Considering Nexus 7 - what issues should I check for?

[C5Longhorn]

I'm considering a Nexus 7 but have been reading about touchscreen issues and Google's apparent failure to recognize and acknowledge the issue.

If I try out a Nexus 7, how can I check for the reported issues?

Any additional info would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Rick

 

[Nickwell24]

As someone who recently sold their iPad to get the Nexus 7 let me share my experiences. Yes Android app store is normally cheaper, the hardware is a fraction of the cost, and the Nexus 7 is capable of everything the iPad is and then some (namely emulators for my purpose).

However, after using an iPad Mini for nearly a year I can say these things:
- The touchscreen in the Nexus 7 is not as precise as you get with an iPad
- The OS is not as stable, mine reboots at least once a day on heavy use days.
- The apps are not as well written, one example is World Series of Poker, works perfect on iOS - won't run on android.

Just keep those things in consideration before writing off the iPad for the nexus. The ecosystem is just one piece of the puzzle. I'll likely keep my Nexus for the emulators but get another iPad to replace the one I sold.

 

[C5Longhorn]

Thank you for the reply. Very good info. I just sold my Ipad 3 and was thinking about a Nexus 7 to hold me over until I make a decision on the Air or hold off until the next version.

Now, I just may bite the bullet and pick up an Air.

Rick

 

[onthecouchagain]

I'm very curious, why does Android have so much "trouble" on the tablet? I've heard of touch screen issues and random reboots -- why is this?

I don't hear such things for the Nexus 4...

Why is Android not as buttoned up on the tablet front as it is on the smartphone front? For example, Chrome runs incredibly well on my One, but is a bit funky on my Nexus 7 (2013). Why is this?

 

[C5Longhorn]

I'm very curious, why does Android have so much "trouble" on the tablet? I've heard of touch screen issues and random reboots -- why is this?

I don't hear such things for the Nexus 4...

Why is Android not as buttoned up on the tablet front as it is on the smartphone front? For example, Chrome runs incredibly well on my One, but is a bit funky on my Nexus 7 (2013). Why is this?

Are you having issues with your 7?

 

[onthecouchagain]

Are you having issues with your 7?

We bought three Nexus 7's (all 32GBs) from Best Buy when they first came out. Two of them were perfect. Mine -- lucky me -- had the touch screen issue. I brought it back to Best Buy and got it exchanged. The new one hasn't had any problems since.

But I've heard of random reboots and continued touchscreen issues from others.

And overall, the Android tablet experience just doesn't feel as buttoned up and tight as the Android smartphone experience. I'm not sure why this is. It's perplexing.

 

[scott craft]

I've got a Nexus 7 I bought around February. The touch accuracy isn't quite what it should be at times, but for the price I'm not going to complain. I wouldn't mind trying an iPad or a higher end Android tablet down the road to see if the experience is a bit better.

 

[AAPLinc]

I thought the touchscreen issues weren't as common, and I could have sworn the touchscreen (multi-touch) issues were fixed by an update?

Asus has a little problem with QC, so there are a few things to look out for. I myself went through 2 N7s before I found the perfect one I have.

The first one I had, the wireless charging didn't work, I Googled it and it wasn't extremely common but was common enough to have a topic about it on XDA forums. Something about the contacts being dirty. Swapped it out no problems. I went out and spent 35$ on a wireless charger so there's no way I was gonna live with that.

The next one, the power button wasn't very springy (with my tpu case on, the power button could barely be pressed) so I replaced it and finally got a perfect one.

Normally after two (even minorly) defective units someone would just choose another product but I freaking love this tablet. It's shockingly fast for a 229$ tablet, has an amazing display, great portability, a nice sleek look with pretty durable materials and again, just blazing fast. Amazing specs for the price and it puts up a great fight against tablets twice the price.

I really recommend it. It's my first Android experience and it's a good one.

----------

I've got a Nexus 7 I bought around February. The touch accuracy isn't quite what it should be at times, but for the price I'm not going to complain. I wouldn't mind trying an iPad or a higher end Android tablet down the road to see if the experience is a bit better.

He's talking about the new N7, which in my opinion blows the old one away.

The new one also didn't have as many QC issues as the original. Asus stepped it up a bit for the second iteration.

 

[Saturn1217]

I am typing this on a Nexus 7. Love this thing. But for the love of all that is good check the touch responsiveness. There are apps on the play store that will help you detect fantom touches. But even with those apps I feel like my Nexus 7 is not quite right (although still completely usable)

Good luck with your purchase.

PS I used YAMTT to test the touch screen. Available on Google play. No root or anything special needed. You just want to make sure the dots follow your fingers.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I'm gonna try it now.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rn.yamtt&hl=en

 

[C5Longhorn]

I am typing this on a Nexus 7. Love this thing. But for the love of all that is good check the touch responsiveness. There are apps on the play store that will help you detect fantom touches. But even with those apps I feel like my Nexus 7 is not quite right (although still completely usable)

Good luck with your purchase.

PS I used YAMTT to test the touch screen. Available on Google play. No root or anything special needed. You just want to make sure the dots follow your fingers.

Thanks for the response, this is exactly the type of advice I'm looking for.

 

[AAPLinc]

I am typing this on a Nexus 7. Love this thing. But for the love of all that is good check the touch responsiveness. There are apps on the play store that will help you detect fantom touches. But even with those apps I feel like my Nexus 7 is not quite right (although still completely usable)

Good luck with your purchase.

PS I used YAMTT to test the touch screen. Available on Google play. No root or anything special needed. You just want to make sure the dots follow your fingers.

I did two different multi touch and touch screen apps and both showed no issues.

Again I don't think the multi touch issues were as widespread, pretty sure they were for the first generation.

I think the new Nexus 7 is a great purchase. Let us know what you decide. I'm typing on mine now!

 

[b166er]

I can't stand Android on a tablet. I don't know why, it just sucks. When I compare my Nexus 7 to any Android phone I've used lately, it's garbage. I miss my iPad 2 dearly and plan to get a new iPad in a couple weeks, as soon as I decide on full size VS mini.

 

[mpayne2k]

As someone who recently sold their iPad to get the Nexus 7 let me share my experiences. Yes Android app store is normally cheaper, the hardware is a fraction of the cost, and the Nexus 7 is capable of everything the iPad is and then some (namely emulators for my purpose).

However, after using an iPad Mini for nearly a year I can say these things:
- The touchscreen in the Nexus 7 is not as precise as you get with an iPad
- The OS is not as stable, mine reboots at least once a day on heavy use days.
- The apps are not as well written, one example is World Series of Poker, works perfect on iOS - won't run on android.

Just keep those things in consideration before writing off the iPad for the nexus. The ecosystem is just one piece of the puzzle. I'll likely keep my Nexus for the emulators but get another iPad to replace the one I sold.

Agreed, have the following to add:

I've never had the following problems with any iPad, but do with Nex7:
-Hissing sound from speakers at low volumes (especially noticeable in spoken word podcasts)
-Battery drain like crazy from rogue apps (you have to really manage apps on Android otherwise you'll get only 3-4 hours of battery life and no standby)
-Even google apps cause the tablet to hang and reboot (looking at you YouTube and Chrome!)
-Along the lines of responsiveness, some users report, and I've experienced as well the "ghost" taps on the Nexus 7 screen. This is annoying especially when typing in Portrait mode where letters just won't type or random letters across the keyboard blurt out and you have to delete them away and try again!

 

[tech4all]

- The OS is not as stable, mine reboots at least once a day on heavy use days.

Then something is wrong with your N7. Mine has never rebooted on it's own once. Not saying you're lying, just mentioning the fact that I'm sure your situation is unique or at least not a common issue.

- The apps are not as well written, one example is World Series of Poker, works perfect on iOS - won't run on android.

Meh, the apps I use seem work just fine and smooth. Words with Friends is laggy, but I think that's just the nature of the app from what I've read. Otherwise all apps are smooth and responsive.

I can't stand Android on a tablet. I don't know why, it just sucks. When I compare my Nexus 7 to any Android phone I've used lately, it's garbage. I miss my iPad 2 dearly and plan to get a new iPad in a couple weeks, as soon as I decide on full size VS mini.

Why not?

Nonetheless, I would have to disagree with that. I'm fine with Android on by GNexus and N7. Both offer the same performance and experience. Course screen size is different.

 

[macred]

I have both a 2013 Nexus 7, and an iPad mini.

Both are quite nice, the Nexus 7 is running Android 4.3, as is the Galaxy Note 3 I'm composing this post on.

Other than personal preferences, I have zero issues with either touch screen, perhaps I just got lucky. Smooth fast and responsive describes my tablets. That said, my Galaxy Note 3 is indeed faster when using Swype, just like I use on the Nexus.

In fairness the lack of SWYPE in the iPad mini takes it out of input comparison. I've had lots of time on both tablets since I bought them on their respective release dates, just as I have with this recently released Galaxy Note 3.

As one who thrives on variety and choices, I find Android and iOS complementary platforms.

 

[R.Stoychev]

I'm pretty happy with my with my nexus 7, I go for the nexus 7 because I want to try different os, for me stock android looks good on it . No problems at all with the touch screen

 

[C5Longhorn]

I appreciate all the feedback, good stuff. I'm probably going to try a Nexus 7 but will also be waiting to hear feedback from iPad teardowns as well as any news on the upcoming latest Nexus 10.

Rick

 

[C5Longhorn]

Bringing this to the top again as I'm considering a nexus 7 32gb wifi that was purchased in mid August.

Is there Ny reason to think those having issues with a 2013 Nexus 7 may have a device from a certain manufactured batch?

Thanks,

Rick

 

[sixrom]

Bringing this to the top again as I'm considering a nexus 7 32gb wifi that was purchased in mid August.

Is there Ny reason to think those having issues with a 2013 Nexus 7 may have a device from a certain manufactured batch?

Thanks,

Rick

Here's my personal experience, nothing more. I like iOS & Android each for their strengths, neither are perfect. Nor do I exaggerate any faults, or annoyances I experience as I'm not biased. Because I can, I always have the latest versions of each device / OS I'm commenting on.

That said I have had excellent performance from my early 2013 32GB Nexus 7. The touchscreen responsiveness is improved over my 2012 Nexus 7. In fact it's every bit as good as my iPad mini. I am very happy with my Nexus 7, so are three other friends of mine that have them.

 

[C5Longhorn]

Thanks, great to hear. I have a 16gb Nexus 7 and I've been very happy with it as well.

Rick

 

[jrswizzle]

I can't stand Android on a tablet. I don't know why, it just sucks. When I compare my Nexus 7 to any Android phone I've used lately, it's garbage. I miss my iPad 2 dearly and plan to get a new iPad in a couple weeks, as soon as I decide on full size VS mini.

I tell you what - if the mini's form factor wasn't so damn perfect, I'd be all over the Air. What an amazing device! The display is spectacular and the device just screams....

I keep trying to figure out a way I can get both lol

 

[tbayrgs]

I tell you what - if the mini's form factor wasn't so damn perfect, I'd be all over the Air. What an amazing device! The display is spectacular and the device just screams....

I keep trying to figure out a way I can get both lol

Yup, fell for the iPad Mini, horrible display resolution, outdated CPU and all () last year pretty much because of the form factor. Thought I wouldn't move away from it...until I tried and iPad Air and now I'm back on the full size bandwagon. The reduction in size/weight is so significant, it's a joy to use. Obviously it's not as portable as the mini but the extra screen real estate is so nice and the Air is very comfortable to hold for long periods of time.

 

[AAPLinc]

Yup, fell for the iPad Mini, horrible display resolution, outdated CPU and all () last year pretty much because of the form factor. Thought I wouldn't move away from it...until I tried and iPad Air and now I'm back on the full size bandwagon. The reduction in size/weight is so significant, it's a joy to use. Obviously it's not as portable as the mini but the extra screen real estate is so nice and the Air is very comfortable to hold for long periods of time.

Okay, back to the Nexus.