The 32GB Nexus 7 FHD showed up at the beginning of the week and I’ve just started playing around with it. I held off on posting anything until I could get someone to lend me a working Nexus 7 so I could do some side by side comparisons. So far touch screen response on the new tablet seems snappier and HD video content looks noticeably better.  Web browser feels a little more responsive but most other apps seem to run about the same.

Nexus 7 FHD (2 of 3)

Side by side the Nexus 7 FHD is slightly taller and thinner than the original. The front facing camera is also repositioned for a slightly better overall angle for live chats. The side bezel is thinner than the original but the upper bezel is just large enough feel awkward. I’m guessing they needed the extra space to squeeze in the rear camera.

Nexus 7 FHD (1 of 3)

The back view highlights the upgraded rubberized grip on the Nexus 7 FHD (right). If you look close, at the bottom of the unit you can see the stereo speakers, compared to the single mono speaker on the original. The other highlight is the newly included rear facing camera. While I don’t like to take photos or record video with a large tablet, I have seen people attempt it in real life and I’m sure they’ll be happy to have this new addition. Just remember to avoid vertical video syndrome and you should be ok.

Nexus 7 FHD (2 of 1)

Look at the at the charging port, you’ll notice that the original Nexus 7 had the headphone jack located on the bottom. The Nexus 7 FHD now locates the headphone jack at the top of the unit. Also note the slightly different looking charging port, while the new N7 supports the same type of USB charging cable, it also supports slimport HDMI output. A nice feature if you find yourself wanting to use this for video playback in a motel or at a friends house, I suppose you could even game on it if really wanted to.

I plan on sitting down for a few hours this weekend and doing some more side by side testing. I’d like to see how the Nexus 7 FHD handles as a field monitor for the 5d mark III and test it out with the new Gopro and 6d apps. If I get some time I’ll post a video with the test results.

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