You’ve probably heard or read this before, but the original Nexus 7 has been a pretty big deal for the Android tablet market. The reason for this is because this particular slate opened the floodgates for a new range of low-budget but still powerful tablets. In fact, the original N7 is one of the most successful Android tablets of all time, and evidently, Google and Asus have been hard at work on creating a fresh one for 2013.
That’s how the Nexus 7 (2) came to be and many gadget enthusiasts and prospective customers have been wondering how the new model compares to the original. If you’re part of either one of the aforementioned groups, then you’ve come to the right place.
Display Comparison
As the name of these tablets suggest, both devices arrive with 7 inch displays. In other words, the new model hasn’t strayed too much from its roots, at least in regards to the screen size. However, the new model has a vastly improved display, with a resolution of 1200 x 1920 and a pixel density of 323 pixels per inch. Compared to the older model, which features a resolution of 800 x 1280 and 216 ppi, the new Nexus 7 is a considerable upgrade.
Processing Power
Although the original Nexus 7 packed an Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset with an ULP GeForce graphics chip, this year Google and Asus have taken the Qualcomm route. Under the tablet’s hood beats the heart of a Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC coupled with an Adreno 320 GPU. Although both processors have a quad-core architecture, the Snapdragon S4 Pro is a newer chipset, more efficient and powerful. It is also clocked at a higher frequency (1.5 GHz instead of 1.2 GHz). The Adreno 320 graphics chip is also capable of handling visually-demanding apps with more ease.
Last but not least, the new Nexus 7 packs 2 GB of RAM instead of 1 GB, meaning that multitasking will be handled better by the latest model.
Storage
Initially, the old Nexus 7 arrived with either 8 or 16 GB of storage. Later on, however, Google scrapped the 8 GB model and replaced it with the 32 GB variant. In terms of storage, then, the new Nexus 7 hasn’t undergone a huge revamp as it is offered with either 16 GB or 32 GB of on board storage.
As you probably know, the older model lacked any possibilities of expanding the storage, and the new Nexus 7 does the same.
Camera
Last year, when it came to the original Nexus 7, reviewers barely touched the camera department subject because the slate didn’t come with a rear facing shooter. It did pack a 1.2 MP front-facing sensor, but not much else.
This year, the situation has changed, and with the mobile industry delivering better cameras each couple of quarters or so, the new Google-Asus slate has also been given a considerable upgrade. As such, the Nexus 7 (2) arrives with a 5 MP main camera complemented by a 1.2 MP front-facing sensor. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s an upgrade that can’t go unnoticed.
Dimensions, Connectivity and Software
Although the new Nexus 7 still features a 7 inch display, the overall dimensions have been shrunken for the most part. We’ve seen this trend on smartphones too, where newer handsets feature larger screens than older ones, yet they retain the same overall body dimensions.
In any case, the new Nexus 7 now measures only 114 mm in width, whereas the older one measured 120 mm. Other than that, the new model is 1.5 mm taller but, on the bright side, it’s also 1.8 mm thinner, measuring only 8.7 mm. The successor is also noticeably lighter, weighing in at 290 and 299 grams, versus 340 grams for the old Nexus 7.
You might’ve noticed that I’ve mentioned two different weights, and this brings us to connectivity.
The 2013 Nexus 7 arrives not only in the Wi-Fi only variant, but also an LTE model, which will be launched in the foreseeable future. The LTE model is evidently a bit heavier (9 grams) and packs 32 GB of storage.
As for how the software compares, since they both are Google gadgets, they are actually similar in this regard. Although the new Nexus 7 packs Android 4.3 out of the box, owners of the old Nexus 7 now have the option of updating their slate to the same version.
Price and Final Verdict
Price-wise, the new slate hasn’t strayed too much from its roots, but some changes have occurred. While the old model has been retailed at $199 (16 GB) and $249 (32 GB), the newer Wi-Fi Only slate will set you back $229 or $269 (for the16 GB and 32 GB models respectively). The LTE 32 GB variant is said to arrive with a price tag of $359.
As closing lines, the new Nexus 7 is pretty much what everyone has expected it to be: a noticeable upgrade over the previous model, available for purchase at a similar price point. Hopefully, prospective customers will not have to deal with similar availability issues that have hindered the launch of its predecessor.
Are you a new Nexus 7 owner or are you planning on becoming one soon? Or perhaps the new model is not what you were looking for? Either way, feel free to join us in the comments section below.
Vlad Andrici is editor for gforgames.com and writes about technology issues. Follow Vlad on Google Plus.