Nexus 7: The best Android tablet under Rs.15,000

The Google Nexus 7 has become the most celebrated device, since its launch at the recently concluded Google I/O 2012 event. Google and Asus partnered to bring this new tablet, which doesn’t target the reigning iPad, but tablets that fall within the price range of Rs. 11,000 and Rs. 15,000. It appears to be worth every penny, and why wouldn’t it? A quad-core tablet under Rs. 15,000 sounds just amazing. But that isn’t all, the tablet has much more features that could entice a user, and the most assuring bit comes from the fact that it has been built by industry giant.

Feature-packed

The affordable tablet market in India is flourishing. The first batch of ICS tablets came under the Rs. 10,000 bracket in the form of the Zync Z990, iBerry Auxus AX02. We’ve also seen tablets emerge above the 10K mark like the MSI Windpad, mTab Neo 2 and the most recent mTab Neo Rio. Going by the specifications and assuming that Google brings the device to India at the same or slightly higher price, the Nexus 7 seems far superior.

Here's a quick look at its specifications -

• Screen - The Nexus 7 has a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen. It features an IPS screen with scratch resistant Corning glass protection and a resolution of 1280×800 pixels.

• Processor - The Nexus 7 built by Asus comes with a 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor for quick loading, smooth and responsive interface and running multiple apps, along with 1GB RAM. A 12 core GPU offers rich and immersive graphics, while patented 4-PLUS-1CPU design offers processing power.

• Camera - The Nexus 7 hasn't worked too well in the camera bit. Google has given the rear camera a miss, while it comes integrated with a 1.2MP front camera for video chats, which also allows 720p recording. 

• Memory - The Google Nexus is available in two models – 8GB and 16GB storage. However, there is no expandable memory slot.

• Portability - The Nexus 7 tips the scale at 340 grams with 198.5 x 120 x 10.5 mm dimensions.

• Battery life - Nexus 7 promises a battery life with over 9 hours of HD video playback, 10 hours of web browsing or 10 hours of eReading. It also offers up to 300 hours of standby time.

In India, we find Android tablets positioned at various price points - starting from as low as Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 6000 and ranging upto Rs. 20,000 and above. At the end of the day, it’s all about the experience that a tablet has to offer for that extra moolah (if you are ready to spend it). In our tests and comparisons, we found that the Micromax Funbook offers good value for money at a price of Rs. 6,500. As aforementioned, there are a couple of tablets priced around the Rs. 15,000 price bracket.

On the backside

Samsung and Google are well known brands in India. Google’s known for its Android OS and its whole line of web services and Samsung is known for the dominance that it enjoys in the consumer electronics space. Although Samsung has some high-end tablets, one of the interesting products in their kitty is their Galaxy Tab 2 310, which sells in the sub-20k price tag. The Micromax Funbook and the Galaxy Tab 2 310 appear to be great products at their respective price points. The Google Nexus 7 is being introduced at a $200 price tag in the U.S. Assuming that it is priced slightly higher, it should hit Indian markets just shy of the Rs. 15,000 mark. Keeping the Funbook and Galaxy Tab 2 310 as reference points in their respective segments, we think the Nexus 7 is also going to be a key contender in its price range and will bridge that gap.

We’ve compared the specs of the Nexus 7 with the Funbook and Galaxy Tab 2 310, which shows how the Nexus has been competitively priced by offering more value for money (if it is priced under Rs. 15,000) and how it offers much more than the Galaxy tab 2 310 for a much lesser price. So, this isn’t a literal comparison of the features, as the devices vary at price points.

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All three tablets come with a 7-inch screen, but the Nexus 7 manages to rope in a higher resolution at 800 x 1280, compared to both Funbook and Galaxy Tab 2 310. Moreover, the Nexus 7 has an IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with scratch resistant abilities. The Nexus 7 equips a quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A9 processor, which is commendable at this price. The Micromax Funbook features a 1.22 GHz Cortex-A8 processor, while the Galaxy tab 2 310 equips a dual-core 1GHz  Ti OMAP processor for a much higher price. The Nexus comes equipped with a better battery, compared to the other two. Moreover, it has the latest version of the Android OS, even when ICS hasn't reached most devices yet.

Sleek and slim...

Google’s pushing hard for NFC and it's visible by the feature added to the Nexus 7 tablet. The NFC feature means that you can quickly grab bits of information from tags and other devices. For a tablet that may be priced around the Rs. 15,000 range, it’s actually pretty neat. Both, the Funbook and the Galaxy Tab 2 310 don’t come with the feature. The Nexus 7 might have NFC, but here in India, NFC still hasn’t taken off, since only a handful of devices now support it, with little to no infrastructure set in place. The Funbook lacks a camera, and only has a VGA one for video chatting. The Nexus 7 lacks one too, but it has a front facing 1.2 MP camera (720p video recording), which would primarily be used for video conferencing. If you’re going to be using photo apps on your tablet, the Galaxy Tab 2 might be the better of the lot. It has a 3MP camera, and since it’s rear facing, it makes it simpler to click photos with. 

There are a number of reasons to be excited about the Nexus 7. It marks Google’s foray into the tablet space and looking at the price bracket it’s priced at, it has a lot of potential, as we’ve mentioned in this story. It has a ton of fire power, bundled with a great screen and good features and could possibly reach India after September. In fact, we think it’s better than the Galaxy Tab 2 310 in many ways. The only reason to go out and buy the Galaxy Tab 2 is if you need 3G capability built into the device.