Introduction:When it was introduced last year, the HTMLTagInstance html-tag-dbda3aa5-6398-4c9f-b13e-a5c516d3d7fb Google Nexus 7 came out of nowhere and shook up the market in more ways than one, to reign supreme in the (budget) Android market. Before its arrival, cheap Android tablets typically came from no-name companies and were attached with funky model names. Seriously, everyone jumped on the bandwagon when it came to dirt cheap Android tablets, but where many failed to deliver something profound, the Nexus 7 seemingly redefined what we expect from the segment.Not only were people impressed by the uber low price point on the Nexus 7, but it was also packing some admirable hardware under the hood to give every dollar attached to it some much-needed justification. One year later, we’re seeing its successor in the 2013 model of the Google Nexus 7 – something that continues the line’s affordable price point, while naturally receiving all of the improvements we’d expect to find. Even be...

Several months after its debut, the Nexus 7 is still an excellent tablet. The 8GB version is gone and the tablet now starts at $199 for 16GB. Paying $249 nets you the 32GB version, and the 32GB version with HSPA+ is available for $299.

With its excellent design, useful software features, and low starting price, the Nexus 7 is the cheapest way to experience the best that the Android OS has to offer.

The Nexus 7 features a sharp screen, a comfortable design, and great battery life at a low starting price; Android 4.2 adds some welcome and useful features.

Android still needs more tablet-optimized apps; newer games have frame rate issues; and HSPA+ speeds seem particularly location-dependent.

The 2013 flavour of the Nexus 7 is no longer available from Google. But shop around and you can find it in various online stores, at a great low price. Arguably the Hudl 2 offers a similar blend of value and quality, and may even be a bit faster. But you are unlikely to notice, and although the Nexus 7 is still lacking a microSD card slot, for many people will be the best 7in tablet around. It may even be the best value tablet there is.

Google unveiled the second-generation Nexus 7 on Wednesday. It wasn't a huge surprise given widespread rumors that the company was planning to lift the curtain on the follow-up to the original 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet released last year, an ecosystem-prodding device that wound up being the best-selling Nexus-branded device ever. The big reveal at Google's San Francisco event turned out to be a $35, thumb drive-shaped dongle called the Chromecast which plugs into your TV and streams video and other media content from the cloud, using mobile devices and laptops as de facto remote controls. That's an intriguing play by the search giant, but the new Nexus 7 is based on a tried-and-true platform and also ought to move quite a few units, if history is any guide. I got my hand on the new Nexus 7 following a press event led by Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome, and Apps. The tablet features a black-on-black design that looks a whole lot like the original Nexus 7. I...

Balance. That's the key. Last year's Nexus 7 set the bar for small tablets with just the right balance of features, size, and price. This year, Google and Asus do it again. The new Nexus 7 ($229 direct, or $269 as reviewed with 32GB) balances size, performance, and price to hit the perfectly sweet spot for a small tablet. Physical Features and NetworkingThe new Nexus 7 is slimmer, lighter, and more comfortable to hold than the original, which was already more comfortable to hold than the oddly wide Apple iPad mini. This model is 4.5 by 7.9 by .34 inches (HWD) and 10.2 ounces, with tapered sides and a soft-touch back that somehow feels a little classier than the weird faux-leather of the original Nexus 7. Asus still understands that narrowness, more than anything else, is key to making a device you might sometimes want to hold in one hand. There are very few ports here—just micro-USB, a headphone jack, and a microphone—and narrower, but not very narrow, side bezels framing a sharp...

Google's Nexus 7 continues to set the bar for small-screen tablets with a perfect balance between price and performance.

Fast; Well-built; Excellent battery life; Well worth the money

Some third-party apps must be updated for Android 4.3

Google's Nexus 7 ($199 for 8GB, $249 for 16GB) is a game-changer. The first tablet with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean," it's the most bang for the buck you can get in the market right now. It's versatile, well-built, fast, and a lot of fun to use. It basically renders every 7-inch tablet priced at more than $300 pretty much irrelevant. If you're looking for a small tablet to surf the Internet and play games, this is the one to buy. It easily unseats the Amazon Kindle Fire ($199, 4 stars) as our Editors' Choice for small tablets. Physical Features and InternetThe Nexus 7 feels well-built, even classy for a $200 tablet—and trust me, I've handled plenty of cheap tablets. Kudos go to the hardware manufacturer, Asus, a company that typically builds good stuff. A Gorilla Glass screen dominates the front of the tablet, and around back, there's a slightly grippy, stippled black rubber panel. At 7.8 by 4.7 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 12 ounces, it's comfortable to hold in one hand for long perio...

Google and Asus smack it out of the park with the Nexus 7, a terrific small-screen tablet that's an incredible value at $200.

Fast; Well-built; Excellent battery life; Well worth the money

Very limited storage; Google Play media store doesn't quite work; No HDMI or MHL to connect the tablet to HDTVs

Simply gorgeous screen; Feels great in the hand; Lightning fast and responsive;

OS isn't optimized for the screen; Still relatively few proper tablet apps;

Simply gorgeous screen; Feels great in the hand; Lightning fast and responsive;

OS isn’t optimized for the screen; Still relatively few proper tablet apps;