The new Nexus 7 vs. last year’s model: what’s changed?

The new Nexus 7 vs last year's model what's changed

Google’s second-generation Nexus 7 hasn’t been the company’s best kept secret — we’ve seen leak after leak, after leak and, well, you get the point. Still, now that the revamped 7-inch slate is officially out the bag, we can finally leave speculation behind and attach some formal specifications to the thing. As expected, the new Nexus 7 brings a number of internal upgrades to the table, while its outer shell has seen a few minor aesthetic changes. All signs point toward it being a worthy successor to Mountain View’s popular tablet, but how big of an upgrade are we talking about, exactly? Those answers await after the jump, where we break down the specs and spell out what’s different between the old and new Nexus 7.

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New Nexus 7 vs. the competition: battle of the budget 7-inch tablets

New Nexus 7 vs the competition battle of the budget 7inch tablets

The original Nexus 7 launched in a relative vacuum — there were other low-cost, 7-inch Android tablets before, but few with the full support of a major manufacturer. The 2013-era Nexus 7 is entering a far more crowded marketplace with many recognizable names, and even more aggressive pricing. With that in mind, we’ve compared Google’s latest tablet with three of its newest 7-inch peers — ASUS’ MeMo Pad HD 7, HP’s Slate 7 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 — to see whether it’s as strong a value as its predecessor.

Ironically, the new Nexus 7 occupies the high end in this space. It’s the most expensive tablet here, with the sharpest display, the fastest processor and the most built-in storage. However, that doesn’t mean it’s priced out of contention. The $30 you save with the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 just isn’t worth it; Samsung’s tablet is a big step down in every aspect outside of expandability. And you’re clearly getting what you pay for with the Slate 7, whose low price doesn’t excuse a poor display and sluggish performance.

The Nexus 7’s real competition comes from its own manufacturer, ASUS. While the MeMo Pad HD 7 has a lower resolution screen and a slower CPU, its cameras, display quality, processing power and storage are superb for the price. If you don’t crave the Nexus 7’s technology or stock Android 4.3, it may be wiser to save $80 and buy the good-enough MeMo Pad instead. Full specifications for all the tablets are available after the break.

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Google announces thinner, lighter Nexus 7 with higher-res screen, arrives July 30th for $230

Google announces thinner, lighter Nexus 7 with higher-res screen, arrives July 30th for $230

When we reviewed the Nexus 7 last summer, we said it was the best tablet $200 could buy. A year later, that still might be true if it weren’t for the fact that there’s a new Nexus 7 in town. One that’s a bit better specced and a bit more expensive than the OG model. Today Google took the wraps off an updated version of its smaller tablet offering, this one also made by ASUS, which takes everything you know and love about the original and makes it just a little bit better. For one, the already-solid screen has been bumped to 1,920 x 1,200, giving the new Nexus a pixel density of 323 ppi. The 7-point touch IPS panel sports glass that’s not only scratch resistant, but also fights off fingerprints and smudges (we’ll believe that one when we see it). Of course, putting a stunning display on a device is pointless if you don’t have the horsepower to serve up lots of smooth, high-quality content. So, Google gave the CPU a bit of a bump, moving to a 1.5GHz quad-core S4 Pro from Qualcomm that comes paired with an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Oh, and all those wonderful new components should be well utilized by Android 4.3, the exciting (if incremental) OS update released alongside Google’s new tablet.

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Source: Google Play

New Nexus 7 ‘Razor’ prices, specs, benchmarks revealed (update: Best Buy pre-order page still up)

New Nexus 7 'Razor' benchmarks, specs revealed update Best Buy preorders still up

It seems like new Nexus 7s are everywhere, so we’re not surprised one of the tablets floating around has finally been subjected to a quick round of benchmarking. Android Police has dug deep into the specs, confirming this slate — device codenamed “Razor” — has internals nearly identical to the Nexus 4, with a Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU running at 1.5GHz and 2GB of RAM behind its 1920×1200 7-inch screen. Running the 3DMark and AnTuTu benchmarks revealed scores slightly higher than the Nexus 4, but we’ll probably have to wait just a little longer to find out exactly what its Android 4.3 OS is bringing to the table.

Update: Droid-Life points out that Best Buy has kicked off pre-orders early for the 16GB and 32GB variants. The pricing ($229 and $269, respectively), release date (July 30th) and specs are all well-known by now, but if you’re willing to be the next person to buy one, you can get in line at the link below.

Update deux: Best Buy has pulled the pre-order pages. Sadface. [Thanks, Charlie]

Correction: OK, so the pre-order pages haven’t been taken down, as such. You will no longer find them by searching Best Buy’s site, but the direct URLs are still live and they confirm the key specs (see the source links).

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Source: Android Police, Droid-Life, Best Buy (16GB), Best Buy (32GB)

New Nexus 7 surfaces in photos, packaging and all (update: more photos, video)

You know that new Nexus 7 that’s been leaked several times over the past few weeks? Well, it looks like someone got their hands on it early, according to these newly released images on Reddit. There’s not much else to glean from these snapshots aside from new packaging (we’ve included an image of that after the break), a SKU and what is obviously a new Nexus tablet — the rear matches the leaked renders we saw from @evleaks a couple of days ago. Aside from its 7-inch screen size, rumored specs include a 5-megapixel camera and that highly-anticipated Android 4.3. We’re not sure how this guy got it so early, but this does signify the imminent arrival of Google’s next tablet.

Update: A tipster has sent in more pictures of a device and packaging, showing off its rounded edges and Android 4.3 OS. Check out the gallery for a quick look or after the break for a video unboxing and hands-on posted by Android Police… all before Google’s new slate is even officially launched.

[Thanks, Rafael]

Gallery: New Nexus 7

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Source: Reddit, Android Police

The Daily Roundup for 07.22.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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New Nexus 7 press shots leaked, spotted in Best Buy ad

New Nexus 7 press shots leaked

The new Nexus 7’s official unveiling might still be a few days away, but impatient tablet fans can get a peek right now: @evleaks seems to have come across the alleged device’s official press render. The image doesn’t do much to confirm the 7-inch tablet’s internal specifications, but what we can see matches previous leaks, giving us a clearer view of the device’s rumored 5MP rear-facing camera and and a branded backside — now lacking the dimples of the original. A pair of speakers can be seen on the rear’s north and south ends and volume, power and a microphone input line the tablet’s right edge.

On the front we can see an offset front-facing shooter, an underlining notification LED and what is most likely Android 4.3. Although the press shot doesn’t reveal anything about the device’s screen, a Best Buy ad featuring it pegs it as a 1,920 x 1,200 display, pricing the 16GB variant of the upcoming tablet at $229 –$40 less than the reported price of the slate’s 32GB model. Phone Arena says the leaked ad is scheduled to run next week, placing the circular’s promised Tuesday availability for the Nexus 7 on July 30th. We’ll wait for Google to give us the full story on the 24th before jumping the gun, but if you just can’t wait, feel free to ogle Best Buy’s unreleased insert after the break.

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Source: @evleaks, Phone Arena

The Daily Roundup for 07.19.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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New Nexus 7 leak points to Android 4.3, dual cameras and wireless charging (update: on sale July 31st)

New Nexus 7 leak points to Android 4.3, dual cameras and wireless charging (update: on sale July 31st)

A few days back, a lovely tipster sent us in some shots that strongly suggest a shiny new Nexus 7 will be hitting shelves next week for $269. Granted, that’s for the 32GB model, but it still represents a $20 premium over the current version. What we haven’t known until now, though, has been what exactly that extra $20 will get you. A new leak, that photo above of a product info tag, suggests that there are actually quite a few extras baked in this time around. According to the pic, there’s a quad-core 1.5GHz CPU with the still-unannounced Android 4.3 as the OS. The 7-inch screen size remains, though it’s unclear if there’s a resolution bump to accompany it. Also on board are a pair of cameras: 1.2MP up front and 5MP around back. The two more unexpected tidbits are the addition of Slim Port support for playing 1080p video on your TV, as well as wireless charging, because the less cables you need, the happier you’re bound to be. We’re sure all will be revealed next week at Google’s big event.

Update: Yet another tipster has reached out to us to share that the next iteration of the Nexus 7 will officially go on sale in Staples on July 31st. As you can see in the memo after the break the tablets are expected to arrive in stores as early as the 24th, but they’ll be kept under lock and key until the last day of the month. This doesn’t preclude Google from selling the devices through the Play store earlier, though, but that would mean taking the plunge without trying it out first.

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The Daily Roundup for 07.17.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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