Power On with TitosTech: The Nexus 7 FHD (2013)

The Google Nexus 7 was my favorite tablet last year (even more than my iPad mini) and it was with reason why. The thing is, as soon as 2013 rolled in, my favorite tablet of 2012 was starting to show you don't give such titles out until they have earned them in more ways than one. My Nexus started showing its true colors by sluggish performance and very sluggish transition speeds. By May of this year, I was just about burnt out on my Nexus 7.

My Home Screen

In May, I ended up selling my Nexus 7 on Amazon and that was the end of my Nexus 7 life. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I was watching the Google Breakfast on Youtube and I seen the greatest thing I could have ever seen, a new Nexus 7! Everything I loved about the old one was there and everything I hated about the old one has been changed, added on or replaced. First and foremost the first thing I have to talk about, is the screen. The old Nexus had a screen that was ok ( it was better than the iPad mini's, that screen was terrible) but it could have been better. This year's Nexus 7, has a screen that is so great, crisp and clear that it just brings a tear to my eye.

To be fair, I am not comparing the iPad mini, Nexus 7 (2012) and the Nexus 7 (2013), but I am just trying to explain to you in my own words should this be something you spend you money on or not. Honestly the iPad mini's screen is a sad and lonely 163 ppi or 1024 x 768. The old Nexus 7 was a lot better at 216 ppi, but this year's Nexus 7 just shot past that for a blazing 323 ppi! So you see why this is such a big thing for me, because the Nexus 7 was my favorite tablet last year. So again, the screen on the Nexus 7 FHD is super awesome. If you own a Nexus 10, then you know what I am talking about.

My speedtest on the 5.0 bandwith

Google made the tablet thinner while keeping the same form factor. Buttons are in the same place and the headphone jack went from the bottom to the top now. When you go inside the new Nexus 7, you will see the new standard (it seems to me) in an Snapdragon processor. So you got an 1.5GHZ Snapdragon S4 Pro with a much needed 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 320 GPU. You can get either the 16GB or 2 versions of the 32GB. All the Nexus 7's are wifi only except the other 32GB version which is 4g LTE for about $350. No word yet on if you can use or if it has a dialer in it, but this is Android, you can find away.

I have had the new Nexus FHD for about a week now, and I wish that I could say that I have seen some problems yet, but honestly I cannot. The 2012 edition I had a problem with it the first 3 days I had it. It wasn't a deal breaker by any means, but I did notice a few things early on. The biggest problem that I had with last year’s version is that it kept slowing down on me and it felt like 1GB of RAM was either not enough or it wasn't really 1GB of RAM in the first place. This year they have upped it to 2GB of RAM and threw a different processor in there as well.

Is this tablet for you? Should you upgrade from a Nexus 7 (2012) to a (2013) Nexus 7? Well here is the thing. Yes you should upgrade or get a new one.........if you are tired of your 2012 model, time for a new tablet in general, or you really just want the latest and greatest from Google. If you have never owned a tablet, this is the one to get. If you're looking for a great tablet for a birthday or anything like that, this is the one to get. You DO NOT want to get this tablet if you're 2012 version is just fine (and because Jellybean 4.3 is there now as well) or you don't want to spend $30's more for all the upgraded amenities. The 16GB version (the one I got) is $229 and the 32GB is $269.

Geekbench Scores

You can wonder why I didn't get the 32GB version again like I had last year and honestly I didn't need the extra space. Last year, I had so much stuff on my Nexus 7, I thought all the stuff on there was slowing it down (in a since it was). I can't tell you how many times I formated or cleared everything out of my Nexus. What I did differently so far has been taking advantage of everything Google has to offer. Let me explain. Google Drive is what I use all the time now. I have my pictures there, documents and things like that. I have most of my music in the cloud with Google music (the other music I have is on my iPod). When it comes to watching movies however, I use an OTG cable that I got from Amazon, and plug that into the bottom of the Nexus 7 and then plug my flash drive or my 500Gb hard drive up to it and watch movies on it. No need to put them on the actual Nexus anymore. There are also Box and Dropbox that will let you put movies and music there (even skydrive or whatever they have to call it now).

Geekbench still says Tegra 3 lol.

The best thing about the new Nexus is that it is HDMI out via Slimport adapter. So when I put my games on the Nexus 7, I connect it to a monitor or TV and play on a bigger screen. Honestly, I got a great set-up. Nexus 7 with Modern Combat 4, a MOGA Pro controller (they are awesome) and a Slimport with an HDMI. It doesn't look clunky or very junky on my desk, so that is a good thing as well. I only keep a few games on my tablet anyway because I have so many, I only keep what I play on there and then just download when I want to play the others. Simple.

All in all, the Nexus 7 FHD is the best 7 inch tablet out there (as of now). With Amazon set to drop a new Kindle Fire soon (it sounds nice too) and Apple presser for the fall is right around the corner (rumors of iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPad mini with a retina or high def display) as well, the new Nexus may only hold the crown for only so long anyway. But as of now, today, it has taken over again as my new favorite tablet this year...............so far!

The Nexus 7 FHD (2013) Overall 9/10