Is it worth replacing an iPad 2 with a Nexus 7?

[Holte139]

Hi everyone. I have a 32gb iPad 2 which is great for helping me with my studying and iCloud is a great help with my Mac and iPhone 5 too.

The only problem is that I feel I can't really justify spending nearly £500 on another 32gb iPad which will be out of date in a year. I've always said that as soon as the iPad 2 stops supporting the iOS updates I'll upgrade to the latest iPad at that time, but I've been really interested in Android tablets lately given the rave reviews some have been getting, particularly the Nexus 7.

If I'm going to spend money on something that is going to be out of date within a year, I'd rather spend just £200 on it instead of nearly £500. Plus, I'm thinking that if I get an Android tablet I can have a 'foot in both camps' so to speak, to make it easier to switch between Apple and Android phones and tablets in future. Oh and I should also just quickly mention that I've never owned an Android device before.

So, what do you guys think? Is the Nexus 7 a worthwhile upgrade on the iPad 2? I would sell the iPad to put some money towards it. Is the availability of apps on Android still bad compared to Apple?

 

[rocknblogger]

Hi everyone. I have a 32gb iPad 2 which is great for helping me with my studying and iCloud is a great help with my Mac and iPhone 5 too.

The only problem is that I feel I can't really justify spending nearly £500 on another 32gb iPad which will be out of date in a year. I've always said that as soon as the iPad 2 stops supporting the iOS updates I'll upgrade to the latest iPad at that time, but I've been really interested in Android tablets lately given the rave reviews some have been getting, particularly the Nexus 7.

If I'm going to spend money on something that is going to be out of date within a year, I'd rather spend just £200 on it instead of nearly £500. Plus, I'm thinking that if I get an Android tablet I can have a 'foot in both camps' so to speak, to make it easier to switch between Apple and Android phones and tablets in future. Oh and I should also just quickly mention that I've never owned an Android device before.

So, what do you guys think? Is the Nexus 7 a worthwhile upgrade on the iPad 2? I would sell the iPad to put some money towards it. Is the availability of apps on Android still bad compared to Apple?

I don't understand your logic. You have an iPad 2 which still works fine (That's what I still have too) but you say that a new iPad will be outdated within a year. How do you come to that conclusion? My wife still uses the original iPad and it still works well.

I have a Nexus 7 and while I like it I don't think it's a replacement for my iPad. There are certain apps that I use that are not available on android and having iCloud sync is a pretty important part of the whole Apple experience for me. We have iPhones iPads and Macs, so syncing everything is a big deal to me.

You can try it but I honestly don't think you'll be satisfied, unless all the apps that you use are available on Android. That's something you need to research before making your decision.

 

[blackhand1001]

Hi everyone. I have a 32gb iPad 2 which is great for helping me with my studying and iCloud is a great help with my Mac and iPhone 5 too.

The only problem is that I feel I can't really justify spending nearly £500 on another 32gb iPad which will be out of date in a year. I've always said that as soon as the iPad 2 stops supporting the iOS updates I'll upgrade to the latest iPad at that time, but I've been really interested in Android tablets lately given the rave reviews some have been getting, particularly the Nexus 7.

If I'm going to spend money on something that is going to be out of date within a year, I'd rather spend just £200 on it instead of nearly £500. Plus, I'm thinking that if I get an Android tablet I can have a 'foot in both camps' so to speak, to make it easier to switch between Apple and Android phones and tablets in future. Oh and I should also just quickly mention that I've never owned an Android device before.

So, what do you guys think? Is the Nexus 7 a worthwhile upgrade on the iPad 2? I would sell the iPad to put some money towards it. Is the availability of apps on Android still bad compared to Apple?

I would wait for the refreshed nexus 7 to come out in a few months from now. The current one is great but the new one will be much faster.

 

[Holte139]

Thanks for your input rocknblogger. It's mainly just about the cost for me. I think a lot of the 'iPad experience' is in having the latest one, and it's quite galling shelling out so much for something that will be superseded so quickly. Obviously I know about that when I buy things, but I'll be graduating in the summer and hopefully working soon, so I've been thinking about costs a lot lately!

So I can sell off my old iPad 2, which may or may not support iOS 7, and get a newer, more up-to-date tablet for a very small price considering the money I'll have made on the iPad 2. Not only that, but if I want to upgrade again in the future I can do so for much cheaper.

 

[Hail Caesar]

Heck no, i use an ipad 2 and it still works brilliantly. Nexus 7 is downgrade from an iPad anyway.

 

[chagla]

Hi everyone. I have a 32gb iPad 2 which is great for helping me with my studying and iCloud is a great help with my Mac and iPhone 5 too.

The only problem is that I feel I can't really justify spending nearly £500 on another 32gb iPad which will be out of date in a year. I've always said that as soon as the iPad 2 stops supporting the iOS updates I'll upgrade to the latest iPad at that time, but I've been really interested in Android tablets lately given the rave reviews some have been getting, particularly the Nexus 7.

If I'm going to spend money on something that is going to be out of date within a year, I'd rather spend just £200 on it instead of nearly £500. Plus, I'm thinking that if I get an Android tablet I can have a 'foot in both camps' so to speak, to make it easier to switch between Apple and Android phones and tablets in future. Oh and I should also just quickly mention that I've never owned an Android device before.

So, what do you guys think? Is the Nexus 7 a worthwhile upgrade on the iPad 2? I would sell the iPad to put some money towards it. Is the availability of apps on Android still bad compared to Apple?

Nexus 7 is great, but like another poster has pointed out they will release a new version soon.

There's also Galaxy Note 8, and Asus FonePad (179 quids).

Try Android with an open mind. I think you will be astonished. You can use the device AS-IT-IS but you can also fine tune pretty much every aspect.

 

[jamojamo]

I have a Nexus 7 and enjoy using it. I also have an iPad 3 and use it as well.

I don't get the whole, "there is a new version out so mine is obsolete" - especially for someone in college/university.

All in all though, it's your money and only your opinion on worth will matter anyway. You did get some good advice up above though on checking for all your required apps, etc.

 

[mattopotamus]

Depends on what products you use in your house. Do you have apple tvs and airports? Do you have an iPhone? I currently have a nexus 4 but a lot of apple products in my house that function a lot better with an ipad.

 

[fredaroony]

Heck no, i use an ipad 2 and it still works brilliantly. Nexus 7 is downgrade from an iPad anyway.

How is it a downgrade?

 

[Holte139]

Depends on what products you use in your house. Do you have apple tvs and airports? Do you have an iPhone? I currently have a nexus 4 but a lot of apple products in my house that function a lot better with an ipad.

I have a Mac and an iPhone 5. I use the iPhone 5 more than the iPad though, so regarding iCloud and syncing and those types of things I think I'd miss the iPhone a lot more than the iPad.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Heck no. Keep the iPad 2. Don't spend money when you don't have to. A Nexus 7 isn't an upgrade, like others are saying. You're going to regret it. It's cheap because it's cheap.The iPad 1 is even miles ahead of it.

 

[Lindsford]

I wouldn't go from iPad 2 to a Nexus 7. The 16:9 Ratio is meh, for anything other then watching 16:9 content on.

 

[blackhand1001]

I wouldn't go from iPad 2 to a Nexus 7. The 16:9 Ratio is meh, for anything other then watching 16:9 content on.

Its not 16x9, its 16x10.

 

[Zmanbaseball2]

How about the galaxy tab 2 7 or 10.1" line up?
$280 at Costco or $320 on amazon for the 10.1"
$180 for 7"


Sent from my iPod touch 5G using Tapatalk 2

 

[mantan]

I vote no.

I bought an Ipad 2 for my wife shortly after it came out. I absolutely love it when I use it.

I had planned on buying a Mini when it came out, bought the N7 instead. I really wanted to love it..great reviews, great price.

But the lack of tablet apps, the increasing laginess, daily crashes, inaccurate touchscreen, wifi range etc. have sucked the fun out of it.

I bought a Mini for my mom last week. I played around with it after setting it up and on the trip down made me realize how much more polished the product is than the N7. I really wanted to love the N7...and it has some great features, but there is no way I'd dump it for an iPad. Heck, I'm about to dump my N7 to get me a Mini.

 

[Booji]

I vote no.

I bought an Ipad 2 for my wife shortly after it came out. I absolutely love it when I use it.

I had planned on buying a Mini when it came out, bought the N7 instead. I really wanted to love it..great reviews, great price.

But the lack of tablet apps, the increasing laginess, daily crashes, inaccurate touchscreen, wifi range etc. have sucked the fun out of it.

I bought a Mini for my mom last week. I played around with it after setting it up and on the trip down made me realize how much more polished the product is than the N7. I really wanted to love the N7...and it has some great features, but there is no way I'd dump it for an iPad. Heck, I'm about to dump my N7 to get me a Mini.

I've had an N7 for 5 months now and totally agree. Android is no comparison to iOS for usability. I really liked it at first, but after a while it was the Android ecosystem and lousy apps that are not optimized for a tablet make the difference.

I bought the N7 because it was cheaper and I was "Android curious". Now I know for myself.

 

[AQUADock]

Its not 16x9, its 16x10.

True, but the actual usable space for content is 16:9.

 

[Gav2k]

I'd base it on consumption.

Videos 16x9 nexus
Reading/web use ipad2

Personally I prefer iPads. The app quality is a lot better.

 

[chagla]

Heck no. Keep the iPad 2. Don't spend money when you don't have to. A Nexus 7 isn't an upgrade, like others are saying. You're going to regret it. It's cheap because it's cheap.The iPad 1 is even miles ahead of it.

So if nexus 7 was priced $800, it would be a better product?

Ipad1 is "miles ahead" of Nexus 7? please enlighten us.

 

[Jessica Lares]

So if nexus 7 was priced $800, it would be a better product?

Ipad1 is "miles ahead" of Nexus 7? please enlighten us.

Please don't turn a blind eye on the iPad just because you like Android. I'm an Android user too, and even I know the difference between what the two can do.

The Nexus 7 is a consumption device. It is designed for people who browse the internet, watch movies, play music, and play games. For everything else, it's not a very good experience. It feels very cramped because of the screen ratio.

And yes, better than the iPad 1. Watch the keynote introduction from 2010.

 

[hovscorpion12]

I would actually suggest the Samsung galaxy Tab 10.1 as it comes with samsung's touchwiz, Multi window up to 8 apps, Quad core 1.6ghz, 2GB RAM and i comes with the S Pen.

 

[adnbek]

I had a nexus 7 for a while. I found it to be more portable than my mini due to it being narrower and can be easily held in one hand, but it's screen ratio ain't the best for browsing and reading.

Also, one advantage with iPad is that apps are specifically built for it and take full advantage of the screen real estate. Since Android is resolution independent, some developers will take the easy route and just take their phone apps and stretch to fill the screen instead of creating a new UI specifically made for the larger screen.

Android is more customizable though so it does have that going for it and the screen ratio is perfect for watching movies.

I prefer my mini because of the quality of the apps and the screen ratio (for what I use it for) but nexus 7 is a pretty good device as well. But if you go for the mini, wait for the next gen because lack of retina does make the text fuzzy enough to annoy me.

 

[Holte139]

Also, one advantage with iPad is that apps are specifically built for it and take full advantage of the screen real estate. Since Android is resolution independent, some developers will take the easy route and just take their phone apps and stretch to fill the screen instead of creating a new UI specifically made for the larger screen.

That was one thing I forgot to mention in my opening post! I've had a look on Google Play and there aren't many apps I'd be missing out on, but it doesn't look like they've been optimised for the Nexus 7.

It definitely sounds like I'll be sticking with my iPad 2 for now!

 

[Lindsford]

Its not 16x9, its 16x10.

Ok, usable is 16:9, Point still remains. TERRIBLE aspect ratio for a tab.

Not to mention 7.9" 4:3 is much more surface area then the 7" 16:10....

 

[Essenar]

The N7 is not even remotely a replacement for a full sized iPad. I have a Mini which I consider to be significantly bigger than the N7 (since I've owned both) and reading books, viewing full sized web pages is much more rewarding with an 8" or larger screen.

The N7 to me is a great device to complement an iPad but not to replace it. If your'e going to straight up get rid of the iPad 2 for an N7, it's more of a move to newer technology without losing money because you can easily get $225-250 for your iPad 2 which would be enough money to get you a 32GB N7.

However, it's not a straight upgrade by far.