Category: google nexus 7 2013

Battle of the 3 Best Tablets under 10-inch (Part 2)

Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

We ended the first part of our tablet comparison with the iPad Mini with Retina Display enjoying a 3 to 1 lead over the Android competitors. Now let’s proceed with second installment where we’ll look at the other aspects of the tablet and announce the victor of this head-to-head comparison.

comparison

Audio Quality

Sound output has always been a subjective opinion and to be frank it’s really difficult to definitively conclude that one is better than the other in this category.

For an average user, the difference in audio quality is nearly indistinguishable. However, instead of just giving each candidate a point, we decided to do a little research to find out which excels in this area. Luckily, the folks over at GSM Arena provided a very detailed comparison between the sound output of these three candidates. Here are the results based on their audio test:

audio

However, if you need more information about each of the parameters in the chart, just head on over to this link.

In a less technical term, the chart tells us that the iPad Mini 2 is the more well-rounded performer compared to the other two slates. But as we’ve mentioned earlier, unless you have a very sophisticated ear, the difference between the three contenders are very marginal.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 1
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Camera

The three slates on our list have the same 5MP camera on the back that also shoots 1080p videos with 30fps frame rate. Moreover, all the tablets have an accompanying 1.2MP camera on the front that records 720p videos.

Based on our experience, the image output in well-lit condition are almost identical to each other. But in order to pick a victor in this criterion, we delve a little deeper to find out which one has the better camera setup both in the hardware and software standpoint.

camera comparison

As you can see, the contest is a tightly contested one. However, the LG G Pad walks away with the award on this one despite of its slightly narrower aperture. The reason for that is the Stereo quality audio on the video recording which is notably missing on the other tablets.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 2
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Processing power

It’s a bit of a tossup in the processing segment. On one end we got two candidates (N7 and V500) sporting a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor with 2GB of RAM. On the other hand, the iPad Mini 2 is equipped with a 64-bit dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and accompanying M7 processor.

Real-world usage aside, one can make the argument that the new iPad Mini has the least amount of firepower on paper than the rest of the gang, making it a two-horse race between the G Pad and Nexus 7.

benchmark

Above is a side-by-side comparison of the benchmark test result we got from the LG G Pad 8.3 and Google Nexus 7 2013. Despite having an almost identical configuration, the former fared better in the test compared to the 2nd Generation Nexus tablet.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 3
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4
Storage

Unlike the other categories we’ve tackled so far, this one’s pretty lopsided for the LG G Pad. That’s because it’s the only tablet that has an expansion slot for a micro-SD card among the candidates. Sure you can opt for 128GB iPad Mini 2, but then you’d have to shell out a hefty amount of dough to get one.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 4
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Price

Speaking of price, I think we can all agree that Nexus 7 2013 reigns supreme in terms of pricing. The 16GB version currently retails for USD229 while the new iPad Mini and G Pad costs USD299 and USD329 respectively.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 2
LG G Pad 8.3 = 4
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Battery Life

We’re down to our last category and it seems that the iPad Mini with Retina Display will come away victorious as it lambasted the other two tablets in terms of mileage per charge.

The iPad Mini 2 benefited from the 45% bigger power pack compared to its predecessor, allowing it to last almost 11 hours of continuous web browsing over Wi-Fi and more than half-a-days’ worth of 1080p video playback.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 2
LG G Pad 8.3 = 4
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 5

Verdict

That concludes our rather lengthy comparison between the Apple iPad Mini with Retina Display, LG G Pad 8.3 and the ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013. The iPad Air’s smaller sibling won the contest by a hair with the LG G Pad 8.3 coming in a close second place.

This is not to say though that 2nd Gen Nexus 7 is any less spectacular than the two aforementioned slates. In fact, it’s still a force to be reckoned with primarily because of its cheap price tag and reliable software update from Google.

ipad mini with retina philippines

That said, if you’re in the market for a tablet that’s 10-inch below, the iPad Mini 2 is your best bet. But if iOS isn’t exactly your cup of tea, then the LG G Pad 8.3 will certainly be a good alternative.

The post Battle of the 3 Best Tablets under 10-inch (Part 2) appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Battle of the 3 Best Tablets under 10-inch (Part 1)

Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

As 2013 draws to a close, we decided to pit three of the best tablets in recent times namely the ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013, LG G Pad 8.3 and the iPad Mini with Retina Display. Hopefully, this comprehensive comparison will help you decide which one to get.

Best tablet

Design and Construction

All of the three candidates are well-crafted and are every bit as gorgeous in their own right. However, when it’s all said and done, we think that the V500 and the new iPad Mini 2nd Gen gains a slight edge over the Nexus 7, mainly because of the more durable material used to fashion its body. Moreover, the top and bottom bezels of the Nexus 7 are a tad too thick for our liking.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 0
LG G Pad 8.3 = 1
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 1

OS, UI and Apps

Much like the previous category, the software part really all boils down to preference than anything else. Of course, we can’t really compare iOS and Android as both platforms has its own advantage over the other.

That said, we’ll focus more in comparing the two Android slates in the list. And for that here are the pros and cons of the LG G Pad 8.3 and Nexus 7.

OS Version: As you would expect, the Nexus 7 Mark II has a slight advantage over the G Pad 8.3 in this criteria for the reason that it runs on Android KitKat while the latter is still on Jelly Bean. Hardware-wise, the LG’s slate can handle the latest OS version; the only question is when the update will come.

KitKat

OS Update: Speaking of firmware updates, the Nexus 7 2013 will , of course, be among the first devices to get the latest patches/upgrades if ever there is one. The G Pad 8.3, on the other hand, may or may not get an update at all.

Another thing to point out is longevity. In the case of the Nexus 7 2nd Gen, as long as the hardware components can support future updates, Google will continue to seed updates for this tablet. I wish I can say the same for the G Pad 8.3, but manufacturers have a tendency to forgo software updates for older devices.

Software add-ons: If you’re not the type who likes the Vanilla Android experience, you’ll certainly appreciate the enhancements that LG added to the Optimus UI. On top of that, there are a few useful tweaks like “Knock-On” and “Quick Remote” available at your disposal.

LG Quick Remote app

With all the bases accounted for, we feel that Google Nexus 7 2013 proves to be the better Android tablet compared to the V500 in terms of software. The gap between the two isn’t that wide and can easily be disregarded if you’re not too particular about the OS version and updates.

Meanwhile, the iPad Mini 2 benefits from the wide array of “iPad-optimized” apps on iTunes App Store, as well as the uncluttered user experience brought by iOS 7. This makes it an obvious choice, should you opt for a non-Android tablet.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 1
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 2

Display

In this category we’ll rank the candidates based on the screen size in relation to the device’s actual size and pixel density, as well as the other aspects that makes up a good display.

Size: Of the three contenders, the LG G Pad has the biggest display which measures 8.3-inch. Next in line is the iPad Mini 2 with 7.9-inch and last is the Nexus 7 2013.

LG G Pad 8.3

Because of the bigger display, the V500 is relatively taller than the rest at 217mm. The iPad Mini, on the other hand, has the same height as the Nexus 7 despite of the almost 1-inch difference in screen size. It also goes to show how much real estate on the front Google wasted for the N7’s thick bezel.

Resolution: In spite of having the largest panel among the group, the LG G Pad has the least amount of pixels packed inside its 8.3-inch display. Leading the pack in this category is the Apple’s horse which sports 2048×1536 resolution.

google nexus 7

The Nexus 7 has the same resolution as the G Pad. However, the smaller screen size allows the Android slate to achieve a similar pixel density at the iPad Mini with Retina Display at 323ppi. Don’t get us wrong here, the G Pad’s pixel density is also pretty respectable. But when push comes to shove, the Nexus 7 2013 and iPad Mini 2 will definitely come on top in this regard.

Quality: All of the three candidates had a very solid outing when it comes to display quality. Viewing angles are good thanks to the IPS panel, and we didn’t have any issues using it outdoors.

Brightness: Although we didn’t encounter any issues with regards to brightness, we noticed that the Nexus 7 2013 is brighter than the other two. Our theory is backed by Anandtech’s data which shows that the new N7 goes well beyond 500 nits at its brightest.

ipad mini

The battle for second best is neck-to-neck with the iPad Mini 2 gaining a slight advantage with 450 nits followed by the G Pad which has max brightness of 345 nits. (Data according to PhoneArena).

It’s a close call, but based on the data the iPad Mini with Retina Display comes up on top in this segment, followed by the Nexus 7 which is comes in a close second place.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 1
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 3

The first part of our two-part Battle of the three best tablets under 10-inch ended as a one-sided affair in favor of the iPad Mini with Retina Display. Will Apple’s slate come away victorious or will the Android contenders rally back to bring home the bacon? Stay tuned for the second part to find that out.

The post Battle of the 3 Best Tablets under 10-inch (Part 1) appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

2nd-gen Google Nexus 7 2013 Review

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Google re-introduced its most successful tablet in 2012 with a more powerful version of the Nexus 7. It’s lighter, thinner, faster, better — check out our full review of the Google Nexus 7 2013 after the break.


Nexus 7 2013 on the left, Nexus 7 2012 on the right

Before anything else, we recommend you to read up on our first Nexus 7 review back in August 2012 here. We’ve also updated that first-generation device to Android 4.3 Jellybean so we have a better comparison between the two.

Design and Construction.

The new Nexus 7 inherited a lot of its design and form factor from the old model. Most of the cosmetic changes were focused on making the 7-inch tablet thinner and lighter by a full 50 grams from its predecessor. Google changed the dimensions a bit, making the new Nexus 7 a little taller but with a smaller width.

Gone is the two-tone color (black with silver trimmings) of the old one and replaced by a monochromatic dark color. While the front panel is still fully covered by glass (Gorilla Glass), the back side is now replaced by a smooth, matte finish with a rubbery feel to it.

The sides are more tapered towards the edges making the power button and volume controls on the right side harder to figure out. We actually prefer the dimpled surface of the older model as the new one feels a bit slippery on the hands.

There’s a large Nexus logo right in the middle and a smaller Asus logo at the bottom end. The over-all size of the Nexus 7 v2 is actually more comfortable on the hands and it is easier to hold (or grasp) with one hand.

Display.

The Nexus 7 has been bumped up to a full HD IPS LCD display, effectively making the screen resolution among the highest we’ve seen in a tablet. The Nexus 7 joins the Nexus 10 which earlier got a WQXGA resolution and put both tablets in the realm of 300ppi and above.

One can definitely see the difference in the display quality once you have full HD resolution on a screen this size. It’s more evident when you watch full HD movies and browse the web as the details are much more apparent compared to the old model with 720p. We also noticed the screen is generally brighter when cranked up to the highest settings. We also notice the contrast ratio and color gamut of the new one is noticeably better.

OS, UI and Apps.

If you have any of the recent Nexus devices with you, we’re pretty sure you already have the Android 4.3 update already. The native UI as well as the additional features and functionality included in the 4.3 update are all there (see list of new features here).

The interface is pretty much basic and already familiar to a lot of folks who own any of the Nexus devices. Perhaps the biggest advantage in the software front is that the Nexus 7 will be the very first device to get the latest Android OS updates from Google when they come out.

Multimedia and Camera.

The old Nexus 7 wasn’t a multimedia powerhouse when it first came out. The second-generation Nexus 7 fared almost the same. Google added a pair of speakers at the back (both top and bottom end) yet we found the audio quality lacking in bass and even in volume.

The inclusion of a 5-megapixel camera is a new one. Its absence in the first model was a way to cut down on hardware cost but this time it looks like they’ve managed to include a pretty decent rear camera.

Here are some sample photos taken with the 5MP camera:

Photo quality is actually pretty decent even under low-light conditions.

Performance and Benchmarks.

The device works really, really well. Navigation and transitions are very smooth, apps load pretty quick and the system can handle more than a dozen simultaneous running apps without chocking. The quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM handled anything we threw at it.

Our usual test bench showed much better performance scores over the previous model with Quadrant score of 5918, an Antutu Benchmark score of 18,337 and NenaMark2 score of 59.3fps.

It doesn’t have the latest Snapdragon 600/800 chip in it but the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5GHz is definitely more than enough and significantly better than the NVidia Tegra 3 chip.

Connectivity and Battery Life.

While the new Nexus 7 has option for LTE connectivity (model yet-to-be released), there’s no call functionality here. Everything else is available though — WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and GPS.

One of the things that were sacrificed due to the thinner and lighter form factor was the size of the battery. It was reduced from 4,325mAh to just 3,950mAh which is around 10% reduced capacity. Add to the fact that the display resolution is now at full HD, we were initially worried that this will greatly impact the battery life of the device.

However, using our standard battery bench, we managed to squeeze in 9.5 hours of battery life while playing a full HD movie in a continuous loop at 50% brightness and 0% volume. This is actually higher than the old model we tested before (we ran the same test on the old Nexus 7 and it gave us 8 hours and 15 minutes).

The longer battery life can be attributed to the optimizations done by the chip and Android 4.3. It is also well worth to note that the new Nexus 7 supports Qi wireless charging but we’re unable to test that feature yet.

Conclusion.

The 2nd-gen Nexus 7 is, without a doubt, much better than the old one. From the form factor to the hardware, all aspects of the tablet have been improved. New technologies like LTE and Qi have also been incorporated and the shortcomings of the older model have been fulfilled.

With a retail price of $269 (plus tax), it definitely puts it ahead of all other Android tablets around, beating even the iPad Mini in so many aspects.

2013 Google Nexus 7 specs:
7-inch IPS LCD display @ 1200×1920 pixels, 323ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5GHz quad-core processor
Adreno 320 Graphics
2GB RAM
16GB and 32GB internal memory
LTE 100Mbps (optional)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS
NFC
5MP autofocus rear camera, no flash
1.3MP front-facing camera
Android 4.3 Jellybean
Li-Ion 3950mAh battery
114 x 200 x 8.65mm (dimensions)
290 grams (weight)

The LTE model is not yet released and we’re not sure if it will be compatible with Globe and Smart LTE bands. We will acquire and test once they become available.

What we liked about it:
* Great performance
* Full HD display
* Qi wireless charging

What we did not like:
* Weak speakers
* No expandable storage

Editor’s Note: The 2013 Nexus 7 is not yet officially released in the Philippines. Our review unit was bought straight from Best Buy in the United States for $269.

The post 2nd-gen Google Nexus 7 2013 Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.