Last year Google released its first official mid-sized Android tablet, the Nexus 7. I called it âThe Best Way to Play Android Games.â We can throw that one out now. The new Nexus 7 is here, and its better in every way possible.
https://lastchance.cc/googles-nexus-7-tablet-is-the-best-way-to-play-android-5927032%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Asus has done an outstanding job of refining Googleâs flagship Android tablet. Itâs thinner, lighter, sleeker, and generally easier to hold. Itâs got the same rubberized rear finish that made the original such a grippy little gaming machine, without the weird golf club grip texture its predecessor was sporting. After handling the new Nexus 7, the older model feels primitive.
And of course itâs more powerful. Itâs ditched Nvidiaâs Tegra 3 chip in favor of a 1.5 GHz quad core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. Itâs got 2GB of RAM, twice that of the first Nexus 7.
Itâs an incredibly speedy tablet, which is reflected in every game I play. Ubisoftâs Raymanâs Jungle Run gave my old Nexus 7 stuttering fits at times â here itâs smooth and silky and incredibly hard to put down.
The biggest improvement is the screen. The original might as well be an old tube television in comparison to the glorious 1920 x 1200 WUXGA screen. Itâs bright, crisp, and sharp â the sharpest Iâve seen on an Android device.
Note in the video here I keep calling the screen 1920 x 1080. Old habits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKlYM9nKehY
What else? Itâs got a rear camera â not a good one, but considering the original didnât have one at all, itâs an improvement. Dual front speakers provide true stereo sound, which isnât something you see every day.
Gizmodo has an excellent analysis of the hardware in their review of the 2013 Nexus 7, so I wonât get too deep into its innards. What Iâm concerned with is gaming performance, and so far Iâve been incredibly impressed. With Android 4.3 adding OpenGL ES 3.0 support, the 2013 Nexus 7 is ready to take on anything Android game developers can throw at it.
https://gizmodo.com/nexus-7-2013-review-the-best-small-tablet-even-better-947533058
If the original Nexus 7 was the sweet spot for Android gaming, the 2013 version is the sweeter spot. That leaves âsweetestâ for the 2014 version. After that, I got nothing.
