Nexus 7 2013 One year later

 
 Nexus 2013 One year later. 


When Google released the original Nexus 7 (2012) it was an industry changer.  It had a great form factor that could be held in one hand, had a beautiful display, fast processor, and this all could be had for a very low price.  Even at a much smaller size, and made with cheaper materials it was continuously compared to tablets such as iPad as if they were in the same class.

The size class of the original Nexus 7 2012 was that of the Kindle Fire, the Nook, and the Galaxy tab.  So why was it being compared directly with the much bigger iPad?  One of the reasons was the operating system being a "True" Android system without a software overlay that just bogs down the Android OS.

As consumers we will brag to our friends when we get the latest piece of technology, until we see someone with a newer, faster model then we can no longer be satisfied with our gadget companion.  As we begin to look at the younger prettier model we have daydreams of what it would be like to have it, and how we should repurpose or sell our old one to get the new model.

 Enter the New 2013 Nexus 7.  The younger, thinner, faster, and lets face it "prettier" model.  I did also trade in my old model and got the version 2013.  Asus had fine-tuned the body of its latest offering.  While it was taller by 1.5 mm, it got noticeably lighter by 50 grams, and thinner in width making it have an even better feel in the hand.

Not only was the body of the new Nexus 7 much improved in look and feel, but the specs.  Performance was upgraded from a 1.2GHz quad-core  processor with 1GB of RAM to a 1.5 GHz quad-core with 2GB of RAM. The display also got a face lift from 1280-800 216 ppi to a 7-inch full HD display with 1920-1200 resolution and 323 ppi pixel density.  While still LED-back lit the display is beautiful producing sharp images, and video is awesome.  The single speaker was replaced by back firing stereo speakers.

The original Nexus 7 had a front facing 1.2MP camera that was left virtually unchanged;  however the addition of a 5MP rear facing camera was well received by most.  While cameras are being quickly made a thing of the past with Smartphone cameras producing great shots that can be instantly shared online, I do not see tablets becoming a daily shooter any time soon.

Each July for the past two years we have been treated to the release of some great Nexus products.  Many expected to see the new Nexus 8 at the Google I/O developer conference, but so far they are being stood up.   While sure to be bigger, faster, and release with a reported Android 4.5 Lollipop operating system we will see if it can grasp and hold our attention like both of the Nexus 7 models have.  With many reports showing the use of a 64-bit operating system we will have to wait and see.