Mobile Technology

Revisiting the Nexus 7 (2013): Still one of the best tablets?

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More than six months after it launched, Gizmag revisits and re-reviews the 2013 Nexus 7
More than six months after it launched, Gizmag revisits and re-reviews the 2013 Nexus 7
If you aren't averse to a little hacking, you can root the Nexus 7 and use the full screen, replacing the navigation bar with a slide-out set of pie controls
The Nexus 7 has narrow bezels, which reduce its footprint, but also make it sometimes awkward to hold in portrait mode
Unless you hack it, the Nexus 7's navigation bar will be on your screen in all but a few apps
Battery life isn't amazing, but it should get all but the heaviest users through a full day
The Android 4.4.2 brings a few nice tweaks, but don't expect a dramatically different user-end experience
The Nexus 7 can be easily gripped on the back with one hand
The Nexus 7's matte plastic finish is similar to that of the Nexus 5
The 2013 Nexus 7 is 8.7 mm thick
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It's been more than six months since we reviewed the 2013 Nexus 7. Since then it's received a big software update, along with some new competition. Join Gizmag, as we revisit the 2nd-gen Nexus 7 half a year later.

The Nexus 7 can be easily gripped on the back with one hand

When the latest Nexus 7 launched, it was without peers as the first mini-tablet with a high-resolution display. We knew that its rivals would show up soon after, but we still appreciated Google's and Asus' giving us a "Retina Display" (to borrow Apple's marketing) on a small slate a few months before the rest of the herd did.

Now the Nexus 7 has a growing gaggle of competitors. The most prominent is Apple's own iPad mini with Retina Display, but there's also the 7-in Kindle Fire HDX, LG G Pad 8.3 (including the preferred Google Play Edition), and Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. These tablets all pack 270+ PPI screens, and fall within that 7- to 8.4-in compact size range. With so many strong rivals breathing down its neck, can we still, in good faith, recommend the 2013 Nexus 7?

The 2013 Nexus 7 is 8.7 mm thick

You bet. The biggest factor in the Nexus 7's resilience is the overall value it provides. Starting at US$230, it's tied with the Kindle Fire HDX for the cheapest in that bunch. If you just want a basic media tablet, then the Fire gives you a faster processor and longer battery life. But if you're looking for a more versatile operating system and a more robust app selection, the Fire's software can be a deal-breaker. The Nexus 7 gives you the latest version of stock Android (4.4.2 KitKat) along with the Play Store and all of Google's services. The Fire HDX has none of the above.

As for the others? Well, the G Pad 8.3 starts at $350, and the Retina iPad mini and the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 start at $400. That's a $120-170 savings that the Nexus 7 gives you. Of course it also has a smaller screen, but if you can live with its 7-in display then its balance of hardware and software is hard to beat.

Unless you hack it, the Nexus 7's navigation bar will be on your screen in all but a few apps

Six months later, that screen size is still the biggest compromise that the Nexus 7 begs of you. In the standard configuration, with navigation bar (like you see above) firmly planted on the bottom of the screen and status bar living on top, it's pretty cramped. I personally find this too small to use as my main tablet – especially with all of these great 8-in tablets with razor-sharp screens now sitting next to it.

But if you're comfortable with a little hacking, you can vastly improve the Nexus 7's available real estate. I rooted the tablet (fairly easy if you're familiar with these things, pretty difficult if you aren't) and added a few tweaks that let every app use 100 percent of the screen. I use pie controls (familiar to anyone who's ever run a Cyanogenmod or Paranoid Android ROM) for navigation, which I find to be quicker and easier to use than the stock navbar. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, slide your finger towards the home, back, or recent apps button on the small half-wheel that pops up, and enjoy the best of both worlds: easy navigation and ample screen real estate.

If you aren't averse to a little hacking, you can root the Nexus 7 and use the full screen, replacing the navigation bar with a slide-out set of pie controls

If you're considering such a tweak, then there are several ways to go about it. The best and easiest way I found was, after rooting, to install the device-liberating Xposed Installer along with a feature-filled Xposed module called GravityBox. GravityBox let me set the status bar to immersive mode (it stays hidden until you swipe down from the top of the screen) and hide the standard navigation bar completely. That's also where I set up that aforementioned pie launcher.

All in all, it's a terrific setup. And though rooting isn't for the faint of heart, if you proceed carefully it can basically take all compromise out of the Nexus 7's smallish screen. If you aren't comfortable with such hacking (and the warranty-breaking risk that always accompanies it) then you might want to first play with a Nexus 7 in a store to see if its available screen area – after accounting for the navbar and status bar – is too small for you.

The Nexus 7's matte plastic finish is similar to that of the Nexus 5

The Nexus 7 is very light (290 g) and pretty comfortable to hold. My biggest beef is that it has very thin side bezels (similar to the iPad mini), but Google didn't add any code that rejects accidental touches on the edge of the screen. Apple did that with both the iPad Air and iPad mini and it makes a huge difference. You can get a good grip on the side of the tablet (in portrait mode) without any worry. On the Nexus 7 you have to hold onto only the bezel, or end up registering your grip as a touch on the screen.

A huge deal? No way – and you can always hold it in landscape to avoid this problem altogether. But I think it's still significant enough to note.

The Android 4.4.2 brings a few nice tweaks, but don't expect a dramatically different user-end experience

As for the update to Android 4.4.2 KitKat (it ran 4.3 Jelly Bean when it launched), I don't think it makes a huge difference on the user end. KitKat's most obvious experiential upgrade, the Google Now launcher, isn't yet on the Nexus 7. And Android's new immersive mode, similar to the full-screen hack I mentioned, only pops up in a short list of select apps (Google Play Books, YouTube, and Instapaper, to name a few). KitKat also gives you some performance tweaks, as well as some nice features like built-in cloud printing. But don't expect a radically different experience from the Jelly Bean-running Nexus 7 we reviewed last July.

Battery life isn't amazing, but it should get all but the heaviest users through a full day

Battery life still isn't amazing, though it's probably going to last long enough for most typical use. We ran it through a test where we streamed video with brightness set at 75 percent, and it only lasted about three hours and 20 minutes. That's way off the pace set by the Retina iPad mini in the same test (it lasted almost 11 hours). Fortunately the Nexus 7's screen is very bright – significantly brighter than the iPad mini's – so that likely accounts for some of the discrepancy. I usually find about 30-50 percent brightness on the Nexus 7 to be plenty light, even during daytime. This lower setting really extends those uptimes. Even with my heavier-than-typical use, I rarely have any problems getting through a full day with the Nexus 7.

Performance wasn't an issue when we originally reviewed the Nexus 7, and it still isn't. Sure, its Snapdragon S4 Pro is a generation behind record-setting Snapdragon 800 devices like the Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 5, but in terms of experience I'd say they're both well past the point of concern. I've never noticed any lag, choppiness, or frame rate issues in any app I've used on the Nexus 7.

The Nexus 7 has narrow bezels, which reduce its footprint, but also make it sometimes awkward to hold in portrait mode

So to answer the question we posed in the title – is the 2013 Nexus 7 still one of the best tablets – the answer is still an unequivocal "yes." It has a terrific, sharp, and bright display. It's very compact and light. It runs the latest version of Android – with no custom skins or bloatware in sight. Its battery life could be better, it could be more comfortable to hold in portrait mode, and if left unhacked its screen can be cramped. But there are ways around all of these minor issues. And with a $230 starting price, it's really hard to be too picky. Six months later the 2nd-gen Nexus 7 is still a high-end tablet with a low-end price tag. Still great, still highly recommended – with only a few minor caveats.

You can pick up the Google/Asus Nexus 7 (2013) from Google's product page below, or from a variety of online and brick & mortar retailers.

Product page: Google Play

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10 comments
CDB007
I disagree. I've tried the ones you mention and none gives me greater capability anywhere, anytime and with greater ease than Microsoft Surface Pro 2 with a 512 GB hard drive.
apropos626
@CDB007 a device that costs over 7 times the price better be more capable. Greater ease is personal opinion.
Henry Ho
obviously you don't own one. Nexus 7 2013 restarts everyday on its own.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=nexus+7+random+reboot
Alice Smith
I would be more interested in the Nexus 7 if it were not for the fact it doesn't have an SD card slot for extra storage. From personal experience, I know how fast those internal storages can fill up. It's not worth it to me to get something that I can't slide videos, audios, and graphics on to.
Duane Douglas
I own a Nexus 7 2013 and I agree that it's one of the best tablets available. According to Google (in the aforementioned link), the tablet doesn't automatically reboot unless an incompatible app is installed. 16 GB of storage probably isn't enough for a power user. However, the 32 GB model has enough storage for hundreds or thousands of Android apps. I don't want or need many GBs of data stored on my tablet. I suspect the same is true for most users
EG
Don't bother with the Nexus 7, stay away. After 6 months of very light usage (it never left my living room), it stopped booting altogether and this piece of junk is now completely dead. Apparently many, many people are experiencing the same problem, which is related to a drained battery. I've received absolutely no customer service help from Google or ASUS. Garbage.
Rob Hruska
I have one... Not impressed. Sometimes requires 5 presses before anything happens. I bought it because it was half the price of a iPad, but it is twice the frustration. Auto correct is poor, voice recognition is poor... If this is the best Android tablet, Apple has nothing to worry about.
cazardee
My first android device, and I'm not happy with it. The screen is very nice, however there are too many bugs - worst one being the touchscreen won't respond after bringing it out of sleep mode. Also, the unit overheats while playing a game, and the battery is not great. I should have gone with my first instinct and purchased an iPad mini.
Albert Lacsamana
a piece of garbage! only three months of slight use and care of the tablet, i saw a crack (like a spider web) and the touch screen doesn't respond well anymore. stay away from it
Eballtr
I completely disagree with the other comments. Im writing this with my Google Nexus 7 I've had for 4 months and use it heavily for gaming and web browsing and couldn't be happier. It has also proven to be resialant. I was using it over laminate flooring and dropped it, upon picking it up the only damage was a scuffed corner. It also has an ultra sensitive touch screen.