The 2013 Google Nexus in the Flesh!

The new 2013 Google Nexus 7 was announced last week and we’re happy to report that we now have it here at the Unbox HQ! This device sent global tech blogs buzzing because of the features: Full HD 7-inch display, a sleeker and thinner body, and bumped up internals. Other sites also gave it rave reviews which only added fuel to the burning hype about it. Note that this isn’t available locally yet (officially or unofficially through online stores). We were only lucky to chance upon a person who just arrived from the US yesterday morning and he had with him an extra unit that we were able to buy. Expect a full review soon but for now allow us to share with you guys the unboxing and our initial review!

As usual let’s quickly have a refresher on the specifications.

New Nexus 7 (2013) Partial Spec Sheet

• 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor
• OpenGL ES 3.0 Support
• Smart Bluetooth
• 7-inch Full HD Display, 1920×1200 resolution (1080p)
• 2GB RAM
• WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, HSPA+, LTE
• 5.0-megapixel rear-facing camera
• 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• Dual Speakers
• Android Jelly Bean 4.3
• Battery life improved by 1 hour versus previous model

Awesome right? Let’s get to the unboxing!

Packaging

Google and ASUS ditched the boring gray box that we saw with the first generation Nexus 7 and went for a quite colorful mix with this one. The slip cover is in blue with the Nexus 7 printed at the front displaying vibrant colors. This will definitely stand out in a shelf filled with other gadgets, lol. The blue kinda screams. Anyway, underneath the slip-on is the white carton box. We removed the tape on the side, flipped the lid open, and we were immediately greeted by the gorgeous 2nd generation Nexus 7 tablet (wrapped in plastic).

First thing that came to our minds? Well… “Wow it looks like a big iPhone 5!” Yep, that’s exactly what popped into our brains the moment we saw it, haha! We can probably blame it on the all-black treatment coupled with the thinner bezel and longer form factor.

We set aside the tablet first and dug into the box to see what else was in it and we found… nothing much. Other than the Nexus 7 all we found were the following: USB to micro USB cable, Wall Charger, and Manuals. Hmmm… ASUS could learn a thing or two about freebies from companies like Starmobile, lol.

Initial Impressions: Best Android Tablet Yet?

ASUS did a spectacular job with the hardware and chassis design on the new Nexus 7. Like what we mentioned earlier at the front we have an all glass 7-inch display with much thinner side bezels. It also feels as if they increased the over-all height of the device (that’s probably the reason why it looks like a big iPhone). At the sides we have the usual buttons and ports. At the back we have an all black treatment… thankfully not in glossy plastic material. The Nexus 7 logo is proudly engraved at the back as well together with the 5.0-megapixel shooter (no flash).

The new form factor makes it so much easier to hold and use the Nexus 7 with one hand. In fact we were reading a book just a few hours ago and it almost felt like we had a Kindle in our hands and not your usual 7-inch Android tablet. We definitely have to give major props to ASUS and Google for the hardware.

The feature we loved the most about the Nexus 7 though is not really the chassis but the display. We get a Full HD 1080p experience on this baby which is simply superb for watching videos, reading ebooks, browsing the web, playing games, and looking at photos. The display is the window to all the content so it was really nice to that Google and ASUS made sure that we get a spectacular one with the new Nexus 7.

Watch out for our full review!

We’re definitely going to put this through the paces in the next few days. You can expect the full review out within the week but if you want to know more about the 2013 Nexus 7 please do watch our next podcast episode this Monday. We’ll be doing a live feature on it as well as other cool devices.

Don’t forget — Unbox Video Podcast at 7:30PM on the New Media Factory.