The Nexus 7 Tablet: The Best Bang For Your Buck

The closer to the holidays, the more friends I have ask me advice on which tablet they should purchase. I am proud to be considered a tech guru within any of my social circles. You've also inspired me to get back to blogging. This post is intended to serve as my definitive response to the your question: "What is the best tablet for the money, right now?"

TL;DR Version: The Nexus 7 > iPad Mini > Kindle Fire

There is no doubt in my mind that the Nexus 7 from Google is the best way to go. But, don't take my opinion at face value. This is not the opinion of a fanboy or a Google indoctrinator. I love both Apple and Google products, for very different reasons. I looked closely at each option before making the decision to purchase the Nexus 7. Allow me to walk through the pros and cons of each so that you may see how I arrived at this conclusion.


The iPad Mini

Let's start with Apple's newest tablet, aimed at being a more affordable option to the iPad or, at least, marketed toward those who find the iPad just a little too big for comfort. Given the mainstream popularity of the iPhone and iPad, this might be the default option for most consumers out there. The iPad Mini is most definitely a fine product. It is hard to go wrong with an Apple device, as they are extremely high quality and aesthetically pleasing.

The Good:
The Mini packs the largest display among the three with its 7.9-inch IPS screen.

You get the comfort of knowing you have access to the Apple App Store, the undefeated champion of the digital marketplace. It's been around longer, allowing it time to mature and come into its own. Arguably, you will find more higher quality apps on the App Store when compared to Google's or Amazon's. Plus, you get access to all of the iTunes content, including iTunesU (big plus for me).

The Bad:
It is disappointing to find that Apple decided NOT to go with the retina display on this device, providing lower resolution at only 163 pixels per inch (ppi) compared to the newest generation iPad's 264 ppi.

Apple decided to go with the dual core A5 processor aka "last year's technology". This is the same processor that is in the iPad 2. They have since moved on to the A6 and the A6X in the newest iPad models. The argument here, I'm sure, is that you don't need the hefty processing power when you aren't pushing the bazillions of pixels required to classify it as a retina display. However, this is still going to make for a downgraded experience, especially if you want to partake in some of the more graphically intense video games available.


The Kindle Fire

When the newest generation of Kindle Fires were announced several months ago, I was, admittedly, a little envious. It seemed like a great deal for a very nice tablet. But, then I looked a little closer. While this tablet might be a solid option for those who are interested only in having a nice e-reader with the ability to occasionally browse the internet and play a game or two of Angry Birds, it appears extremely deficient for any other use.

The Good:
Those who get majority of their digital content via Amazon, such as Amazon Prime members, have great access to all that Amazon has to offer in movies, music, and books (of course). It fits very well within the Amazon ecosystem.

The screen resolution on the 7-inch Kindle Fire is an improvement over the iPad mini. Pay a few extra bucks for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9", and you are getting an even better experience that is in retina quality range.

The dual-band WiFi offers potentially faster internet speeds for all of your streaming entertainment consumption.

The Bad:
You are stuck with the Amazon ecosystem and locked out of the Google Play Store. Personally, I am a fan of the Google ecosystem. While the Google Play Store might not be as broad in the area of videos, music, and books as Amazon is, you don't have to have a Kindle to access Amazon's content. You can obtain most, if not all, of Amazon's content from any Android device; or any Apple device for that matter. However,  you will not be able to access all of the apps that Google's own store offers, which is getting better everyday. You are forced to download apps from the Amazon App Store, which is limited to apps approved by Amazon. Developers must submit their apps to both stores if they wish them to be available to all Android OS products. To that end, I have not seen a tremendous selection of quality apps on Amazon. I've even purchased apps on their store, only to realize they are much slower to get updated, or the developer just stops supporting the version on that store completely. Meanwhile, the same app on the Google Play Store is several versions ahead.

I was also disappointed to see the Fire running only a dual-core processor. This is 2012. Quad-cores are quickly becoming the standard. I have no interest in purchasing a device that is running "dated" hardware.

Lastly, and this may be a bit nitpicky, but the Amazon UI overlay is insulting. I don't find it that pleasant and it is covering up the great work that Google has done. More on that below...

The Nexus 7

Many companies have released tablets bearing the Android name, but they all have seemed to miss the mark. This year, Google decided to step in and get a little more involved in the process to show the world what Android was truly capable of. Google partnered with ASUS and together they designed the Nexus 7.

The Good:
The screen is beautiful. It sports an IPS with 214ppi. This is not "Retina Display" quality, but it is pretty close. IPS technology is the same that Apple uses on the iPad, which produces colors far more accurate than majority of the displays used on tablets in today's market.

The Nexus 7 is the only tablet among the three being compared to used a quad-core processor. It features the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, which not only provides the quad-core CPU but also provides a 12-core GPU. In order words, the Nexus 7 is a POWERFUL. It should have no problems handling any app you throw at it, no matter how hardware intensive it may be. And the games look amazing. Tablet's are truly on the verge of being producing console quality games, in terms of graphics. And the Nexus 7 was built to be able to handle them. It was truly designed as an all-around entertainment device.

A pure Google experience can only be obtained with a Nexus device. The Nexus 7 features latest version of Android, 4.2 "Jelly Bean". There are no custom UIs covering up the beautifully designed OS, fronted by the theme named "Holo" by the geniuses at Google. This is something that must first be experienced to appreciate. I hate to build up high expectations about it, but it truly is amazing how far the Android platform has come from its humble beginnings. Certainly, this is very muchmy own opinion, but I wholeheartedly believe that Android has surpassed even Apple's quality level in design, and it has certainly surpassed their level of functionality.

The Bad:
The Google Play Store is still not up to par with the Apple Store. It is close; getting closer every day. But it still hasn't reached the maturity that Apple's store has. In this department, Apple has the upper hand. Their store has existed longer. Bolstered by the infamy of both the iPhone and iPad, developers have turned their attention to Apple in droves. But, they are paying more attention to Android now. This won't be a weakness for Google much longer.

Conclusion
Each of these devices are a good buy. But, in my opinion, the smarter buy is the Nexus 7. It may be slightly lacking in some departments, but not so much that it feels like settling. You get more for your money when compared to the iPad Mini or the Kindle Fire. If you have yet to experience Android in its purest form via a Nexus device, now is your chance. You won't regret it.