Who else purchased a Nexus 7?

[tiiim]

Long term Mac and iOS user. Was looking forward to the iPad mini announcement but Apple have for me out priced the mini tablet (especially with a non-retina display). I'm not planning to switch from Mac, iPhone anytime soon but I really wanted a small portable tablet for reading and browsing and as much as I liked testing the mini in a shop I simply can't justify that price tag no matter how much I tried. (I'm very aware of the whole eco system argument)

So I taken a crazy plunge and purchased a n7! (its also a good excuse to mess around with an alternative OS).

Anyone else taken the plunge?

It may not work out and I could end up returning the product, but I thought I shouldn't mock a device until I tried so here goes. I know a few people who have the N7 and love it (even one person who switched completely from iOS when he got it).

Just wondering how others have got on? Good? Bad?
I want to get back to the good old days of buying a product because its good not because of a logo and the n7 on paper has ticked all the right boxes but real world usage might change. As I said I really like iOS and the Mac but of late have also been Android-Curious so thought this might be a good well price device to see if its any good/works.

 

[Roessnakhan]

I had a N7 when it was first released, but I sold it last month when I got a MacBook Air. Just didn't see a need for a tablet anymore (and that includes the iPad).

Having said that, the N7 is an exceptional device for its price, and I have zero complaints about it. It actually turned me back on to Android enough to buy a N4 (my last Android phone was a Droid X).

 

[Dr McKay]

I bought a Nexus 7 when it first came out, loved it so much I gave my iPhone 5 to my Dad and got a Nexus 4.

 

[tiiim]

curious it lead you both to the N4 as well. As I say I really like the iPhone so Android would had to be amazing for even to go that far lol. But I am looking forward to the N7 when the courier comes.

 

[Timechaser]

I purchased my son a Nexus 7 a few weeks ago and he loves it. Even after checking out my new iPad mini he still prefers his Nexus 7.

I like them both and only decided to go with the mini over the Nexus 7 because I have the unlimited data plan and would not dream of giving it up any time soon.

 

[knucklehead]

I like mine as my introduction to Android. I do think I'll also be one of those replacing it with a N4.

The only real problems I have with the N7, is the narrow aspect ratio, lack of cellular data (on mine), lack of backside camera, and I wish it was about 1/2 inch shorter.

 

[AppleRobert]

I also bought it when it was released. Very good for the buck and highly recommended.

 

[joudbren]

I bought one when they first came out and love it. Just purchased the 3G 32GB version now and sold my original N7 to a friend. My iPad's are going to be sold as well, just don't use them anymore. N7 has been great so far and I love the size and portability. Cheers!

 

[marc11]

I got mine right after the mini was announced. I waited to see what Apple would offer, laughed at the specs/price and went to the store and purchased the N7. I am very happy with it; zero complaints. I am in Japan so I cannot get the 3G version; once I return home next year I plan to buy the 32g 3G version.

 

[thatappleguytoday]

As a long time Mac user and one who has owned iPads before, the Nexus 7 has been one of my best tech purchases ever.

Can't beat the $200 price tag either. Great screen, JB iOS is very smooth, multitasking is amazing, full screen YouTube, etc...

People say it's "cheaply made", maybe to some, but to me I think it's great and feels great in the hand.

Put it this way, usually I take my MBA on trips or getaways, but this Thanksgiving I just took the N7 and it was all I needed.

You won't regret the purchase. Buy it locally at a Staples and if you don't like it, you can return it within 14 days without a restocking fee.

 

[recharge23]

i purchased a 16gb nexus 7 last week here in korea, where the price is roughly $70 more expensive. i'm in a similar position as you, OP, and wanted to give jelly bean android a spin in the cheapest way possible.

that said, i love it. i love the size and freshness that a new OS brings. but at the same time, my love for iOS hasn't changed and i will continue to use my iPad 3 whenever i feel the need for a bigger screen. i've found that i mostly gravitate towards the nexus when i want to read something whereas when i want to watch a video or look at pictures, i grab the iPad. it really is the best of both worlds or at least that's what i tell myself.

i like the iPad mini too and plan to get that for my wife at some point, so she'll stop claiming the iPad 3 as her own. when the the mini goes retina, i'll probably get rid of everything and go with two his and hers 64gb lte versions.

Edit: i forgot one thing! build quality is not like an iPad nor should it be expected considering the price. my nexus 7 has very slight screen lift and certain areas of the back perforated leather part squeak when i put pressure on it.

 

[Switchback666]

I had plans to grab one but bought the nexus 4 instead, couldnt get both because of holidays expenses plus a trip to the states

Maybe next year il grab one

 

[Rodster]

I own iPad's and several other android tablets and I also bought the N7. It's an awesome device and love Jelly Bean.

 

[tiiim]

Thanks for responses guys. Very positive. Refreshing to hear such positive honest comments

 

[siiip5]

Thanks for responses guys. Very positive. Refreshing to hear such positive honest comments

You will be hard pressed to find negative comments from actual users. Of course, not every product is perfect, but the Nexus 7 is a great deal for what you get. Do yourself a favor and get the 32gb version. Apps are getting larger in size these days to take advantage of the screen resolution and quad core cpu's. Pay the extra $50 or Pounds/Yen/whichever currency. Better to have more storage, than to little and be forced to delete stuff to make room.

Enjoy your Nexus 7.

 

[onthecouchagain]

It's insane how many people are talking about the Nexus 7 this holiday. I have many friends, family, coworkers getting Nexus 7's.

 

[smwatson]

I bought one earlier this week. It's a great piece of kit. The screen is lovely. I was apprehensive after reading endless reports about it being washed out etc etc, but for me it looks brilliant. HD video looks incredible, text is sharp, colours are great, and games look amazing. I also think it feels great to hold and use, and I prefer the plastic back to the metal back of an iPad. Having used an iPad 3 pretty extensively I definitely prefer the feel of the Nexus.

Minor annoyances include (but are not limited to)
- lack of a full screen mode on Chrome.
- the positioning of the grid 'slots' on the homescreen which dont allow you to have an app icon down the centre of the screen.
- can't use Google Music with AirPlay (wasn't expecting to be able to but it's still annoying!)

 

[spinedoc77]

I have an AT&T Nexus 7, I like it quite a bit but I don't "love" it. If the ipad mini was a 7" screen I would have purchased that in an instant. The main reason I got the N7 was I got sick of carrying my ipad around, and the N7 slips easily into a pocket which is incredibly liberating.

I think mainly what I'm not in love with is the android OS. It seems to flake out often, slow downs, lags, but when it runs smoothly it runs very nicely. Some stuff makes no sense to me, like losing part of what is very valuable screen space for 3 navigation buttons, but I've been able to solve that using apps to get rid of it. Overall it just doesn't feel as intuitive as iOS, but it's not a slouch either by any means. I'm definitely keeping it until either Apple or Microsoft releases a 7" tablet, if ever.

 

[lighthouse_man]

I went through a similar thought process as you. It's kind of liberating actually trying other technologies instead of being just stuck with iOS.

A few weeks later, I ended up liking the N7 after the initial few days of doubt. You'll find that doing things on it is different if you're accustomed to iOS.

Things I like include the USB port that you can use many things with from plugging in a keyboard to connecting to ethernet, and from adding external storage to using game controllers. The file system is great too, you won't have to copy files to open them in other apps and sometimes failing in the process. If you root, you get access to installing a firewall, a universal ad blocker, etc. Multitasking is great as someone mentioned, and with a few popup floating apps, you can watch some video, while browsing the Internet, or have a calculator on while you type through a document. You have more than one market to buy from and great deals like the Humble Bundle ones. And many other great features including home screen widgets and being able to fit in almost any pocket I tried, you'll notice that you take it out more with you.

Things I have a problem with after a couple of weeks now: there is no tap to top feature, the space bar on the keyboard is close to the home button which leads to involuntarily app exits while typing, and missing a few apps that are not in Google Play. But as more people get Android, developers will port and create and polish their apps even more and so will the operating system.

 

[Rodster]

I think mainly what I'm not in love with is the android OS. It seems to flake out often, slow downs, lags, but when it runs smoothly it runs very nicely.

Have you tried clearing up memory? That's worked for me in the past with ICS.

 

[Pjstock42]

I returned mine 3 separate times because of dead pixels, when the 4th one had dead pixels also I gave up and realized that I shouldn't expect perfection from a $200 device.

 

[mantan]

Same boat here. I wanted a device that was a bit bigger than my iPhone for business travel. I had waited eagerly for the iPad Mini, but was disappointed with the price and specs.

I got an N7 instead and really like it. It's the perfect side to throw in a pocket, bag or take just about anywhere. I find myself even taken it around town (like when i'm killing time at my kid's practice). I bought the wifi version and just tether it when I need an internet connection.

The Android OS is fine, nowhere close to the buggy, laggy, crash filled virus infested boogeyman that it's made out to be.

For me the whole ecosystem bit turned out to be a bit overrated. I was able to move my entire playlist over. I have about 150 aps on my phone...but when I was loading my Android I realized that Ionly use about 20 of them - browser, email, social media, news, weather, travel, etc. Almost all of apps on my phone had Android versions. Most of the apps I use are free...I think I spent less than $20 on duplicates.

A common knock on the N7 is that it doesn't have tablet apps. Since I didn't have an iPad, that's not as big a deal for me as others.

I'm not anti-Apple by any means. I love my iPhone. My wife has an iPad and I'll likely buy an iPad Mini for my teenage daughter. But the N7 gave me everything I wanted a lot less money.

Plus I like the idea of spending my money to promote some competition. A strong competitive market is the best possible thing for us as consumers.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I returned mine 3 separate times because of dead pixels, when the 4th one had dead pixels also I gave up and realized that I shouldn't expect perfection from a $200 device.

Bad batch. That's unfortunate.

But if you're having trouble swiping away notifications in the pull down menu, Android 4.2 probably isn't for you.

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For me the whole ecosystem bit turned out to be a bit overrated. I was able to move my entire playlist over. I have about 150 aps on my phone...but when I was loading my Android I realized that Ionly use about 20 of them - browser, email, social media, news, weather, travel, etc. Almost all of apps on my phone had Android versions. Most of the apps I use are free...I think I spent less than $20 on duplicates.

That's how i felt when I made the big bad switch to Android. Because I'm a dedicated Mac user, I was fully expecting a lot of road blocks and issues switching.

It really wasn't a big deal and I got over it quite quickly. Once everything was up and running, I was able to reap the benefits of Android.

 

[ChazUK]

I got the 16gb model as soon add it launched then upgraded to the 32gb model as soon as that was launched!

Managed to get the 16gb model with £30 of so it only cost me 169 originally and I sold my 16 GB model to CEX fo £152 so I didn't lose much on the 16gb one.

My nexus 7 is definitely my go to device for casual browsing and gaming on android. Fantastic tablet IMHO.

 

[Rodster]

Bad batch. That's unfortunate.

I went thru several N7's (screen lift) before I got a good one.

But if you're having trouble swiping away notifications in the pull down menu, Android 4.2 probably isn't for you.

I was also having problems with the pull down menu in 4.2 until I realized that the pull down menu is now in the upper right corner of the screen instead of the middle top.