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Faux Carnival

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 1, 2010
697
2
Hi, I need a 7" tablet now. I'm planning to get a N7 since I still think that it's the best value tablet on the market. However, the fact that it'll be updated soon makes me think twice. Should I buy a N7 now?
 

Rodster

macrumors 68040
May 15, 2007
3,177
6
You answered your own question. If you need something NOW, why wait? As far as a new Nexus tablet to replace the N7, nothing has been announced. If anything the rumor is it will be an 8-9" tablet.
 

mpayne2k

macrumors 6502a
May 12, 2010
876
63
Refurbished N7s can be found for around $150 (16gb) or $170 (32gb) on eBay. That'll save you some dough and not make it sting so much if a new one is released this year.
 

Lloydbm41

Suspended
Oct 17, 2013
4,019
1,456
Central California
Hi, I need a 7" tablet now. I'm planning to get a N7 since I still think that it's the best value tablet on the market. However, the fact that it'll be updated soon makes me think twice. Should I buy a N7 now?

I own both generations of the Nexus 7 and can tell you unequivocally, 'Avoid anything built by Asus'. Their tablet hardware is utter junk. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to smash my N7 against the floor because the touch interface is garbage. Ghost taps, screen will go wild with hundreds of simultaneous taps or just register the tap in the wrong place.

Sending the tablet in for warranty replacement from Google just gets you another tablet with the same issue. You can actually separate the back cover very easily with just your fingernail and disconnect/reconnect the display connector which helps for a few days.

Point is avoid Asus like the plague. Get an iPad Mini or wait for the HTC Nexus 8.
 

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
Sold both of the generations I owned.

I say go try one at BB if possible and also look at what else is currently available on the market that you can get your hands on to try but 7 inch tablets will soon be the thing of the past.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,878
10,987
I own both generations of the Nexus 7 and can tell you unequivocally, 'Avoid anything built by Asus'. Their tablet hardware is utter junk. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to smash my N7 against the floor because the touch interface is garbage. Ghost taps, screen will go wild with hundreds of simultaneous taps or just register the tap in the wrong place.

Sending the tablet in for warranty replacement from Google just gets you another tablet with the same issue. You can actually separate the back cover very easily with just your fingernail and disconnect/reconnect the display connector which helps for a few days.

Point is avoid Asus like the plague. Get an iPad Mini or wait for the HTC Nexus 8.

Never had one problem with the Nexus 7(2013).
 

severage

macrumors regular
Oct 13, 2013
106
1
I own both generations of the Nexus 7 and can tell you unequivocally, 'Avoid anything built by Asus'. Their tablet hardware is utter junk. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to smash my N7 against the floor because the touch interface is garbage. Ghost taps, screen will go wild with hundreds of simultaneous taps or just register the tap in the wrong place.

Sending the tablet in for warranty replacement from Google just gets you another tablet with the same issue. You can actually separate the back cover very easily with just your fingernail and disconnect/reconnect the display connector which helps for a few days.

Point is avoid Asus like the plague. Get an iPad Mini or wait for the HTC Nexus 8.

I'll have to disagree. I've had a few minor issues with ghost taps, but thats very rare, and I think it may have something to do with the humidity.

Other than that, its a wonderful little tablet for the $230 I spent. It may not be aluminum like the iPad, or quite as smooth in browsing, but the plastic back is very comfortable, the thin bezels are attractive, and the resolution is incredibly sharp. Color reproduction and performance are also very good.

I think its a great tablet. OP, you should definitely get one.
 

rhinosrcool

macrumors 68000
Sep 5, 2009
1,761
695
MN
I own both generations of the Nexus 7 and can tell you unequivocally, 'Avoid anything built by Asus'. Their tablet hardware is utter junk. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to smash my N7 against the floor because the touch interface is garbage. Ghost taps, screen will go wild with hundreds of simultaneous taps or just register the tap in the wrong place.

Sending the tablet in for warranty replacement from Google just gets you another tablet with the same issue. You can actually separate the back cover very easily with just your fingernail and disconnect/reconnect the display connector which helps for a few days.

Point is avoid Asus like the plague. Get an iPad Mini or wait for the HTC Nexus 8.

I have to disagree, also. Since late Dec 2013, I've had my Nexus 7 2013 and it not only performs wonderfully, but it still looks new. Its size is great for ebook reading and using in portrait. As yet, I haven't tried Android L (developer edition), but it looks promising. For deals, look on amazon.

Just finished watching the World Cup on my nexus 7. Nice!
 
Last edited:

Lloydbm41

Suspended
Oct 17, 2013
4,019
1,456
Central California
The ghost tapping is a well known issue with the 2013 version of the Nexus 7 and an extreme PIA. Google search and look to XDA forums and you'll see how bad the situation is.

I keep my electronics in pristine condition and when done using them they go into their original packaging and boxes and stored. I get them out every few months to charge and cycle the electrons. Out of all my devices, only the Asus Nexus 7's have given me any real issues. The first gen Nexus 7 is plagued with the bad memory chips and slows to a crawl after a few days of use after a reset.

I can not and will not ever recommend an Asus product to anyone. This is why I was extremely happy to hear Asus did not get the Nexus 8 contract. I'm sure Google got tired of Asus' incompetence as well.
 

three

Cancelled
Jan 22, 2008
1,484
1,225
Go for it. I've had issues with mine (random rebooting) but I still love it. I've seen Asus refurbished ones going for as low as $130 online.
 

Sensamic

macrumors 68040
Mar 26, 2010
3,072
689
Definitely.

Nexus 7 is the best tablet IMO and it has a lot of good years ahead thanks to official updates + unofficial updates thanks to the XDA community.

Plus those specs are great for many years to come.
 

skallal

macrumors member
Aug 24, 2012
56
1
I also have the Nexus 7 2013 and don't have any of the problems mentioned in this thread. It has been reliable and solid.

There is one area where I prefer my iPad 3, which is handwriting. I am referring to hand written notes, not necessarily handwriting recognition. The iPad 3 is much more responsive than the Nexus 7. This I find interesting because the Nexus has much faster hardware, yet the touch experience is sluggish. It is more than adequate for simple gestures, but can't handle pen input using a capacitive stylus. Neither device has a digitizer, yet my older iPad handles handwriting nicely with a decent passive stylus. I would imagine the newer iPads would be even better.

About Asus: I've had really bad experiences with other Asus Android tablets, specifically two different Transformer models. Yet the N7 2013 has been a pleasure to use, even though manufactured by Asus. I'll see how well it holds up in the future. Fingers crossed!
 

Dontazemebro

macrumors 68020
Jul 23, 2010
2,173
0
I dunno, somewhere in West Texas
I hate the build quality on the new 2013 model. I had mine all dressed up in the flip case ($50 wasted) when it took a tumble off the desk and landed on the backside. Screen cracked a quarter inch from the bottom going diagonally across the screen at an angle. All touch input above crack gone. Cost of a new digitizer + LCD screen is more than the friggin cost of the device. The only things tempting me to fix it are the vested accessories, oh and the latest software.
 
Last edited:

Breaking Good

macrumors 65816
Sep 28, 2012
1,451
1,225
Last week Groupon had the 32GB + LTE model for US$170.

That was too good of a price for me to pass up so I snagged one.
 

severage

macrumors regular
Oct 13, 2013
106
1
Coincidentally I accidentally dropped my Nexus 7 a few hours ago, no case, from about 4 feet up.

Granted, it was carpet, but not a scratch or dent yet to be seen.
 

UncleSchnitty

macrumors 6502a
Oct 26, 2007
851
14
I love my 2013 Nexus 7, Ive never had any issues. I also like the fact that it gets the latest software. Is the build quality as good as Apple or even Htc or Samsung? No. But in a case I don't really notice.

If a 7inch tablet is what you are looking for IMO its the best choice out.
 

Sensamic

macrumors 68040
Mar 26, 2010
3,072
689
I love the build quality, specially the soft back.

To me it's the best tablet build quality wise. Compared to the plastic of the Samsung tablets it's the best you can find.

I had problems with the touchscreen issue. Finally found a good one and settled.
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,738
6,109
It is good, but I am so use to the battery life on the ipad that it annoys me. The stand by time is maybe 2-3 days compared to the 10+ days on the ipad.
 

Rodster

macrumors 68040
May 15, 2007
3,177
6
It is good, but I am so use to the battery life on the ipad that it annoys me. The stand by time is maybe 2-3 days compared to the 10+ days on the ipad.

Unfortunately that's one of the problems with Android and it also produces massive phantom battery drain. I found a workaround by force stopping many of the non essential apps that maybe causing it. When my Kindle Fire HD does that and I shut off apps that are non essential, I can go from 2-3 days standby to 10-11 days on standby.

CCleaner could help as it shuts down non essential apps that are running in the background.
 

rhinosrcool

macrumors 68000
Sep 5, 2009
1,761
695
MN
It is good, but I am so use to the battery life on the ipad that it annoys me. The stand by time is maybe 2-3 days compared to the 10+ days on the ipad.

The battery is decent. However, no matter what you do, it won't match iPad batteries. Still, a really good tablet, none the less.
 
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