Pipo M7 Pro vs Nexus 7 (flo) - Nexus 7 (2013) Q&A

Pipo M7 Pro vs Nexus 7 (flo) - Nexus 7 (2013) Q&A

Hey guys, so I'm going Tablet hunting and have come down with 2 leading candidates, the Pipo M7 Pro, a Chinese Tablet. or the Nexus 7 (2013).
The only thing that worries me is the development. As a Flashaholic I'd like a tablet with decent dev support, and I haven't seen any dev support for the Pipo M7 Pro.
Now, the Nexus 7 Multi touch and GPS/random reboot issues have me here at bay, making the debate a bit more intense.
I'll probably use my tablet for reading, school related work or gaming/listening to music (rarely though, I'll probably have my Galaxy Nexus for that which works fine really(or a Nexus 5 by the time it comes out ))
Any recommendations/Opinions/Point of views will be appreciated.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Nexus 7, most of not all the "issues"with it are a very vocal minority, overflowing a small problem, of it were half as big an issue as they try to make ir to bbr, ir would be all the blogs
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

Small, yes.
Vocal, yes.
Very real, though. And, to some degree, acknowledged by the powers that be at Google...
The people posting, including myself, have been through 2-3 of more N7 2013s.
It's the luck of the draw. It may only effect a few percent, but over the multi thousands sold, it's a percentage that needs to be taken seriously.
If you purchase one, be sure that it's from a seller offering a good return/exchange policy.

z0phi3l said:
Nexus 7, most of not all the "issues"with it are a very vocal minority, overflowing a small problem, of it were half as big an issue as they try to make ir to bbr, ir would be all the blogs
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mostly every blog I've read mentions it. But I guess I'm just on that "unlucky and unconventional" part of the internet.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Been thru quite a few "shows" ... the TF101, the 2012 Nexus 7 & now the 2013 Nexus 7...
I still don't hesitate a bit to buy one. Heck, I even wish there is a refurbished sales right now.

danvee said:
Small, yes.
Vocal, yes.
Very real, though. And, to some degree, acknowledged by the powers that be at Google...
The people posting, including myself, have been through 2-3 of more N7 2013s.
It's the luck of the draw. It may only effect a few percent, but over the multi thousands sold, it's a percentage that needs to be taken seriously.
If you purchase one, be sure that it's from a seller offering a good return/exchange policy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it is a hardware issue? And not software related?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Your guess is as good as theirs right now....

Chinese stuff is just not up to par as brand name stuff yet. Their specs look great, benchmarks are great, but in reality they are far far apart when you use both side by side.
I have a Ifive X2 with a RK3188 and it lags like hell, battery is good, screen is nice, but real world performance is just awful. Since I got my Note 8 from repair, I dont use the X2 at all anymore.
For the small price difference it just makes no sense to consider Chinese stuff vs a Nexus 7.

Nutsonfire said:
Chinese stuff is just not up to par as brand name stuff yet.
I have a Ifive X2 with a RK3188 and it lags like hell, battery is good, screen is nice, but real world performance is just awful.
For the small price difference it just makes no sense to consider Chinese stuff vs a Nexus 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This Pipo M7 Pro isn't a fastest tablet in the world and after a bit of customizations is in real world usable. The screen is impressive, good battery, very good Wi-Fi and the firmware is stable. I don't regret my (old ) Nexus 7
M7 is great for browsing internet, reading books and multimedia but not too suited for video games.
I am satisfied but not enthusiastic.
Inviato dal mio M7 pro usando Tapatalk 4

dpaganello said:
This Pipo M7 Pro isn't a fastest tablet in the world and after a bit of customizations is in real world usable. The screen is impressive, good battery, very good Wi-Fi and the firmware is stable. I don't regret my (old ) Nexus 7
M7 is great for browsing internet, reading books and multimedia but not too suited for video games.
I am satisfied but not enthusiastic.
Inviato dal mio M7 pro usando Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your opinion.
Nutsonfire said:
Chinese stuff is just not up to par as brand name stuff yet. Their specs look great, benchmarks are great, but in reality they are far far apart when you use both side by side.
I have a Ifive X2 with a RK3188 and it lags like hell, battery is good, screen is nice, but real world performance is just awful. Since I got my Note 8 from repair, I dont use the X2 at all anymore.
For the small price difference it just makes no sense to consider Chinese stuff vs a Nexus 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pipo is a pretty good Chinese company, we're not just talking about those ripoff chinese companies you find on Ebay, and I have used Rockchip based devices and can vouch for them, they're not as bad as you say.
So your "no sense to consider Chinese stuff vs a Nexus 7" is kind of stereotypical and not really reliable
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Jimlarck said:
Thank you for your opinion.
Pipo is a pretty good Chinese company, we're not just talking about those ripoff chinese companies you find on Ebay, and I have used Rockchip based devices and can vouch for them, they're not as bad as you say.
So your "no sense to consider Chinese stuff vs a Nexus 7" is kind of stereotypical and not really reliable
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First,
I agree with the above line in bold.
Second,
If you aren't in a hurry to buy a tablet, I'd wait to see what the TegraTab and the LG G Pad 8.3 end up being like. That's what I'm going to do when I return/exchange my N7 flo for the 3rd time. I'm on my 2nd one now, so hopefully the 3rd try will be the the charm! I expect both those options to be more expensive, but if either of them is within 100 of the 32gb N7 flo (as long as it's 32gb or 16gb with a microsd), then I'll probably give it a shot.
Third,
If you absolutely want a tablet right now, I can't recommend the N7 in good conscience. Having had two with the same exact issue(multitouch), I would say the odds are pretty good that you'd get one with the same issue. That said, if the N7 is what you like and you don't mind potentially returning/exchanging it, get one. Just be sure to buy from somewhere with a good return/exchange program. I've had pretty good luck with Best Buy so far, as well as Amazon. I'd choose Best Buy if there's one near you for ease of returning/exchanging, i.e. no wait time.
Good Luck!

Jimlarck said:
Thank you for your opinion.
Pipo is a pretty good Chinese company, we're not just talking about those ripoff chinese companies you find on Ebay, and I have used Rockchip based devices and can vouch for them, they're not as bad as you say.
So your "no sense to consider Chinese stuff vs a Nexus 7" is kind of stereotypical and not really reliable
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have one of the latest and greatest Chinese tabs as I write in my post.
Yes they are better then what they used to be but they still lack in some aspects. These tabs using the RK3188 chip in real life are just not want the benchmarks want you to believe. The Chinese keep cutting corners where they shouldn't and it shows. So yeah it looks like you get a lot for 200$ but when you use it you understand why its cheaper.
It's no surprise that all the high end Chinese tabs and phones end up using Qualcomm and Samsung CPUs and cost almost the same as brand name stuff.

Nutsonfire said:
I have one of the latest and greatest Chinese tabs as I write in my post.
Yes they are better then what they used to be but they still lack in some aspects. These tabs using the RK3188 chip in real life are just not want the benchmarks want you to believe. The Chinese keep cutting corners where they shouldn't and it shows. So yeah it looks like you get a lot for 200$ but when you use it you understand why its cheaper.
It's no surprise that all the high end Chinese tabs and phones end up using Qualcomm and Samsung CPUs and cost almost the same as brand name stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since when are benchmarks actually safe, legitimate and trustworthy?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Jimlarck said:
Since when are benchmarks actually safe, legitimate and trustworthy?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are not, but fans of Chinese stuff like to go crazy about them and use them to compare with brand name products. If I see two products with similar scores I would expect similar function but clearly it's not the case.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

I had Asus Infinity TF700T before, but I was very disappointed about the build quality and the lagging of the device. I hated that tab every moment. I didn't install custom rom because it required unlocking the device and loosing the warranty. So I sold it and bought Pipo M7pro.
I like the screen and size of the tablet and this is much faster and smoother than Asus TF700. Also the build quality is better than on Asus, which had loose screen even repaired three times for warranty.
Multi window feature is pretty cool! Check the video from youtube.
I'm really satisfied of this cheap Chinese tab!
Sent from my M7 pro using Tapatalk 4

So after reading some of your messages and doing some more research on my own. I've decided to wait until October, if the Nexus 7 multitouch problems have been resolved (they're addressing the problem at their warehouses/manufacturers or fixed it on an update) I'll buy it, if not, then Pipo M7 Pro will have to be my choice.
Really like the N7 but what use is there buying it when chances are that I'll get a broken Tablet, no, I can wait, I trust Google that they'll resolve this soon, it isn't the first time they've encountered a problem with manufacturers, like the N4 for example, with the infamous exploding back(I did think it was spontaneous and comical so I did have a laugh about it, hopefully the owners got a replacement though)
Thank you all for your messages and opinions. Especially those who gave their completely unbiased opinion and thoughts.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Jimlarck said:
So after reading some of your messages and doing some more research on my own. I've decided to wait until October, if the Nexus 7 multitouch problems have been resolved (they're addressing the problem at their warehouses/manufacturers or fixed it on an update) I'll buy it, if not, then Pipo M7 Pro will have to be my choice.
Really like the N7 but what use is there buying it when chances are that I'll get a broken Tablet, no, I can wait, I trust Google that they'll resolve this soon, it isn't the first time they've encountered a problem with manufacturers, like the N4 for example, with the infamous exploding back(I did think it was spontaneous and comical so I did have a laugh about it, hopefully the owners got a replacement though)
Thank you all for your messages and opinions. Especially those who gave their completely unbiased opinion and thoughts.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the Chinese phones and tablets may have some issues but then again so do other phones. In my opinion it is best to wait for a very comprehensive review before you buy. And only buy from a near-by supplier that is willing to take it back if it is faulty, do not buy direct from China because it is unlikely to get your money back, plus the shipping costs and customs would make it uneconomical to return items.
For example, a year ago I bought a Chinese phone, with superb specifications. It seems to have two faults (at least). First, it is very fussy with the SD card, many applications do not work with it and especially GPS Navigation applications that store huge maps on the SD card. Secondly the GPS receiver is either broken or simply very, very bad. My dedicated Garmin GPS, my wife's iPhone4, my son's Samsung S3 : they all lock on to the GPS almost instantly. The Chinese phone needs to be absolutely stand still for like 5-10 minutes before it can lock on. Completely useless in the car for example, I have to stop the car, and then wait 5-10 minutes so it can lock.
Someone said above that high-end Chinese phones and tabs use Qualcomm and Samsung parts and not their own. Well, no **** Sherlock! That qualifies as one of the most idiotic statements I have read. Every single electronic device in the world uses parts made by various/hundreds of other manufacturers. This has always been the case. I would not expect the Pipo M7 Pro to have components made by Pipo - and it does not matter anyway. My Sony VAIO laptop does not use a "SONY" CPU, or chipset, or GPU, or memory, or capacitors, or resistors, actually I doubt that a single component inside my laptop is actually made by Sony, except perhaps the badge!!!

I have to say, I bought the 2012 N7 as well as my 2013 and both were flawless from the start. My fiancee got my 2012 when i bought my new one and it's still going strong. The only issue I have at all with the 2013 is a delayed wake when using a magnetic cover. That's obviously a software issue, as leaving Bluetooth on fixes the problem.
Oh and Zilliman, your Chinese phone sounds like my old Samsung Captivate. That thing had the worst GPS I've ever seen. Developers worked hard to fix it but it was never very good. Completely useless even when walking, let alone driving.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

RKight said:
I have to say, I bought the 2012 N7 as well as my 2013 and both were flawless from the start. My fiancee got my 2012 when i bought my new one and it's still going strong. The only issue I have at all with the 2013 is a delayed wake when using a magnetic cover. That's obviously a software issue, as leaving Bluetooth on fixes the problem.
Oh and Zilliman, your Chinese phone sounds like my old Samsung Captivate. That thing had the worst GPS I've ever seen. Developers worked hard to fix it but it was never very good. Completely useless even when walking, let alone driving.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a problem for those with N7 Pro : the speakers crackle at high volume.

Do not buy M7 Pro
OK I guess finally I may have something to help after getting so many helps from this nice forum.
I live in China and I'd say I'm quite familiar with Chinese tablets and nexus devices. (proud owner of both types) I've yet to find a Chinese native brand tablet that marches either Nexus 7's build quality or OS stability. (always search for teardown pics before decision) Usually they have small problems here or there, but you don't have a bug list and workaround thread in a good forum simply because they don't have enough users.
There are worth buying Chinese tablets though. They are usually much cheaper than Nexus 7, don't have fatal problems, have good user base and forums to post workarounds of those small issues, and recently they start to come in so many varieties of screen size. (there used to be a time when they are mainly 7" widescreen, before the mighty Nexus 7's arrival.)
IMHO if you prefer 7" tablet, just grab the new Nexus 7. If not, don't buy M7 Pro for the following reasons:
1 Rockchip is not as friendly to devs as its rival SoC company Allwinner. I can find unofficial CM10.2 on AllWinner platform but I find almost nothing on Rockchip;
2 RK3188 seems strong, but in practice it's not a good chip for HD "Retina" display due to poor design choice of a single channel 32bit memory controller, which results a memory bandwidth that nearly kills GPU performance. BTW that's just a fraction of bandwidth compared to the new Nexus 7. I heard the GPU performance is so poor that even stock launcher can't go butterly smooth.
However RK3188 + a 1024*768 display is fine.
Summary: don't buy RK3188+HD display like the M7 Pro; strongly recommend new Nexus 7
correction: No Chinese SoC performs well on 1080p display. I'd guess 720p is the limit.
Hope it helps

Related

[Q] Galaxy Note 8 - is it worth it?

Hello mates.Im still thinking of buying this tab,but why is his popularity so low? I mean not many roms,topics etc about it in forums.. Is there anything wrong with it? Havent seen the tab yet(only reviews),only saw and played with ipad mini,but I think this one is better.Would you advice me to buy it and why?
Thank you
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Yes...go for it. I' ve replaced my Note 2. 7' Tab is small and 10' is too big for me. 8' Note is not mass market product, but just in between Note 2 and Note 10 solution with perfect performance and everyday use/ carry around. I use it as well as my primary phone, navigation, multimedia and personal computer.

The "problem" you see here relates more to the very niche market for a device like this in its price range when compared next to something like the Nexus 7 and even Samsung's other 7 inch tablet. So on price alone, its going to struggle a little when you have so many quality options for half the price in many cases. For example, the iPad mini is $100 less, you could buy 2 Nexus 7 16GBs, or hell, I've seen referb Nook Colors going for $60 so you could almost buy 7 of the damn things. What they all lack, however, and what sets this apart for those that need the feature is the Wacom digitizer. Yes, that little pen is the source of the fuss. If you're the sort of person who values hand written notes or loves to doodle in a way that no other tablet in this form factor is capable of (even with a third party stylus), then thats all the reason you need to pick up the Note 8. Other reasons would include the super thin body or large screen size (or you have some creepy love of IR blasters), but the pen is the point here.
This all means, sadly, that we won't ever enjoy the flood of rom options other devices enjoy. Sure, there will be some in time, but I'm not holding out for a solid, feature filled port of Paranoid Android. Instead, I'm doing with the majority of Android users are and just making due with what I have and honestly, the things I love outnumber the things I hate about TouchWiz.
At this point, I can't see myself ever going back to a "normal" tablet again (which will really suck if they don't make another one lol).

It's awesome. Don't hesitate.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk HD

I helped organize a Nexus 7 32gb 3G for my mother, and was suitably impressed with it.
I also own a HTC Sensation... which I was also suitably impressed with 2 years ago when I bought it.
I also have to my name an i5 Desktop + Wacom Cintiq 12wx.
So, yes, you guessed it... I like digital art / image manipulation. I also enjoy keeping journals and 'writing' stories... yes, WRITING, not 'typing'... when I sit infront of a keyboard and see the words spill from my fingertips in clinical neat text, it kinda kills the creative process for me...
So you can understand that the note 8.0 *BLEW ME AWAY*
It's as if someone out there decided to design a device *just for me*. It's the perfect size, perfect weight, so comfortable to hold, handwriting recognition is superb, and the sensitivity of the S Pen is second only to the Cintiq experience...
All i need is a means to fine tune the sensitivity of the S Pen for my drawing style and I believe I would actually prefer the Note 8.0 over the Desktop+Cintiq as a drawing medium.. I've only had the tablet for a few days, so I may still be able to figure out how to do this. If, however, the calibration must stay as it is... it is still an excellent drawing experience and, as I said, second only to using a full-blown Cintiq.
Like others here I'll never be buying a tablet again that doesn't at least match the features and convenience of the Note 8.0.
I'm very excited to see what they do with the Note 8.0 v2 + v3... and if for some odd reason, this is the first and last in the series... I'll be keeping this tablet... and keeping my eyes open for developments in the Surface Pro line (it's still too bulky/heavy to be a concideration for me at this point in time).
Bottom line:
Are you an artist / designer and do you prefer handwriting over typing?
If yes, then I can see no better option for you in this form factor. The price is well justified.
If no, then although it is a superb tablet that trumps the Nexus 7 in every way... the price will be hard to justify. If you're not going to put the Wacom Digitizer to work for you, then only buy this tablet if you have money to burn.

FaeMinx said:
All i need is a means to fine tune the sensitivity of the S Pen for my drawing style and I believe I would actually prefer the Note 8.0 over the Desktop+Cintiq as a drawing medium.. I've only had the tablet for a few days, so I may still be able to figure out how to do this. If, however, the calibration must stay as it is... it is still an excellent drawing experience and, as I said, second only to using a full-blown Cintiq.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See this page...
http://phandroid.com/2012/12/05/how-to-adjust-s-pen/

Thank you for all your help friends . I currently own a Nexus 7 ,but I dont have 3g and thats killing me. Personally I was viewing Ipad mini and Note 8 . In fact in my country and my calculations for the 3G version price is likely the same.The only thing I love in Ipad mini is the app store (many many apps) and the accesoaries for the Ipad (docks and etc) If we remove this the Note 8 has everything.
I`ll think a little more and maybe decide the Note 8.It will cost me like 450~500$ with a contract for 7$ per month for one year and Im getting 3000MB high speed 3G.
Here the Apple Ipad Mini costs like 500~550$ ,but without any contracts .

linkenhtc said:
Thank you for all your help friends . I currently own a Nexus 7 ,but I dont have 3g and thats killing me. Personally I was viewing Ipad mini and Note 8 . In fact in my country and my calculations for the 3G version price is likely the same.The only thing I love in Ipad mini is the app store (many many apps) and the accesoaries for the Ipad (docks and etc) If we remove this the Note 8 has everything.
I`ll think a little more and maybe decide the Note 8.It will cost me like 450~500$ with a contract for 7$ per month for one year and Im getting 3000MB high speed 3G.
Here the Apple Ipad Mini costs like 500~550$ ,but without any contracts .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As others have said. The price of the Note is almost purely based on the Spen / digitizer technology with in it. To decide if it is worth it, you need to decide if the added functionality that technology brings is of benefit to you.
If you dont draw, or dont think you will be taking hand writen notes, then there may be little benefit of this tablet over a cheaper android alternative. My advice is, if you want to use the Spen, then the Note 8.0 is the perfect companion, if you dont, wait for the new NEXUS to be announced and either buy the older 7 at a discount or wait for the newer one (or do the same with the ipad mini. cant be too long before a newer version is announced).

hertsjoatmon said:
See this page...
http://phandroid.com/2012/12/05/how-to-adjust-s-pen/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link! After reading that... I'm a little nervous about possibly screwing up the sensitivity that I have - after all, there's nothing *wrong* with my pen, it's not wonky at all... I just would love to be able to map out the pressure gradient curve like I can do via software for each of my Cintiq pens (I have them all - Airbrush, 6D Artpen, Grip Pen and Classic)... So I'm going to continue looking for a software solution. But if one doesn't turn up, I'll probably buy an extra S Pen to fiddle with mechanically.
Thanks again.
linkenhtc said:
Thank you for all your help friends . I currently own a Nexus 7 ,but I dont have 3g and thats killing me. Personally I was viewing Ipad mini and Note 8 . In fact in my country and my calculations for the 3G version price is likely the same.The only thing I love in Ipad mini is the app store (many many apps) and the accesoaries for the Ipad (docks and etc) If we remove this the Note 8 has everything.
I`ll think a little more and maybe decide the Note 8.It will cost me like 450~500$ with a contract for 7$ per month for one year and Im getting 3000MB high speed 3G.
Here the Apple Ipad Mini costs like 500~550$ ,but without any contracts .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you own any other Apple products? Have you already made significant purchases in the Apple app store you want to use on your tablet?
If not, and it's just a case of which is the better tablet... Go for the Note 8.0.
In my opinion, the iPad Mini and GNote 8.0 are not even in the same class of device.
iPad Mini is appropriate for the mass-market consumer who is primarily concerned with consuming content. It's easy to use, especially for people who are not all that technologically skilled.
GNote 8.0 is aimed at power users, creative professionals, and discerning creative hobbyists who are primarily concerned with *creating* content... but who also want a top class media consumption device as well.
If you have any interest in creating content, then it's a no-brainer.
But like I said, if you aren't really going to use the Wacom Digitizer all that much... then the iPad mini could be the right device for you... even though it makes me cringe recommending an Apple product to anybody.

Ill go for the Note.Ill go and order one.Thank you all
And about thias 25$ gift card - it doesnt depend from what country you are ,right?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

linkenhtc said:
Ill go for the Note.Ill go and order one.Thank you all
And about thias 25$ gift card - it doesnt depend from what country you are ,right?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to check with whoever you are buying from. As far as I was aware, the gift card was only available to US residents.
As I live in South Africa, I got other extras... such as a free Official Stand Pouch, a 16gb MicroSD card, 2 year warranty, and two months free internet with MWeb (which i'm not using as I'm with another service provider - I bought mine outright, i.e. not on contract).

Juvenall said:
The "problem" you see here relates more to the very niche market for a device like this in its price range when compared next to something like the Nexus 7 and even Samsung's other 7 inch tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bingo. The Android tablet market is dominated by low priced, low spec devices (at least in the 7 to 8 inch form factor). And this has worked to get Android tablets into people's hands and steal market share from the iPad. The N8 is targeted towards users who actually value a premium device, and are willing to pay a bit more. Unfortunately, we are in the minority.
Yes, the N8 is not going to sell in huge numbers, and that means less developer interest. But all that is needed is a few good developers. We already have some good looking contributions, and this will continue to grow. My previous tablet was the HTC Flyer, which arguably had a worse market penetration problem than the N8 has. The Flyer was more expensive ($499 US at release), and the tablet market was much less mature at the time (much less people interested in buying tablets). The Flyer sold in very low numbers. But even so, it had a fair number of very good developers, and a decent number of ROMs. More than sufficient, IMHO. In the end, you don't need dozens of ROMs. Just a decent selection of good ones.
I don't see the trend towards cheap Android tablets changing anytime soon. The Note 8 is easily the best Android tablet around in the "smaller" (7 to 8 inch) form factor, and I'm willing to bet that will remain the case for some time.

That is just it. This tablet is NOT just about the pen. It is a really fast tablet too. Much faster then the Nexus 7 or just about any other tablet out right now. It is smooooth. The screen is the perfect size too. I had a Nexus 7 and returned it because I couldn't stand how slow it was. I have a note 2 and it is nice to actually have a screen large enough that the multi window feature may actually get some use too.

As a consumer, I love my Note 8 (speedy, responsive, relatively okay battery life, etc everything else ppl said)
As an Android/Linux dev, I lament the fact that because this thing costs so much, it is just statistically less likely to get huge momentum behind it.

I don't know, from a practical point of view this tablet is a better buy than an ipad mini. It does cost a little more than an entry level mini but does the mini have expandable storage, usb otg support, multi windows and a pressure sensitive stylus. If I were Joe Public I'd certainly consider getting one as it offers quite a bit more value for just a little extra investment.
Sent from the mighty Note 8.0

I sold my Note 2 ans Ipad Mini 64GB and replaced them with a Note 8.0 w/ 64GB SDCard and am much happier now.
As for the $25.00 Play Store credit , That is for the WiFi model only checks serial # ( US Only ? ) . 3G versions do not qualify.

[Q] Is it worth it?

I am in the market of purchasing my first Nexus device and have been looking at the Nexus 7 (2013) model but have concerns. After doing a lot of research about the various problems with the Nexus 7 the ones in particular that caught my attention are the touch screen issues, random reboots (this one is my biggest concern) and gps issues. How widespread are these issues? What is the likelihood I'll get unlucky and get a "bad" Nexus 7 tablet? I've read in various places people getting 2-4 replacements and still having the same problems. Is this isolated to a minority of people or do most Nexus 7 (2013) tablets have these issues? Is it a rare event to find a 100% functional Nexus 7? Should I wait until after the holiday season when new batches are made and hopefully have been fixed? Should I buy it all?
I have been itching to get a Nexus device for awhile. I currently own a Galaxy sIII on Verizons network and hate the fact Verizon delays android updates so I am looking to jump ship to a pre-paid plan in the future and more than likely going with a Nexus phone but want to experience a Nexus device (Nexus 7) before doing so. My contract is not up until July of 2014. I am at a point where either its Nexus or Apple. I like to be current on updates. Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I've bought my Nexus 7 LTE 2 weeks ago and don't have those problems. But I also seem to be relatively lucky when it comes to electronics. My advice would be to either buy one at a later date when more users report success with regards to the issues. Or to buy it from a reputable place where you can easily get it replaced or a refund.
Also, keep in mind that people having issues with electronics are far more likely to make threads and posts about these issues and be vocal about them than people who are content with their device.

My touch screen is still kinda meh. It register as if I hold the screen when I just tap sometimes (like 1/25 time ish?). Also when I scroll like 1mm, it doesn't start to respond until I scroll a little bit more. Kinda annoying when I just want to scroll a very tiny bit. Not too big of a deal but it does get slightly annoying. Other than that, nothing was bad right out of the box. I think it's worth a shot.

drummer132132 said:
I am in the market of purchasing my first Nexus device and have been looking at the Nexus 7 (2013) model but have concerns. After doing a lot of research about the various problems with the Nexus 7 the ones in particular that caught my attention are the touch screen issues, random reboots (this one is my biggest concern) and gps issues. How widespread are these issues? What is the likelihood I'll get unlucky and get a "bad" Nexus 7 tablet? I've read in various places people getting 2-4 replacements and still having the same problems. Is this isolated to a minority of people or do most Nexus 7 (2013) tablets have these issues? Is it a rare event to find a 100% functional Nexus 7? Should I wait until after the holiday season when new batches are made and hopefully have been fixed? Should I buy it all?
I have been itching to get a Nexus device for awhile. I currently own a Galaxy sIII on Verizons network and hate the fact Verizon delays android updates so I am looking to jump ship to a pre-paid plan in the future and more than likely going with a Nexus phone but want to experience a Nexus device (Nexus 7) before doing so. My contract is not up until July of 2014. I am at a point where either its Nexus or Apple. I like to be current on updates. Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi OP, I understand your concerns and I would love to share my experiences with you!
I had a Galaxy Nexus with Verizon, and jumped ship because Verizon only had their 3G network at the time and it was painfully slow, it made AT&T look really good.
The Nexus 7 2013 I got, the first one was pretty bad. It would freeze occasionally (also random reboots) and had a cluster of dead pixels and another dead pixel off some random place. After I got that unit swapped, this N7 works almost flawlessly- there is still some of the random phantom taps but not as much. It's enough so I can live with it.
If memory serves me right, the best way to buy it would be through Best Buy. I am a little leery of support through the Google play store and I know with best buy I can be there to get it swapped out on the same day if need be. You will not save on sales tax from the play store so I would opt for better sales support and buy it from Best Buy, or any other retailer carrying the device.
Other than that I think you will be very happy with it. I would avoid AT&T like the plague- I had their service for 3 days (cancelled today) and they charged me an ETF for cancelling- I had to call 4 different people and chat with a rep before I could get it resolved. Your best bet would be through T-Mobile. Their CS support has been a lot better than AT&T. But remember, T-Mobile service only works well in the cities. If you're out on the highway you will be stuck with EDGE or domestic roaming. AT&T has far better speeds on major highways but their CS experience really cheesed me and turned me away from their service. They even scratched my SIM card tray! But I'll step off my soap box for that.
I think these issues are waning, it might just be early production kinks. We've seen it in iPhone 4s when they came out with the incomplete gluing of the screen causing yellowing for example. I can say production wise, the 2 tablets I had were perfectly fine.
Coming from a Note 2, it's refreshing to be with stock android. Touchwiz just eats up RAM like it's nothing.
I'd say go for it. It's nice to have a tablet with cellular access.
I have BB Rewardzone Silver or whatever they call it with 60 day returns. If you feel you want the extra 30 days, send me a PM and I'll send you an invite! I think I can give some invites away until the end of the month.
And tl;dr, YES IT IS WORTH IT

I agree with others on the touch screen. It's has so much lag and just not that responsive. I got the LTE version and I'm very disappointed.
I'll have to see how the LG G pad is but of its as bad as N7 I'll pick up the ipad mini2.
Sent from my VS980 4G using xda app-developers app

Its worth it. I bought my 32gb Nexus 7 at best buy mid August. Its working flawlessly so far. I have no complaints, this is my first tablet I've ever owned and I adore it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Just got mine today, 32gb version, really worth it, even though I paid 320usd for this ( no Google play store in Vietnam ). Amazing device. So far so good

Hi, I got mine yesterday. The 32gb version. Unlocked, flashed custom recovery and rooted in less than 3 minutes. Coming from HTC this is refreshing. I was tired of going MacGyver on HTC devices for the sake of unlocking them.
After 24h of use, no touchscreen issues. Far as I remember I had one reboot but I think it was on purpose due device update (didn't notice the reboot warning maybe). I'm very happy with it, fast, sleek, all functional for now and I hope it stays that way.
A friend of mine also ordered his recently and had 0 issues as well. I think these latest batches are coming out much better.
Sent from my Optimus 4X HD using xda premium

It worth. And when kitkat will be there, it will even worth more.

derpyderps said:
If memory serves me right, the best way to buy it would be through Best Buy. I am a little leery of support through the Google play store and I know with best buy I can be there to get it swapped out on the same day if need be. You will not save on sales tax from the play store so I would opt for better sales support and buy it from Best Buy, or any other retailer carrying the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree completely on this point. My experience with Best Buy customer support has been awful. They will give you a hard time about any issues that are not readily apparent (for example, with the touch screen issue, they would use the device and say "Well, the touch screen is working fine for me" even if you tell them it's an intermittent issue). Google has been fantastic about customer service. I went through four or five Nexus 7 2012's due to the screen lift issue and they never gave me a hard time. Additionally, they offer the full support for a full year. For example, my Nexus 4 (that I bought on launch day) was having a new issue recently and they replaced the device without needing to go through LG support.

Mine was free so it's kind of hard to complain (sister won it, has and ipad and didn't want the nexus too), but I'll give it a shot:
It's a nice light device, looks slick, works well, seems fast (for my use at least), fantastic screen, and battery life seems to be really good.
Great for reading books, great for playing games and it's small enough to slip into any pack.
Live wallpaper is cooler than stink (at least I think so). Graphics are great all around.
The micro USB is a nice bonus over anything apple puts on theirs and the ability to add storage though it is brilliant. I wish I had more than 16 GB (more like 11 after os usage) but I didn't pay anything for it so; Meh....16 gb will do fine. I can always add an app and a usb stick if I want to carry lots of movies, music or documents with me.
People complain about the sound from the speakers sometimes, but what do you want from a "micro thin" 7" tablet? They're better than my iPhone and better than my wife's iPad. I'll get Bluetooth speakers if I want more than they offer. They work fine for most use for me or I use earbuds. It's a tablet, not a stereo...
It works fine for skype and Wifi video calls as is. Sound is fine when I'm talking to my little girl from the hotel. I even find myself turning it down sometimes.
The only problems I've had with it was a slightly "wonky" touchscreen. Very infrequently it would miss a touch or skip on a drag. More prevalent when I wasn't holding it (ie; sitting on the table, etc). Games like Angry Birds were painful to play because of skipping drags. Damned birds flinging everywhere! (lol)
Rooted it and installed sfhub's TS-10 driver and now it's perfect. Little bit of lag on a drag, but nothing serious. Might matter if you're a big tablet "gamer" and need speed in shooter games or similar.
Sometimes I do find myself wishing for a bigger screen, but not very often. It's fine for what it is. A bigger screen would add size and weight and that would ruin the concept of it being light and easily portable anyways. Pick your poison.....
It does feel a little cheap. Or maybe that's not the right word, fragile might be better. But that's likely because it is so light and thin. It probably only feels that way because it is light and thin. That usually means it's probably cheap or low quality to someone of my generation. We like a good, heavy solid feel which says quality to us. It might be very well be quite robust, I just don't want to be the first to find out by dropping it.
It needs a stand too. IMHO, any tablet does. It's light enough that you can hold it fine, but if you watch a movie or read for hours on end it would be nice to put it down. Lots of cases incorporate that option.
So, worth it?
Yeah, I'd say so. It's a nice little tab and it comes in pretty affordable compared to crapple products.
Go try one out is my best advice. Either use a friend's or go try a demo one at the store.

Thank you all for the great responses! They have helped in lowering my worries about receiving a faulty device and increased my desire to pick one up
I do have another question pertaining to Nexus devices in general. Do nexus devices "lag" over the course of time? I hate to mention the competition (aka Apple) but I know that over time their operating system doesn't lag very often as compared to Android devices (or at least that's what I've seen from friends etc who own Apple devices). My Galaxy SIII has been laggy to an extent and was wondering if this would be significantly less on a Nexus device. Devices in particular would be the Nexus 7 2013 model, Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 (I know its not out yet but one can speculate).
Again thank you all for the responses.

Depends on how it lacs. The s3 is a dual core so it may lag when you throw a bunch of things at it. I have the note 2 with a 4core exynos and it still runs fine. The nexus 7 doesn't use a top of the line 4 core but it still packs a punch. I actually got the old nexus 7 because it was a bargain but I couldn't deal with it stuttering so bad. It had issues with the memory controller and the poor design of the tegra 3. I think Asus learned from their mistakes with this second release.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

I think about buying N7 2013 but I read here that it has many hardware issues, that prevents me from getting it..whats the chance I get faulty device?

Buy it and you will see.
Duh!

drummer132132 said:
I do have another question pertaining to Nexus devices in general. Do nexus devices "lag" over the course of time? I hate to mention the competition (aka Apple) but I know that over time their operating system doesn't lag very often as compared to Android devices (or at least that's what I've seen from friends etc who own Apple devices). My Galaxy SIII has been laggy to an extent and was wondering if this would be significantly less on a Nexus device. Devices in particular would be the Nexus 7 2013 model, Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 (I know its not out yet but one can speculate).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I've seen plenty of lag with Apple devices as well. My fiancee has an iPhone 4 and my mom has a 4S, and both run noticeably slower since the most recent update. Android systems tend to get laggy due to too much stuff installed/running on them and it can easily be fixed with a factory reset. Apple devices tend to get bogged down just due to system updates.

I'm wondering if my experience with my sIII has simply made me more apprehensive about purchasing another android device in fear of it being "laggy" over the course of time. Technology has come along way since the sIII in terms of speed and from what I know stock android is pretty fast and not bogged down with bloatware that both Samsung and Verizon think we want. Also to be fair when I talk about "laggy" I'm not saying I'm unable to do things it's just noticeable on certain things but overall runs pretty smooth.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

swisstourist said:
Buy it and you will see.
Duh!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't wanna buy semi-working device so I'm collecting infos about hw issues before purchase

441Excelsior said:
I don't wanna buy semi-working device so I'm collecting infos about hw issues before purchase
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The data just isn't there to give you a percentage of defective units. Plenty of people receive units without issues but plenty of people receive a unit with an issue.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=15276
Based on that poll 15/18 people receive a unit without a defect. Keep in mind that one of the people in the thread said he exchanged it multiple times due to backlight bleed, which is (unfortunately) normal for an IPS LCD depending on the severity. Some of the people who answered "No issue" may have received a tablet with backlight bleed but compared it to other tablets and realized it's "normal."
Just buy it from somewhere with a good return/exchange policy and go from there.

[Q] Buy Nexus 7, wait for Nexus 8 or buy Dell Venue 8?

With all the screen issues, I'm very hesitant to buy a Nexus 7. Actually, I'd buy two; one for my wife and one for me. But, there seems to be no fix in sight for the all the screen issues. I'd rather have an 8 inch screen than a 7 inch screen, but I have no idea whether Google will produce a Nexus 8 in the next six months or so. And, Dell has their Venue 8 available for sale. It's screen resolution may not be as good as the Nexus, and it uses a dual core instead of a quad-core CPU. But, for web surfing, email, watching videos, it seems to do pretty well.
Wondering what forum members thoughts are. Will probably wait a little while and see if there are any negative reports on the Dell in the next few weeks. (All existing buyer reviews are pretty positive.)

Why do you need 8 inch? You should either buy 7 inch or 10+inch if you ask me, anything more than 7 inch is NOT portable, if you want a multimedia device to use at home don't buy 7 inch tablet. I don't have any screen issues, i think you should give more thought on what you need.

I have no idea why so many people think Google is going to make a nexus 8 when there is a nexus 7. They're not going to make a tablet from 5 to 10 just to satisfy every person who wants an obscure sized tablet. If Google ever makes 3rd nexus tablet choice it'll be larger than the 10 not in between 7 and 10.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

It's a hit or miss. Why not go to your most trusted retailer and test a couple out then pick the best screen you can find.
I don't have any issues with my unit.

Not sure what "screen issues" OP is referring to. Been using mine everyday for little over a week with no probs.

Bought one at Sams' Club last night and the screen has no issues.

Dakura said:
Why do you need 8 inch? You should either buy 7 inch or 10+inch if you ask me, anything more than 7 inch is NOT portable, if you want a multimedia device to use at home don't buy 7 inch tablet. I don't have any screen issues, i think you should give more thought on what you need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only guess that you don't know the physical size of the 8 inch is the same as the 7 inch, there's less screen border on the front.

Wubbz said:
I have no idea why so many people think Google is going to make a nexus 8 when there is a nexus 7. They're not going to make a tablet from 5 to 10 just to satisfy every person who wants an obscure sized tablet. If Google ever makes 3rd nexus tablet choice it'll be larger than the 10 not in between 7 and 10.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess people think there will be Nexus 8 because of the pic released by Google a few months ago. It was quickly photoshop'd to a Nexus 7 after the roar on the net. Since Google actually took a picture of someone using what appeared to be a Nexus 8, a number of people, including me, expected Google to release a Nexus 8 sometime.

almosteuro said:
Not sure what "screen issues" OP is referring to. Been using mine everyday for little over a week with no probs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a nine page thread entitled Potential Touch Screen Fix. This forum is full of Nexus 7 2nd gen touch screen problems. It looks a hardware grounding issue. Some people are on their fourth and fifth units and still having the problems.
I'm glad your's has worked well for one week and another poster's has worked well for one day, but this seems to be a hit and miss issue. Plus, many people notice the problem after having had the unit a while.

dulber said:
It's a hit or miss. Why not go to your most trusted retailer and test a couple out then pick the best screen you can find.
I don't have any issues with my unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That seems to be the only real option. At least buying locally means you won't have to mail the unit back if its defective. You only have to return it to the store.
Unless, you want the additional geography of an 8 inch screen. I guess waiting seems to be the best bet.

dmkozak said:
There's a nine page thread entitled Potential Touch Screen Fix. This forum is full of Nexus 7 2nd gen touch screen problems. It looks a hardware grounding issue. Some people are on their fourth and fifth units and still having the problems.
I'm glad your's has worked well for one week and another poster's has worked well for one day, but this seems to be a hit and miss issue. Plus, many people notice the problem after having had the unit a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha, I guess I will just cross my fingers and hope that I don't experience any of the same issues. I will go ahead and look that thread up though, to at least familiarize myself with them in case they do arise. Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

I have had 2 with screen issues. The first one was extremely bad. 3 spots that didn't register touches practically at all. And the second one had touch issues and rebooting when the tablet was in a case. I was very disappointed. I am going to get a hp slate 7 extreme that runs the tegra 4. I play games often and the tegra 4 beats the snapdragon in gaming. The 1 gig of ram is still fine for the hp since kitkat is going to be running on it. The screen resolution is lower than the 7 v2 but it's still better than 720hd. The 7 v2 was my first choice but I feel that I gave Nexus 2 chances with their product and they failed.

Certainly don't wish anyone difficulties with their 7. In fact, the more positive current sales turn out to be, the more likely Asus has fixed these issues during manufacturing.
My wife and I have had a pair of Nexus 4 phones for over a year, and both are performing flawlessly. I guess we're looking for the same kind of reliability with a 7-8 inch tablet.
I'd love for Google to come out with a Nexus 8, like in the "old" screen shot. And, seeing what happens in the next few weeks seems like the safe bet.
Neither of us is a gamer, so we don't need the speed gamers require.

Mine made in August 2013, totally fine.
Nam Huy Linux Blog namhuy.net

The new Nexus 7 is my favorite device ever, and I use it hours a day even after months of having it. I'm actually glad I didn't get the LTE version because then it would never leave my side (tempting though, since TMobile offers free data for tablets).
From what I've seen on my Dell Venue 11, Windows 8 is nowhere near as easy to use or as useful as Android. It actually pisses me off sometimes, for well-known issues like battery drain and control panel. PM me if you want more thoughts on the Dell Venue.

dmkozak said:
There's a nine page thread entitled Potential Touch Screen Fix. This forum is full of Nexus 7 2nd gen touch screen problems. It looks a hardware grounding issue. Some people are on their fourth and fifth units and still having the problems.
I'm glad your's has worked well for one week and another poster's has worked well for one day, but this seems to be a hit and miss issue. Plus, many people notice the problem after having had the unit a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi -- I've had my unit since October and I've had absolutely zero problems with it. :3 I bought it from Best Buy.

LG GPad 8.3, Google Play Edition.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Is these issue's still happening on the Nexii 7 2013? I want to buy one myself.

I got a Nexus 7 (2013) for Christmas, it was purchased from Best Buy. I already have an HTC One, and I have to say -- the Nexus 7 keeps up fine, despite inferior specs. And my HTC One feels so very small now. It only beats the Nexus 7 in sound. I was reluctant to open up my Nexus 7, I gave a lot of thought to returning it for the credit, but I'm glad I kept it now. Go get a Nexus 7!

And today's current rumor, from various component suppliers, is the Nexus 8 will be introduced this summer. (Background comments are that Google is disappointed in the sales of the current Nexus 7.)
Currently, the choices are Nexus 7 (2013) at $269 for 32 gb; LG G Pad 8.3 at $299 (street price) for 16gb but w/SDHC; or Dell Venue 8 at $179/$209 for 16/32 gb but w/SDHC. The Dell has less dense screen, but equal to the rest of the competition, and twin core CPU which is more than capable for videos.
I don't know how to "convert" std G Pad to Google Edition w/less bloatware and quicker OTA updates. If the OTA updates along from LG, and LG doesn't modify them, then the question becomes how much of delay in getting them from LG rather than from Google.
If either LG or Dell comes up with sweet deal, that might be the way to go. I'll have to keep my eyes open.

[Q] Is the Note 8 worth the money now?

So, basically, I'm in the process of quitting smoking. As a "congratulations" type gift, my parents are purchasing me a tablet. I'm stuck choosing between the Nexus 7 (2013) and the Galaxy Note 8.0 right now. I already know the Nexus is worth the money, but I like the features and such on the Note.
If you saw my other thread asking about ROMs for a Note, that was part of trying to make my decision. Now that I've seen that I can keep the functionality, gain some more, and improve performance, I have to decide if it's going to be it or the Nexus.
At $330, is the Galaxy Note 8.0 worth the money at this point in its life cycle? Please try to avoid just straight yes or no answers, I would love you to elaborate. I know it also depends what I'm using it for, so just assume that I like to draw, am not fantastic at it but it's a fun hobby, and I would make use of the office suite included.

I had the Note 8.0 and the Nexus 7 2013. The Note 8.0 has much ore functionality and a MicroSD slot. The Nexus has the better screen. They are similar speed wise. Best Buy has the Note 8.0 for $299 right now. I assume because the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 launched last week. I like Multiwindow of the Note also.

nrage23 said:
I had the Note 8.0 and the Nexus 7 2013. The Note 8.0 has much ore functionality and a MicroSD slot. The Nexus has the better screen. They are similar speed wise. Best Buy has the Note 8.0 for $299 right now. I assume because the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 launched last week. I like Multiwindow of the Note also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much for your input. At Best Buy here, the Note 8.0 is $330, but I'm Canadian so that's just the crappy exchange rate.
I've done extensive reading on both of these tablets, and that's something that really stood out, just how much more functionality the Note has over the Nexus. The SD card slot is a huge thing, too. Being able to spend $40 and slap a 64gb class 10 MicroSD card in it would be nice. Speed wise, I heard TouchWiz can be laggy, get hung up here and there, but that custom ROMs fix that with improved performance, removing some bloatware, etc.
As it stands, I'm still slightly on the fence between the two, but I'm leaning toward the Note. I figure I don't need to make this thread in the Nexus forums, because I already know the Nexus is worth the money (minus that there's no SD card slot) and it's got its own advantages. I'm glad the Note 8.0 community is willing to give me some insight

Amazon has refurbished models for $250US.
IMHO, the only reason to chose a Note 8.0 over a Nexus 7 is the stylus/handwriting recognition. it's what makes the Note truly unique the 7-8" tablet range. If pen computing is 'nice, but not essential', then go with the Nexus 7. It's cheaper, a better screen, just as powerful, and slightly better battery life. The speakers suck compared to the Note, but then most people use headphones or powered speakers than listen to the tablet 'naked'.

Spookymonster said:
Amazon has refurbished models for $250US.
IMHO, the only reason to chose a Note 8.0 over a Nexus 7 is the stylus/handwriting recognition. it's what makes the Note truly unique the 7-8" tablet range. If pen computing is 'nice, but not essential', then go with the Nexus 7. It's cheaper, a better screen, just as powerful, and slightly better battery life. The speakers suck compared to the Note, but then most people use headphones or powered speakers than listen to the tablet 'naked'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks muchly for your input! From what I've heard, the speakers on the Note 8.0 are pretty crap, very tinny. That's not much of a concern though because, as you said, headphones or external speakers are what I'd be using when I'm using it for movies or music.
For me, the advantages from the stylus are that I can use it to draw, to learn to draw because kindergarten kids probably do better work lol, and various small functions like improved web browsing and such. I've also got a thing for teaching myself random things because... well... I'm a nerd lol, so the S pen will be good for general stylus uses in that regard as well, like highlighting, etc.
Now, one thing I've noticed is people talk so much about how the Nexus 7 has a much better display and that text is hard to read on the Note 8.0. However... if you look at reviews from before the Nexus 7 or iPad Mini Retina came out, you see everybody saying how nice the display looks and how easy it is to read all sizes of text. To me, that says that focusing on the resolution and the PPI is more a marketing scheme than anything. Don't get me wrong, the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini Retina DO have sharper screens, the numbers don't lie, but the people talking about those numbers tend to exaggerate just how much a difference it is.

I have the note and my wife has the nexus. I much prefer my note over hers. The extra inch of screen males a huge difference. I also use the pen a lot at work highlighting material, writing logs but mostly writing on pictures.
The resolution on the nexus is better but the functionality of the pen makes this the tablet to have IMHO.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

Well I paid half price before Christmas for a new boxed 5110 and in January half price for a new boxed SGH-i467. Could not touch those deals with any other product that is like the Note 8.0. Though there is not many like it to choose from.

Well, it's decided! You've all helped me solidify my thoughts about the Note 8.0, I'm not just crazy and making myself think it's good. That's what I'm getting then! I'll just have to figure out how to get updates manually, since in Canada we don't seem to get them very fast. From what I've heard, we don't even have 4.2.2 available for OTA updates here.

If I were buying a tablet now, I'd highly consider the Tab Pro 8.4, which was just released in the US yesterday for $399.
It looks to be everything the Note 8 is, except with a much nicer screen and an updated processor; but no pen. Although personally, I found I don't even use the pen on the N8.
The N8 is a great tablet, and I use it every day, sometimes for hours. But its getting close to last gen specs, having been released April 2013. And I typically don't recommend buying last gen technology.

redpoint73 said:
If I were buying a tablet now, I'd highly consider the Tab Pro 8.4, which was just released in the US yesterday for $399.
It looks to be everything the Note 8 is, except with a much nicer screen and an updated processor; but no pen. Although personally, I found I don't even use the pen on the N8.
The N8 is a great tablet, and I use it every day, sometimes for hours. But its getting close to last gen specs, having been released April 2013. And I typically don't recommend buying last gen technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would certainly consider the Tab Pro 8.4, but my problem is price. I'm stuck with a firm $350 price limit (tax not included), and it's unfortunate because an extra $50 would open up my options immensely, but beggars can't be choosers right?

ArobeeTV said:
I would certainly consider the Tab Pro 8.4, but my problem is price. I'm stuck with a firm $350 price limit (tax not included), and it's unfortunate because an extra $50 would open up my options immensely, but beggars can't be choosers right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have quit smoking earlier, then you would have plenty of money (those things are expensive!!!).
But seriously, I realize everyone has different budget requirements (one of the main reasons your question "is the N8 worth the money" is ultimately a decision only you can make). But to me, an extra $100 to get the new generation hardware (versus something almost a year old), is a bargain. Although if you think you will use the pen, that is obviously a consideration as well.

redpoint73 said:
You should have quit smoking earlier, then you would have plenty of money (those things are expensive!!!).
But seriously, I realize everyone has different budget requirements (one of the main reasons your question "is the N8 worth the money" is ultimately a decision only you can make). But to me, an extra $100 to get the new generation hardware (versus something almost a year old), is a bargain. Although if you think you will use the pen, that is obviously a consideration as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair point. I appreciate the input!

Like nrage, I had both at the holidays. First I had the new Nexus 7 lte, and I was wondering what I might be missing with the note 8, so I bought one of them and compared. I kept the Note 8 simply due to the larger screen, and the sd card slot. I figured, I can always tether for data, and I didn't see much difference in the screens side by side, or the audio side by side.
Also, the Note 8 will be getting kitkat 4.4.

sashusmom said:
Like nrage, I had both at the holidays. First I had the new Nexus 7 lte, and I was wondering what I might be missing with the note 8, so I bought one of them and compared. I kept the Note 8 simply due to the larger screen, and the sd card slot. I figured, I can always tether for data, and I didn't see much difference in the screens side by side, or the audio side by side.
Also, the Note 8 will be getting kitkat 4.4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was kind of having the same thoughts. I recently saw a Note 8.0 and a Nexus 7 in a local computer store, and the screens aren't that different in quality. In fact, I liked the Note screen better, because it was bigger and more accurate with colors, and still very clear. The SD card slot is a big thing too, that's for sure. As for the Note 8.0 getting KitKat, that's a good thing I suppose. I don't know that it'll improve it much, or how long it'll take before we get it in Canada (we still don't have 4.2.2 on Note 8.0 here, I believe), but one can hope.

I wish you woud have posted this back in August. I bought my note 8 from staples for $240 with tax and be honest the note 8 is going to updated to kitkat soon.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

evolishesh said:
I wish you woud have posted this back in August. I bought my note 8 from staples for $240 with tax and be honest the note 8 is going to updated to kitkat soon.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$240? I wish. For some reason, everybody appears to have RAISED their price on it today. From a business standpoint, that doesn't make sense.

ArobeeTV said:
$240? I wish. For some reason, everybody appears to have RAISED their price on it today. From a business standpoint, that doesn't make sense.
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Trust me. They had it for $299-75 dollars coupon, plus taxes. It all came out to $240.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

For someone who just bought this note yesterday l will say it is worth the money as there are no other Comparable tablet you can find and left for a hander the handwriting recognition is superb.
Sent from my GT-N5100 using Tapatalk

biggiebro said:
For someone who just bought this note yesterday l will say it is worth the money as there are no other Comparable tablet you can find and left for a hander the handwriting recognition is superb.
Sent from my GT-N5100 using Tapatalk
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Thanks muchly for the input! I've been wondering about that handwriting recognition thing, even though I probably won't use it that much. In case I do end up using that feature, it's good to know it works well!

@ ArobeeTV- I forgot!!!!! A huge :highfive: and congratulations on quitting smoking. You won't be sorry:victory: Since your parents are buying your tablet, I will assume you are young enough to be able to heal all your lung tissue and have a healthy life!
My mom smoked her whole life. I fought with her to quit since I was 16. She died of a heart attack. Lung cancer doesn't always get you. For her it was periph. artery disease- she couldn't walk more than 20 feet at once, and emphysema, and a clogged heart that got her in the end. Very poor quality of life for her last 10 years. :crying: I am a nurse and witnessed an autopsy of a smoker with lung cancer. Very ugly.
OK. I'm done with my speech!
Please keep up the good work and be healthy while you use your shiny new tablet!! Whatever one you choose.

Is the Nexus 7 still worth buying?

Hey guys.
So, I was thinking about buying an Android tablet, so, as I am a Nexus 5 owner, my first thought was the Nexus 9, but the thing is just too expensive for me, I want something on the cheap side.
So after thinking for a bit I remembered the N7, it's got great hardware, it runs Lollipop and its freaking cheap. But it's from 2013, which I know its not necessarily a bad thing, so I want your opinion as you actually have the tablet.
Is it still worth buying? Amazon is selling it for $197.

I bought my Nexus 7 eleven months ago. I'm very satisfied with it. If you're planning to root it and unlock the bootloader, you'll be able to update with custom ROMs for quite awhile. If you're planning to run it stock unrooted, you may want to consider a newer tablet.

Yes, I think so. There's one 1 other tablet that can compete in terms of price, support, and price: the LG G Pad 8.4 GPE. Good luck finding one though. I didn't buy my Nexus 7 until this summer and I couldn't be happier.
Updates for the rest of this year, at a minimum. My only issue is with deb updates, which get held up due to LTE. Save yourself some more money by buying a refurb unit.

This may sway you... Check your local Staples store - they're having an unpublished clearance on 2013 Nexus 7. $98 for 16GB or $128 for 32GB. Many stores no longer have stock, but of you can find one it's a great deal.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

UncleMike said:
This may sway you... Check your local Staples store - they're having an unpublished clearance on 2013 Nexus 7. $98 for 16GB or $128 for 32GB. Many stores no longer have stock, but of you can find one it's a great deal.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Definitely gonna check this out. Thanks a lot ?
And thank you all for your quick reply.

I just bought mine like 2 weeks ago.... It was a decent price (before the groupon deal)
and it does exactly what I need it to... which is work dual purpose as a home/car tablet.
Honestly I would have rather had a Nexus 10, just because I am a bit of an HTC fanboy,
But in just home use it's still faster than my HTC One M7. actually.... a lot faster.
Has decent dev support, not so much in the way of car roms/mods but still a good overall tablet.

Im still using my 2012 version

I was really excited for the Nexus 9 but I think it'll be too big and the price point is too high. I have repurchased my Nexus 7 a few times due to dropping and theft. The touchscreen on the Nexus 7 2013 is flaky when using a case or 1-handed operation because of a grounding issue with the device. Using the device 2 handed like normal you will rarely see any issues.
Gaming on the other hand is retarded on the Nexus 7 2013.
I try to play Terraria and it is just a frustrating mess. The dual thumbpad touchscreen controls get confused occasionally and causes me to either shoots or run off in the wrong direction. You have to take both thumbs off to reset it temporarily. Just FYI. This is normal across all Nexus 7 units as far as I have known. Some are more noticeable than others but they all have it. There are some flashable fixes that update the touchscreen firmware to have various degrees of sensitivity to help fix this but nothing is ever fixed completely. The fixes have helped make my tablet more enjoyable to use day-to-day but gaming will never be 100%.
I have purchased a Asus MeMoPad 7 for $20 for my son. A little lackluster tablet but plays games better then my Nexus 7.
Personally I was looking at the Nvidia Shield Tablet with a digitizer pen enabled screen. It seems to have issues of its own. The LG G Tabs, as mentioned above, are really solid tablets. I know you can pick up an LG version (with LG software) for pretty cheap. There isn't much development on that tablet though, unfortunately.
The Nexus 7 2013 is a steal at $128 if you can find one. Very solid unit. If my Nexus 7 2013 broke today, I would look else where.

Its worth every Penny..
Go for it.. I just received mine .. and flashed with the Android 5.0.2. factory image
Its magical

phoenix08 said:
Its worth every Penny..
Go for it.. I just received mine .. and flashed with the Android 5.0.2. factory image
Its magical
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I have had my Nexus 7 2013 for well over a year and I wouldn't replace it for anything. I did break last month when I slipped it into my back pocket like an idiot I sat on it and it broke the screen. Although Asus lost my Nexus for almost a month, it was still covered by its warranty..and they repaired it for free.. I Now use a Galaxy Tab 4 8.0, but its no Nexus.. I like the bigger screen, its the Nexus is still better in every way except there is no Micro SD slot.. I need a device I can carry with me that has a Micro SD.. Hence the use for the Galaxy tab.. But if you'd ask me to choose between the 2.. I'd take the Nexus any day..

If the price is right I don't think you can go far wrong. Internally, it's pretty much a Nexus 4 with a Full HD screen and a much better battery. :highfive:
I've had the LG Gad 8.3 for a day and whilst its a nice piece of kit, the aluminium back is slippery and being that touch bigger, you can't get your hand around it like the Nexus 7. There is also a ton of bloat.
Whilst I'm not convinced by Lollipop on my phone, it runs great on the Nexus 7. :victory:

i bought mine from tweakers.nl for 117 € it was a used one without warranty

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