I’m not really a tablet fan. I’ve said this in my unboxing post for the Nexus 7. I am fairly satisfied with the Galaxy Note as my daily driver and since it already has a huge 5.3-inch screen, I did not see any need to buy a tablet. The Google Nexus 7 changed this, however. The tablet is just too good to pass on and it’s too cheap it’s already within impulse buy territory. Long story short, I gave in and purchased a Google Nexus 7 tablet.
There are already a lot of Nexus 7 reviews out there but it may still be worthwhile to read this review. After all, it’s not as cheap to own one in the Philippines since it has not been launched here yet. In fact, we don’t know if it will ever be formally launched here. As should be expected, the $199 (about Php9,000) price tag the Nexus 7 carries in the US balloons to about Php12,500 when it reaches the Philippines. I purchased mine online for P12,300.
Hardware and Design
Any gadget addict will know that the unboxing part is as much a source of pleasure as using the gadget itself. And it’s always a bonus if the packaging is detailed and well-thought of. The packaging of Google products are always nice looking, and it goes without saying that the packaging for the Nexus 7 is also top-notch. If Apple is the yardstick for excellent packaging, the Google Nexus 7, just like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, is up there with Apple products.
In any case, when you get past the layers of cardboard, you’ll see the Nexus 7 on top of the heap and tucked under are the micro-USB cord, the charger, and the manuals. There are no earphones or a carrying case,which is perfectly forgivable. I understand that things have to be sacrificed to reach the $199 retail price.
The Nexus 7 is wonderfully designed. It truly belies the price tag. Without even considering the stuff that’s inside the tablet, the Nexus 7 looks and feels expensive. The display bezel is all black, with a silver trimming serving as design highlight. The Nexus 7 is thin, but the silver trimming helps project a thinner profile.
The back part differentiates the Nexus 7 from the tablets in the market. Instead of sporting a silver or plastic coating, it has this dotted rubbery finish that imitates leather. The word Nexus is emblazoned at the back and the word Asus can also be seen at the bottom, although it’s significantly smaller in size. The Nexus 7 feels good in the hand and the curved edges make the grip feel very natural.
Powering up the Nexus 7 only makes the tablet more desirable. The 7-inch HD display sports a 1280 x 800 resolution and on a 7-inch screen, this resolution is fantastic. It is not retina level in terms of sharpness but it’s almost there. HD videos look amazing on the Nexus 7 and with the Tegra 3 quad-core chip running the device, playback is very smooth.
The rest of the Nexus 7 specs include a GeForce 12-core GPU, a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera, integrated NFC and 1GB of RAM. All these specs honestly don’t belong to a $199 tablet. They are usually found in the more expensive ones. So from the specs list alone, the tablet already looks like a bargain buy.
Performance, Battery Life
The Nexus 7 does not disappoint, performance-wise. It’s really fast. Transitions are super smooth and the animations look flawless. This is possibly as much an effect of Google’s vaunted Project Butter as the hardware itself. If Ice Cream Sandwich was fast enough, Jelly Bean is almost perfect. That means I don’t have anything to complain about Jelly Bean on the Nexus 7.
The level of responsiveness is something new for Android, which , as a platform, has been bashed before for being laggy. That has clearly been answered in the Jelly Bean version of the OS. If you wish to know how the Nexus 7 fared in the Quadrant test, here it is.
As you have noticed, the Nexus 7 got a good score, but the HTC One X and Asus Transformer Prime performed better on this test. Nonetheless, the Nexus 7 is still too fast.
One more thing I liked about the Nexus 7 is its excellent battery life. Google and Asus have done wonders with the battery life of the Nexus 7. Despite the Tegra 3 CPU running underneath the device, the Nexus 7 lasts more than 10 hours on continuous use. If you use Wi-Fi sparingly, you’d get close to 20 hours with this thing. This makes the Nexus 7 a good device for ebook reading and watching videos.
Wrap-Up
The Nexus 7 is not perfect but it almost is. For the price of $199, it’s still amazing that you get a lot of features. That includes a Quad-core CPU, Jelly Bean OS, HD display and excellent battery life. What could be deal breakers for some are the lack of rear camera, lack of 3G connectivity and lack of microSD slot. But for the Nexus 7’s very cheap price tag, that’s already asking for too much. So if you need an Android tablet, going for the Nexus 7 will always be a good idea.
Pros:
- Good build and design
- Fast quad-core CPU
- Great display
- Very cheap
- Android Jelly Bean OS
Cons:
- No rear camera
- No 3G
- No micro-SD slot
45 Comments
Which would you prefer? A nexus 7 or Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.7?
Sir madali ba am scratch yung screen?
Nope its made of gorilla glass.
does skype work with nexus 7?
yep. may front cam but it’s 1.2mp only. don’t expect much. it’s really built for gaming; not much for social (skype, videocalling, etc.) and productivity like video or photo editing. but a great catch for it’s price
Yes. That is why it has a 1.3mpixel front camera
i already have one which my mom bought in the states. It also comes with a rubber(I think) tablet cover…its really a good buy.
How did you order online?
Hi,
I’m new to this whole tablet thing. Just want to ask since there’s no sim card slot, how can you connect to the internet aside from WIFI? Will the broadband sticks that we have in the market work?
Thanks :)
no, broadband sticks are for those big USB ports like the ones in Flash Storage Devices or Flash Drives. android devices have small and standard USB ports like the ones we find on a blackberry :)
Kung may kakilala kayong magbabakasyon sa US, magpabili na lang kayo. 272usd for 16gb. Mas mura ng roughly 5kphp sa mga retail dito sa pinas. Nakakapanibago nga lang ang stock android :)
magkano ung 8gb sa us?
Sir where, exactly did you purchased your nexus 7? nag.aalangan kasi ako bumili sa iba baka po fake. thanks
sir
asus google nexus 7 po meron kayo?
Sir Technobaboy. Hndi dn poba fake ang mga bnebenta dito sa mga online shops?
orig naman. get the sealed one.
Yung mga online store po ba sa philippines orig dna ng binebenta?
san po kau nkbili nyan?
Just want to ask if you have any problems with the screen just like what people are complaining? :)
its just some isolated cases just like any other device…
i had no problems with the screen
hi! is the nexus 7 capable of tethering to a mobile phone for internet connection? thanks
Unfortunately this tablet doesn’t have 3g or sim card slot. But yes you can connect to a tethering device. But you can’t make this device as a tethering hotspot
Unfortunately this tablet doesn’t have 3g or sim card slot. But yes you can connect to a tethering device. But you can’t make this device as a tethering hotspot
wait for iPad Mini it will come with A6 chip :D
A6 = dual core, haha
Are the features fully accessible here in the Philippines? Is the app store doing fine? :)
yup its working fine… got mine from ausie… bought it for 13.5k php 16gig…
Bitch please…. I’m using my new iPad as a camera more often thanmy sony camera :) no cost for using it as a camera
Hey TB, I have an iPhone 4S and I’m rooting to have a tablet now. would you want me to consider Google Nexus 7? I can’t decide because iPad Mini is coming.
im dying to get this one right now, but how?!
Pros:
Good build and design???
This is not true i bought one 2 weeks ago and it has a screen lift at the left side.
some people are indeed reporting that issue. my unit has no such issue so it could be isolated.
are you having issues with the gyroscope while playing temple run?
nope, no issue of that kind so far
Ainol Novo 7 Flame FTW!
No rear camera as a cons on a tablet? I don’t get it. Only idiots will use their tablets as a camera.
Just my two cents.
For research scientists/doctors like me who need visual data, a gadget that has a decent camera is extremely important. I’ve used my Galaxy tab’s camera so many times while gathering data that I can’t imagine a tablet that doesn’t have this feature. Because I carry so many things with me and I’m not getting younger, I have already found it tedious to bring a camera, a phone, a tab, a recorder, and lots of paper & reading material from research participants while running from one end of metro manila to the next. I highly doubt that I am an idiot.
like it :)
for asus, cheap here doesn’t mean low quality :}
now, if google or asus could only release a keyboard dock.. /gg
amen to that. i want one.
Nakaka Badtrip si google and asus kasi hindi pa release dito kahit nasa 10k margin lang sana it’s a steal na
Sir, where did you purchase your nexus 7? May I know? Im planning to buy onebut I dont know where to purchase it. You really got it at a fair deal.
try TipidPC
already available in villman, same ng prices ni yugadeals, too bad for me, if only i was patient enough, i’m still waiting for mine to arrive, ten days is like forever, can’t wait to get my hands wet, LOL