp7 have. Jellybean finally offers that experience that the others have had. The smoothness of android 4.1 and the great hardware that the Nexus seven packs makes it a steal at $199 or $250. For the price that you pay, you're getting an absolute powerhouse and the best android offering. My device is sold, no screen separation and the display looks great. The only thing that is a little annoying is that some apps aren't compatible but with updates I'm sure they will work on android 4.1. For the most my smart phone has become merely a Wi-Fi hotspot for my Nexus Seven. Google has a hit!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

The Touchpad is one of the great tragedies of the tablet world. That thing had so much potential, and WebOS is amazing. It's nearly as good as Blackberrys Playbooks QNX OS, which is shaping up to be another tragedy. Both of them work in a way that is easily understood and fun, and the Playbook platform is great. The hardware of the Touchpad was a little lacking, but HP dumped it too soon

I really hope BB gets it together. They did something great with the Playbook. I love mine, but the apps just aren't coming. Everyone says wait, they will. But it's been a year and they just aren't.

 

[retsaw]

It uses what is sort of a proprietary charger. That is, it *looks* like a USB charger. However while I can plug in any of my generic USB chargers to the 7 and it will charge from them, I cannot plug the 7s charger into anything else.

It is a USB charger, mine is quite happy to charge other devices including my N900, which AFAIK only charges on chargers that adhere to the USB charger spec which requires the data pins on the charger to be shorted (with a max resistance of 200 ohms).

 

[Verdes8891]

I've now had this gadget for a couple weeks, and it's time to pronounce judgement. But first, who am I to judge?

I am a tech junkie. I am also an electronics engineer with a very strong background in embedded software systems. So I know a little about computer gizzies. I also have a house full of computers, both laptops and 2 towers (for games). I have in terms of tablets, an HP Touchpad, Blackberry Playbook, Asus TF201 and TF700 10" tabs, a Samsung 7" Galaxy Tab 7.7, an iPad2, and a Lenovo IdeaPad. So I have messed with a few tabs, yes.
Just as a btw, my smartphone is a Razr Maxx. I am coming off Blackberry, with great sadness. My 9930 was awesome, but while I hate the thought, BB seems to be fading and there are just not many people building good new apps for it. So while it's a perfectly wonderful phone and does what I wanted, it's just not as much fun as it should be. I could live with it easily, but my phone also is becoming entertainment as well as a phone. So my BBs are regretfully retired.

Now, to the Nexus 7. I ordered mine during the Google pre-order. Like many of you I sat and waited for my preorder while it seemed like everyone around me was getting theirs from Gamestop and stuff. I went to Sams Club and there they were. So I bought a 16Gig unit and when my 8gig preorder came I simply returned it, keeping the rubber cover I bought. More on that later.

The first one had the dreaded display issues. The left side seemed to have fallen apart and the illumination LEDs were clearly visible, casting conic light projections on the *top* of the display, with the top left being in almost total darkness. I took it back to Sams and got a replacement, which was perfect.

When I started it, the very first thing I noticed was the amazing display. Far sharper than anything else I had, even the iPad2. The only thing I have that compares is the new Asus TF700, which has the same display density. It looks as good as an iPad3.

The colors are good without being in your face super saturated. This is a very nice screen. The device itself is slim and light, with controls being where you expect them. The unit runs Jelly Bean, and it's similar to Ice Cream Sandwich, but with enough differences to drive you slightly nuts if you have ICS units you use as well. I am always forgetting subtle differences. For instance the icon to clear the notification list is different. And for some reason that always throws me and I am wondering where the heck that thing is .
However, as far as how does this thing work? In a word, it's awesome. It's fast. It looks good. It's responsive. I took the Google Now widget off the main screen and now I have a more or less vanilla Android tab. And that's how it should be. Now may be OK, I don't know. My pad doesn't need to guess what I want it to do - I will tell it. Just give me the main screen. I piled the apps on and everything works just fine. There are a few apps that choke on the Jelly Bean revision number, but those are being sorted out by their developers pretty quickly. I had none of those problems.

I don't game on my tab beyond solitaire and Osmos. Both run just fine. This thing is an incredible book reader. All the bookreaders - Kindle, Nook, etc - all work and they look great. Reading on a hi-def tab is definitely a pleasure. I also use Netflix, and it looks good too. However the sound quality of this thing is not good at all. You will want to use some kind of external speakers if you have them. I was able to deal with it, but it's nowhere near as good as my Samsung 7", and far below the Asus 10" tabs. This is an area overlooked by lots of mobile computing devices - Lenovo, I'm looking at you and your abysmal Thinkpad sound. What Lenovo Thinkpad sound is to the laptop world, so Nexus 7 sound is to the tablet world. You can understand voices, and you can tell music is playing, but what exactly IS that music?

The device is exactly the right size to take with you anywhere, and adding a bulky case would impede that. The Google case is perfect for just covering the screen. The rubber material makes the device easy to hold for long periods. Don't expect it to protect the unit from a drop. It won't. It's mostly a dustcover, which is fine with me. Oddly the cover does not have the magnets to tell the 7 to turn off when the cover is closed. Aftermarket cases are including that, but they are somewhat thicker. Poetic seems to have one available - have a look at that one. I have one on my Asus TF700, it's slim and seems well made. Just not as slim as the Google case. The Google case is $20, which seems, well, excessive. OK, it's a ripoff. I like it, but it's far too expensive for a piece of formed rubber.

To summarize, the tab is not perfect. The display, if you get a good one, is very good indeed. Performance is amazing. I don't have a faster tab. Touch response is very good. I never see any lags or stuttering. It does get slightly warm, but thermal management seems well done. It uses what is sort of a proprietary charger. That is, it *looks* like a USB charger. However while I can plug in any of my generic USB chargers to the 7 and it will charge from them, I cannot plug the 7s charger into anything else. Sound.... is there. It makes noise, usually intelligible noise. But not very good noise.

This is definitely a tab worth the money unless the sound is a deal breaker. For me, I use my tab for reading, watching Netflix, notes in meetings, etc. Nothing that requires high fidelity sound. I always use and am used to subtitles in Netflix (I'm a hearing aid wearer, so subtitles are the rule of the day in our house anyway) so it's useable for me there as well. I won't listen to music on it - that seems pointless. I'd rather use my Razr and a Jambox. I guess I could use the Jambox with the 7 too. Hmmmm.....

Recommended, with a few caveats.

Great review.

As far as the source data goes it works fine on my n7. I might try the Volume+ app to help your sound. Works great on my galaxy nexus.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[xyzlene]

Petty much agree with everyone on board.

Pros -

Excellent form factor / weight ratio

Does not feel like a 7" screen... more like a 7.7

Respectable battery life

IPS screen is top notch

Internals in conjunction with jelly bean pair nicely. Throw in Nova launcher and it smooths it out a bit
_---------------------------------------------

Cons - ****** yes, I know 250.00 only goes so far' but here is my Rant********

Wish it had gorilla glass.

32 gigs would have been the sweet spot

Mhl and otg.. well you can root for otg.

I think all os has it strengths and weaknesses... my apple crew was quite impressed. They yawned at my g-nex.

THE TRUE test was show and tell with my grandmother whom is 92. She could not believe The versatility of the n7... when I told her the price she said it was a bargain

 

[MikeLip]

Great review.

As far as the source data goes it works fine on my n7. I might try the Volume+ app to help your sound. Works great on my galaxy nexus.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

I looked at the reviews - it looks like it doesn't often work on JB. Are you rooted?

 

[Verdes8891]

I looked at the reviews - it looks like it doesn't often work on JB. Are you rooted?

No I am not.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[MikeLip]

No I am not.

Cool! I'll give it a try.

 

[Verdes8891]

Cool! I'll give it a try.

I am having no issues. I have read too that people are but it seems to work fine for me. Give it a try. Worse that can happen is it won't work.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[That70sGAdawg]

I really hope BB gets it together. They did something great with the Playbook. I love mine, but the apps just aren't coming. Everyone says wait, they will. But it's been a year and they just aren't.

Agreed. This is my first 7" tablet since I gave up and sold my Playbook about 6 months ago...

 

[djnshores]

For me, the killer feature of the Nexus7 is the built in voice commands. I use it for searches and to dictate email responses. It sure beats typing in the information, even with auto complete. Voice dictation is very accurate.

I also love the animated marine aquarium wallpaper that is relaxing and fun to watch.

Organizing and rearranging icons is a great feature. Tap and hold an icon, then dragging it, and dropping it over another icon creates a folder. So instead of a screen full of icons, I have a few folders with easy access to my apps.

And the auto on/ auto off case feature is great.

I have owned a Playbook and a Kindle Fire, but the Nexus 7 beats both of them hands down. I sold the Playbook and passed the Kindle Fire to my daughter. I was going to wait for the Kindle 2, but the Nexus 7 with Jelly Bean has everything I need or want in a tablet. The camera could be a little better, but at least it has a camera and microphone.

I am quickly becoming a Fanboi of the Nexus 7.

 

[rellyrellz]

Bought my Nexus 7 8gb yesterday(8/4) and I'm really enjoying it so far. I already have Table Talk and it works great. Never have to pick up my Galaxy Nexus when recieving a text message. Speaking of messages, typing is a breeze on this keyboard in portait. I haven't really set up my home screens but I'm looking forward to doing that. So far no screen lift so I'm happy. Already have a screen protector and case ordered. Looking forward to diving deeper into my Nexus 7!

 

[Verdes8891]

Now my Nexus is complete. My case just got in the other day. I will post pictures later of it.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2