As expected, Google has just announced its refreshed edition of its Nexus 7 tablet. Featuring a more powerful set of hardware in a chassis that is both slimmer and lighter than the 2012 model, this is also the first official mobile device running on Google’s new Android 4.3 OS.
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The new Nexus 7 tablet is again manufactured by device partners ASUS, and is now powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset with Adreno 320 GPU, and features 2GB of RAM, dual-band WiFi, NFC, wireless charging and even HDMI output via SlimPort. There’s also Bluetooth 4.0 as well as optional 4G LTE connectivity.
On top of that, the new Nexus 7 sports a 7-inch 1920 x 1200 display, giving it a best-in-class pixel density of 323ppi. The entertainment factor is also enhanced with the addition of stereo speakers with virtual surround sound effects. In addition, there is now a 5MP rear camera complementing the front facing module. As for battery life, Google is claiming the integrated 3950mAh battery is good for 9 hours of HD video playback, or 10 hours of web browsing on the device.
Perhaps more importantly, this is also the first official Nexus device running on the new iteration of Android: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, where its new features are discussed here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LysTmwDan8
Interestingly, the new Google Nexus 7 tablet will also be distributed more widely from last year’s model. Select US retailers will be selling the Nexus 7 alongside the Google Play Store, while several international markets will begin retailing the device in the coming weeks. Naturally, there’s no word yet on local availability for Malaysia.
The Google Nexus 7 tablet will be available in three variants: a 16GB WiFi-only model retailing at $229 (around RM690), a 32GB WiFi-only model at $269 (around RM810) and a 32GB WiFi/LTE model at $349 (around RM1050).
