Though the Nexus 7 tablet bears the same name as its predecessor, its new look and long list of feature updates including the much-anticipated Android 4.3 —give it the aura of an entirely new gadget.
The only similarity between 2012's Nexus 7 and this year's model is its 7-inch diagonal screen size. Indeed, the two tablets are so different, they really should have different names. Google's new tablet is thinner and sleeker—Hugo Barra, vice president of Android product management at Google, explained that the side bezels were reduced by 3mm on each side so that the device would be easier to hold with one hand. Shaving off that 6mm provides a "much more comfortable grip," Barra said at the event.
Google also stuck with a pure black-on-black design with the same soft touch that Barra says "everyone loved in the original Nexus 7." Rather than stick with Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 chip, the Asus-built device now features a Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. It's the same chip featured inside the Nexus 4 handset announced late last year, though according to Android Police , initial Nexus 7 performance benchmarks show the processor performing just a bit better inside the tablet. This particular chip should help increase battery life, as well as speed up software multitasking. The tablet's RAM has also been increased from 1GB to 2GB to help support processing power.
Photo-frantic users will appreciate that the new Nexus 7 adds a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera to the mix, complementing the front-facing 1.2 megapixel camera that was available in the original model. There's also a Slim Port on the back of the device that enables you to pipe 1080p video to your TV with an HDMI cable.
And to help add to that experience, the new Nexus 7 will feature dual speakers on each side of the device. Google teamed up with Fraunhofer, a German engineering firm, to integrate virtual surround sound for the onboard speakers and any connected headphones. Barra compared this new features to a "5.1 surround sound system… just using the device speakers or any pair of headphones."
Other hardware perks include the ability to wireless charge the device with an Qi-standardized wireless charger, a feature that is only available on a limited variety of Android devices. You'll be able to simply plop down the device on a compatible charging base and have it refuel overnight. The Nexus 7 will also have NFC capabilities, and unlike its predecessor, Google and Asus will only offer a 16GB and 32GB variant of the Android tablet, priced at $229 and $269, respectively. You can also pick up a 32GB LTE version for $349. Last year's Nexus 7 is now listed as "no longer available" in the Google Play store.
Source: Engadget
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