Google has unveiled its new Nexus 7 tablet at an event in San Francisco. The unveiling wasn't much of a surprise as the tablet had been widely leaked in photos and specifications but it's nice to have precise details, more photographs and release and price details from the horse's mouth. The new Nexus 7 improves on nearly every aspect of the original 2012 model as can be seen at a glance in the slide below.
A big change, not alluded to in the above simple chart, is the choice of a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor running at 1.5GHz, this is paired with an Adreno 320 running 400MHz for pixel pushing and 3D duties. This processing power is augmented by double the amount of RAM as in the original Nexus 7, now large complicated apps, and the OS, have more room to breathe in 2GB of memory. Built-in storage is a choice between 16GB and 32GB, there is no memory card expansion option.
People like taking photos with their tablets and Google has majorly upgraded the Nexus 7's camera offerings. Now we have a 5MP rear facing camera with auto-focus to complement the 1.2MP front facing camera. You have a really splendid display on which to browse and touch up your photos; the new Nexus 7 has a 7-inch IPS 1920x1200 HD display (323 ppi) covered in Gorilla Glass and a great match for 1080p content and now you have built-in stereo speakers with virtual 5.1 surround sound to enjoy your videos.
Other enhancements are in the form of the reduced size and weight and you should be able to get a bit more time away from a charger with this new tablet, 9 hours is the stated unplugged endurance of the 3950 mAh battery. The final big difference is the option to buy a model with 4G/LTE connectivity. The new tablet will be priced "from $229".
New Nexus 7 full tech specs:
- Screen: 7.02” 1920x1200 HD display (323 ppi), 1080p HD IPS, Scratch resistant Corning® glass
- Cameras: 1.2MP front facing, fixed focus, 5MP rear facing, auto focus
- Dimensions: 114 x 200 x 8.65 mm, 0.64lbs (290g) Wi-Fi, 0.66lbs (299g) LTE
- Battery: 3950 mAh, Up to 9 hours active use, Wireless charging built-in (Qi compatible)
- Audio: Stereo speakers, Surround sound, powered by Fraunhofer
- Processing: CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, 1.5GHz, GPU: Adreno 320, 400MHz
- Wireless: Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC (Android Beam), Bluetooth 4.0
- Networks: Optional 4G LTE
North America: 4G LTE: 700/750/850/1700/1900/2100 MHZ (Bands: 1/2/4/5/13/17), HSPA+: 850/900/1900/2100/AWS MHz (Bands: 1/2/4/5/8/10), GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Europe: 4G LTE: 800/850/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 MHz (Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/20), HSPA+: 850/900/1900/2100/AWS MHz (Bands: 1/2/4/5/8/10), GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz - Memory: Choose 16GB or 32GB internal storage, 2GB RAM
- Ports & Connectors: microUSB, SlimPort™ enabled, 3.5mm audio, Microphone, Power and Volume buttons
- Sensors: GPS, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient Light
Original Nexus 7 manufacturer ASUS gets the job again. The previous version is said to have sold 7 million units worldwide.
Also the new Nexus 7 will launch, at the end of July, with Android 4.3 installed. This is not a massive update, some would call it incremental. You can see the highlights of the update in the slide above. Advanced multi-user support and the new limited 'restricted profiles' might be of utility for parents and others. Also 1080p Netflix content will be available for the first time. Nexus users will start to see the update available for their devices from today.
