Remember the days of transformer devices? The Motorola Atrix
started it off with their laptop dock (which wasn’t that hot of a
seller) and then ASUS stepped up their game with the PadFone; which was a
smartphone, tablet, and laptop all-in-one.
For a while though, the PadFone dropped the laptop functionality, and
it looks like ASUS has decided to bring it back with their upcoming
PadFone devices.
According to a recently leaked FCC document that shows an “ASUS
Mobile Dock Keyboard” that uses Bluetooth to connect to a device, it
looks like ASUS is heading back into the all-in-one-device game.
The newest laptop dock doesn’t have an extended battery. While this
may be a deal-breaker for road warriors, people who appreciate a more
svelte and compact device will probably like that it’s been omitted. The
dock only comes with a 450 mAh battery pack, which is used for charging
the unit’s trackpad and Bluetooth radio. There isn’t an SD card slot on
the laptop dock either, so you’ll have to use the USB port to expand
your memory.
Even though this latest laptop dock doesn’t have as many features as
the original model (you won't be able to charge your phone with the
dock's battery anymore), it’s still good to see that ASUS is bringing it
back.
The
gaming arms race continues, and the latest to escalate this
never-ending battle is the ASUS G750JZ-XS72, a $2,999 system with
Nvidia's newest and most powerful mobile graphics card. But in addition
to the GeForce GTX 880M GPU, this 17-inch rig also features a 2.4-GHz
Intel Core i7-4700HQ processor, a whopping 32GB of RAM, and dual 256GB
solid-state drives (SSDs) in a RAID 0 array. Will this notebook ensure
destruction for the competition?
While much of the public discourse about laptops and mobile PCs is
taken up with ultrabooks, hybrids, and other ever-slimmer devices,
there's still room for the traditional 17-inch gaming desktop
replacement.
As it happens, we tend to see an influx of such
systems just after Nvidia (or AMD) introduces a new generation of mobile
graphics cards. In this case, it's a new GeForce 800M series from Nvidia, and we've almost simultaneously seen new gaming laptops from Asus, MSI, Razer, and others.
The
very first gaming laptop with Nvidia's highest-end GeForce GTX 880M
card that we've tested is the Asus G750. The specific model number for
our configuration is the G750JZ-XS72, which in our
random-model-number-to-English dictionary means this is a $2,999
configuration that includes twin 256GB SSDs, a Blu-ray burner, and a
whopping 32GB of RAM, on top of the already high-end CPU/GPU combo. For
$2,499, you can cut the SSD and RAM, and downgrade to a simple Blu-Ray
read-only optical drive.
Sarah Tew/CNET
In
either case, it's a lot of cash for a device with a 1,920x1,080-pixel
non-touch display and an industrial design that feels locked in the
past. That said, performance, especially in games, is fantastic. This
system easily beat similar models from 2013 with that year's high-end
GeForce GTX 780M GPU.
No one, aside from Razer,
really makes a gaming laptop with modern aesthetics, but Asus has
invested heavily in its gaming line for years, with included
overclocking and audio tweaking software and rear-vented exhaust ports,
plus some very high-end configurations with plenty of ports and
connections. It's about as specialized as a gaming laptop gets without
going to a build-to-order boutique such as Origin PC or Maingear.
Design and features Even big, bulky gaming
laptops now have brushed-metal lids and keyboard trays, matte chassis,
finger-friendly keyboards and touch pads, and other nods to minimalist
design (and thankfully, a lack of chrome accents or flashing
multicolored lights). That's not to say that these sort of systems --
not to single out the Asus G750 -- look like truly 2014-era products.
In
this case, you get a big black box with a massive desktop footprint.
The chassis angles down toward the front, but the front lip is still one
full inch off the desktop (and nearly two inches high in the rear).
Exhaust fan ports, which use internal copper tubing to direct heat away,
are on the rear edge panel, which is preferable to the side edges,
where they can blow hot air on peripherals, cables, and so on.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The
overall look, while not garish, is largely the same as the last several
generations of Asus gaming laptops. Few do better, but that's a low
bar. Razer is one of the only companies doing anything really innovative
with gaming laptop design, but those slim systems include their own
trade-offs.
The keyboard is a standard island-style model, easily
fitting in a full number pad, thanks to the large keyboard tray. The
main concession to gamers here is deep key travel, with hefty keys
offering satisfying tactile response. The keyboard is also backlit, but
offers no game-centric specialty keys or macro keys.
The large
touch pad feels dated, with its separate left and right mouse buttons,
while most other laptops have moved to clickpad-style touch pads. For PC
gaming, one could argue that clickpads are suboptimal, but most gamers
will be playing with a mouse or game pad in any event, so your touch-pad
interaction will generally be for Web surfing and productivity tasks.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Of course, any gaming laptop lives or dies based on its display. In
this case, you get a 17.3-inch 1,920x1,080-pixel screen that works well,
but doesn't distinguish itself from the competition. On the plus side,
the screen has a matte antiglare finish, which I've always thought added
realism and immersion in games. Off-axis viewing is decent for a
non-IPS screen.
However, laptop displays are in a far different
place than they were just a couple of years ago. Touch is practically
standard and finally showing up in systems with discrete GPUs (but still
not really in desktop replacements). And higher resolutions are showing
up at lower and lower prices, such as the 13-inch Yoga 2 Pro, which
hits 3,200x1,800 pixels for under $1,000. In the gaming department, the
upcoming 14-inch Razer Blade has a 3,200x1,800-pixel touch screen for
$2,199, and the new Lenovo Y50 gaming laptop promises 4K resolution in a
15-inch display.
Asus G750JZ-XS72
Video
HDMI, VGA, and mini-DisplayPort
Audio
Stereo speakers plus subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks
Data
4 USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, SD card reader
Networking
Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive
Blu-ray burner
MORE: Best Gaming Laptop 2014
Measuring
16.1 x 12.5 x 0.67-1.96 inches and weighing 9.4 pounds, the G750JZ is a
beast of a laptop. It's smaller but heavier than the Alienware 17 (17.9 x 12.9 x 2.26-2.23 inches, 9.2 pounds), and is also slightly heavier than the G750Jx, which weighs 8.8 pounds. The MSI GT70 (16.85 x 11.34 x 2.17 inches, 8.4 pounds) is the lightweight of the group.
Display
The
ASUS G750JZ's 17.3-inch, 1080p display delivered strong visuals,
whether we were watching movies or playing games. A trailer for "Captain
America: Winter Soldier" looked crisp and vibrant, and we could make
out individual scratches on Captain America's shield.
Viewing
angles are wide enough to accommodate several people huddled on either
side of the notebook, but vertical viewing angles were much more
limited. We liked that the matte display cut down on reflections, but
colors didn't pop as much as they would on a glossy panel. Still, it's
hard to argue with the high level of detail we saw when playing "World
of Tanks" and "Metro: Last Light." Everything from dust clouds to dead
aliens was rendered sharply.
At 268 lux, the ASUS outshined the
desktop-replacement category average (254 lux), as well as the MSI GT70
(240 lux), but not the Alienware 17 (307 lux).
Keyboard and Touchpad
When
playing on a notebook as opposed to a desktop, one concession gamers
have had to make is the keyboard. Those found on mobile systems
generally don't compare to customizable mechanical keyboards you can
purchase from third-party vendors.
ASUS is trying to bridge that
gap with the keyboard on the G750JZ. Its key travel of 2.5mm made for a
very comfortable typing experience.
MORE: The Best Gaming Keyboards You Can Buy While
we like that the keyboard has adjustable white backlighting, it lacks
the fun, multicolored effects found on MSI and Alienware systems.
Another feature that ASUS -- as well as all gaming-notebook makers --
should add is the ability to make every key programmable, as on the
Razer Blade.
The G750JZ's 4.5 x 2.75-inch touchpad was plenty
spacious for executing Windows 8 gestures. There were times, however,
when we wished the notebook had a touch screen. MORE: Top Gaming Mice 2014
Audio
Despite
having a subwoofer in addition to stereo speakers, audio from the ASUS
G750JZ was loud, but the quality was just mediocre. Bruce Springsteen's
"Born to Run" was on the tinny side. The same went for other genres of
music -- Jay Z 's "Encore" lacked a thumping bass line. However, audio
on a trailer for "Captain America," as well as on the games we played,
sounded full and immersive.
The ASUS Audio Wizard, which is
powered by MaxxAudio, has five presets: War Room, Soundscape,
Battlefield, Action and Multimedia. None of them did much to improve the
quality of whatever we were listening to, but we did like the fact that
we could tweak individual EQ settings .
At 80 decibels (as
measured from 23 inches away), the G750JZ is on the quiet side for a
gaming rig. It's 9 dB below the desktop-replacement average, and 17 dB
lower than the Alienware 17.
Heat
As
if its massive rear vents didn't give it away, the ASUS G750JZ is very
efficient at expelling heat. Inside, the notebook features three heat
pipes and dual copper sinks for the GPU and CPU.
After streaming a
Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 81
degrees, the space between the G and H keys was 87 degrees and the
middle of the underside was 88.5 degrees. All are comfortably below our
threshold of 95 degrees.
We then blasted enemy tanks for 15
minutes in "World of Tanks," and the G and H keys measured 92 degrees
and the touchpad was 81 degrees. However, the bottom, near the right
vent, jumped to a toasty 106 degrees.
Not only does the G750JZ do a reasonably good job of keeping its cool, but we never noticed any fan noise.
Ports
The
left side of ASUS' rig houses two USB 3.0 ports, a DVD/Blu-ray drive,
and a 3-in-1 card reader.
The right side has ports for VGA, Ethernet,
HDMI 1.4, Thunderbolt, two more USB 3.0 ports, and headphone and mic
jacks. About the only thing missing is the combo HDMI-in/out port that's
featured on the Alienware 17 -- but that's nitpicking.
Graphics and Gaming
The
ASUS G750JZ features Nvidia's newest high-end GPU, the GeForce GTX
880M, with 4GB of GDDR5 memory. According to Nvidia, this chip will
provide up to 15 percent more performance over the previous-generation
GTX780M GPU.
When playing "World of Tanks" with the settings at
maximum, we averaged between 60 and 70 frames per second, and marveled
at the details of the buildings, as well as the waving grass and palm
trees. When our tank was inevitably destroyed, it went up in an
impressive plume of fire and smoke.
On 3DMark Fire Strike, a
graphics benchmark that tests DirectX 11, the G750JZ scored 2,780, which
is 500 points higher than the average (2,272), and 400 points higher
than the Alienware 17 (2,367), which has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M GPU
with 4GB of memory.
When we fired up our entry-level "World of
Warcraft" gaming test, the G750JZ averaged 140 fps with the effects on
Ultra and the resolution at 1920 x 1080 pixels. That blew away the
category average of 114 fps, as well as the Alienware 17 (103 fps) and
the MSI GT70 (105 fps), which also has the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M GPU.
On
the more demanding "BioShock Infinite," the ASUS averaged 65 fps with
the settings on High and the resolution at 1080p. While the gap between
that frame rate and the average (57 fps) was narrower, it still handily
beat both the Alienware (35 fps) and the MSI (44 fps).
Finally, on
"Metro: Last Light," the ASUS G750JZ averaged 81 fps with the effects
on Low and the resolution at 1080p. On this test, the ASUS was on a par
with the Alienware (84 fps) as well as the category average (80 fps).
With effects set to High, the ASUS' frame rate dropped to an unplayable
24 fps, which was just higher than the Alienware (22 fps) and the
average (18 fps).
But greater performance is just one aspect of
Nvidia's new family of GPUs, which includes the 880M. Built into the
GeForce Experience app are several features meant to enhance gameplay
and endurance. Battery
Boost lets you cap performance at a predetermined frame rate. The app
will then throttle the notebook's components, so that gamers can eke out
a bit more juice while not sacrificing too much performance.
Battery Boost Custom Game Settings, available in early April, lets you tweak individual titles even further.
ShadowPlay
lets users record gameplay at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080p, and
broadcast your gaming sessions to sites such as Twitch.
GameStream,
previously only available on Nvidia's desktop GPUs, allows you to
stream games from your notebook to connected devices, such as Nvidia's
SHIELD.
Connections, performance, and battery One of the
fun things to do with a big gaming rig is hook up multiple external
monitors, and with the HDMI and mini-DisplayPort jacks on the right
edge, you can do just that, with the high-end GPU allowing you to drive
each one at HD resolutions.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Intel Core i7-4700HQ processor matches up well against other
recent gaming laptops, and actual application performance is not much
different than you'd find in recent 17-inch systems from Alienware,
Origin PC, and others (in fact, the Asus CPU is a hair slower than some
of the others, but the practical effect is nil).
What we're
really interested in here is the new Nvidia GeForce GTX 880M graphics
card, and this is the first laptop we've reviewed with that
just-released component. As we pointed out during our initial tests when
the 800-series Nvidia GPUs were announced, the GTX 880M churned out
more frames per second in our gaming tests than a similar system with
last year's GTX 780M GPU. Likewise, a new MSI laptop with the GTX 860M
beat out a 2013 laptop with the GTX 760M.
So, this Asus is the
fastest gaming laptop we've ever tested, right? Not quite. We did find
one gaming laptop with better frame rates, and that was the ridiculously
indulgent Origin PC EON17-SLX. That $4,400 monster included two GTX 780M cards in an SLI configuration, and easily beat the single-card Asus.
That
means the Asus G750 ran Metro: Last Light (a very challenging test) at
30.7 frames per second, while last year's Alienware 17 (with a
one-generation-behind GPU) ran the same test at only 18.7 frames per
second. However, the dual-card Origin PC laptop, with two last-gen
cards, beat them both, at 41.7 frames per second. You can see further
comparisons in our benchmark charts below.
Sarah Tew/CNET
A separate Asus software app, called GPU Tweak, allows you to do some
software-based overclocking of your video card. It can squeeze another 5
percent out of your GPU, but messing with the settings should be left
to experts, as you can create excessive heat and stability problems
(although Asus claims the version of the app bundled with this system is
perfectly tweaked for this hardware and its cooling system).
Despite
all the CPU and GPU power, the Asus G750 actually does well on our
video playback battery drain test, running for 5 hours and 17 minutes.
That's better than any other recent 17-inch gaming laptop, and thanks in
part of Nvidia's Optimus technology, which switches off the GPU when
it's not needed. Nvidia is also promoting a new feature of its GeForce
Experience software app, which promises game settings tweaks to prolong
battery life. That's not fully functional yet, but we'll take another
look at it when it is. System configurations Asus G750JZ-XS72 Windows 8.1
(64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 4700HQ; 32GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 4GB
Nvidia Geforce GTX 880M; 256GB SSD (X2), 1TB 7,200rpm HGST hard drive
The GoodThe Asus G750
is one of the first laptops with Nvidia's new top-end GeForce GTX 880M
graphics cards. The hefty keyboard is great for WASD gaming, and a
generous selection of ports makes it easy to add accessories or external
monitors.
The BadFor a
$3,000 laptop, this still looks like a thick, clunky box. The screen
skips the higher resolution and touch functionality we're seeing more
often in premium laptops.
The Bottom LineThe
Asus line of gaming laptops has always offered excellent high-end
configurations, along with custom software and hardware tweaks. This
latest version of the G750 bets on Nvidia's brand-new line of GPUs, and
includes the current top-end card for great gaming performance.
The original Nexus 7 enchanted and enthralled - and did so despite
some slight compromises. The fact that it was so cheap (£159 for a 16GB
version) meant it remained outstanding value for a long time. Problem
is, a year is a long time in the tablet world, and competition is
fierce, so the new Nexus 7 is just what the doctor ordered.
And
then in late July 2013, came the announcement. A new Nexus 7 - so good,
they named it twice. (Some have differentiated it by adding the year to
the name. For clarity, I'll refer to the old one as "the original Nexus
7-inch from now on.).
Of
course, Nexus devices are synonymous with pure Google experiences. This
is the chance for Mountain View to show off Android in its purest form,
away from the meddling fingers of Samsung or HTC who just love to
Sensify and TouchWiz up their devices.
The Nexus 7 launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which was a minor update from 4.2. It has since been updated to Android 4.4 KitKat,
which adds a few bits and pieces to the bag of tricks, but I'll get
into that later. I expect it will also be one of the first devices to
get the next version update, whatever it may be….lemon meringue pie
perhaps?
The Nexus 7 is still aiming for that sweet spot. The
price has been bumped up - it's now £199 for the 16GB model that would
have cost £159 before - but the specs are much better, so it's still
very reasonably priced.
And
it looks a lot better too. Whereas the original Nexus 7 looked like a
medium level device, the new Nexus 7 now looks like a premium slab. I'll
go into more detail in the next section, but suffice to say, it's
pretty damn gorgeous.
It's
only available in 16GB or 32GB versions - the latter will cost you a
penny short of £240. And they are strictly Wi-Fi only. As with the
previous incarnation, there's also a cellular version, and the
difference this time is that the Nexus 7 is 4G LTE (vs HDSPA) compatible.
If ever there was a tablet that you could just pick up and carry
around with you, chuck easily in a bag and know it's there when you need
it, then the Nexus 7 is the one.
Obviously, you'll need a case or
some kind of protection as it'd be nothing short of criminal to scratch
that beautiful glass screen, but I assume that most people will be
practicing Safe Nexus 7 from the get-go.
It
would be foolish to just go into the specs without comparing the Nexus 7
to its predecessor - that's what most people will be expecting. Suffice
to say, this is one beautiful piece of equipment. The front is one
sheet of high gloss Gorilla glass, interrupted only by the minute
presence of a front-facing camera for selfies and Skypes.
It's
thinner and lighter than before (200 x 114 x 8.7mm and 290g, compared to
198.5 x 120 x 10.5mm and 340g). Eagle-eyed mathematicians will notice
there is a slight height increase, but it's negligible in practice. The
LTE version adds another 9g.
Whereas
before there was a plastic trim around the bezel, painted to look like
metal, here it's gone. This is an all-black device. The screen just
blends into the sides, which curve round to create an uninterrupted back
panel. And if I had to find fault, it would be with this bit.
Firstly,
the bezels have been shrunk right down to make the screen almost extend
to the edges. But it makes it difficult to hold the Nexus 7, because
the natural act of curling your hand around the tablet and resting your
thumb on the bezel is now impossible without touching the screen and
causing all kinds of annoyances. Instead, you have to rethink how you
hold the tablet.
True, it can be held fully within the palm, but
that's quite tiring after a while and not particularly comfortable.
Others have taken to holding the Nexus 7 like a giant phone, resting the
pinky at the bottom and the thumb at the side.
Yet
while this is possible, it's again not the most comfortable experience.
The power/sync port at the bottom ends up digging into the skin and the
angular left hand corner digs into the palm.
Added to that, the
back is no longer textured but a matte plastic, and therefore grip is
reduced. It's not going to cause you sleepless nights, but it is going
to bug some people (like me) at first. Thankfully, most people will keep
their Nexus 7 in a case of some, and that makes this much less of an
issue.
Another thing to mention is fingerprints. You have never
seen a fingerprint magnet like this. Prepare for lots of rubbing the
Nexus 7 against legs (preferably your own) to combat smudges.
Aside
from that Micro USB port at the bottom, there is little to remark on.
Asus and Google have deliberately gone for minimalism here.
Look
hard on the front and you may see a notification light beneath the
screen - but that only appears when your attention is needed. There's a
power/sleep button on the right-hand side, accompanied by volume rocker.
On the back has an etched Nexus logo, along with another
addition: the rear camera, which was one thing many original Nexus 7
owners craved. It's fine for showing someone something on Skype - but if
you have intentions of using your tablet as a camera, as some
antisocial types do, then frankly you need taking outside and giving a
firm telling off to.
One
thing you will notice is two lots of speakers - stereo, if you will.
All mod cons here, it appears. They're on the top and bottom at the rear
but the idea is that when you watch stuff in landscape, they'll be at
the sides.
Oddly, they're at the back, facing away from you, which seems silly when you consider that HTC has moved the bar with the HTC One. But we'll find out how they fare a little later.
Altogether,
this is a solid device. Where the original Nexus sometimes felt like a
compromise due to the price (issues of light bleed and creakiness on the
left hand side were common complaints), this feels like a premium,
well-put-together piece of kit that should command more than the measly
amount Google is asking.
This
is definitely most apparent when you see the screen. The only word that
fits here is "wow." The PPI of the original Nexus 7 represented one of
its missed opportunities: at 216 (800 x 1280) it was by no means bad,
but it always felt like it could have been just that little bit better.
And
now it is. Google and Asus have pushed the density on the Nexus 7 up to
the competition's level and beyond. It's now a staggering 323ppi (1200 x
1920). Consider the iPad's Retina display is 264ppi and you can imagine
just how razor sharp this is. Text pops out and images look almost
inexpressibly crisp.
Add to that the fact that there is virtually
no gap between glass and screen, and this is a display to die for.
Viewing angles could not be better - which is great, because tablets are
more likely to be shared around than phones - and crispness is
unmatched.
Naturally, the glass makes it less than ideal for outdoor use, but if you set brightness to maximum it should be able to cope.
Yes, it's a game of one upmanship to a certain degree. In all likelihood, you don't need a
display that sharp. But by God, do I want it. And I love it. Sure, the
Retina iPad Mini gives the Nexus 7 a run for its money, but you can't do
much better on a tablet in terms of display.
Colour reproduction
is also far better. A common complaint with the original Nexus 7 was
that images tended to look faded and washed out. Again, I couldn't
grumble too much because of the price, but it was one of those things
that we geeks tended to notice and grind our teeth at. Thankfully,
everything now just appears much warmer on the Nexus 7 than before.
It's still a world away from the brightness and vividity of Samsung's displays employed on the likes of the Note 8 or the Galaxy S4, but they are loved and loathed in equal measure. Some think they look great, while for others the effect is unnatural.
Either
way, the fact is, unless you're odd, you won't pick up a Nexus 7, look
at the display and feel disappointed in the slightest.
What
you might feel disappointed with, however, is the storage issue. You
won't find a Nexus 7 with anything more than 32GB of space - and
remember, Google doesn't do external memory these days. In its efforts
to push us all onto the cloud, you're stuck with what Google deems to be
adequate.
And as we've become used to, that 32GB on the box
doesn't mean you get 32GB to play with, as the OS takes up a huge chunk.
You're left with just 26GB. With the size of some HD games, plus a
couple of movies, you'll eat that up fairly easily. Obviously, the 16GB
is even more dire in this regard.
There are two things Google
could have done here: either given the option of a larger device (64GB
or 128GB), or relented and left an SD slot for those who want to expand.
Samsung still does that with the Note 8.0, as does Sony with the Xperia Tablet Z, and neither experience too many problems.
But
larger memories would mean higher prices and that ruins the Nexus 7's
USP. Increasing storage would mean Google losing face. It's a vicious
circle, and it's the punters who lose out. If you are a media fiend, the
paltry allowance might mean the Nexus 7 isn't the tablet for you,
despite how great your content would look on that screen.
As
with most modern devices, you'll find a sensor which adjusts the
display to make sure you are getting optimum backlighting for battery
power conservation. I found it to be pretty unremarkable - it just does
what it should do.
However, if you decide to turn it off and put
the display onto full manual brightness, make sure you've some
sunglasses handy. This is one bright son of a gun, and you will be dazzled.
The
battery has taken a hit, at least on paper. It's no longer 4325mAh and
now reports for duty at 3950mAh. But Google appears to have some method
in this madness. Aside from the fact that it makes the Nexus 7 lighter
than the original, it doesn't seem to have much of an impact.
In
fact, I'd say that the battery here is better than the original Nexus 7.
Android 4.4 is great at battery management. When this unit goes to
sleep, it goes to sleep. Not a slumber, not a doze, but a complete
conk-out. And yet, it'll stand to attention at a second's notice when
you need it again.
Key features
7" 16M-color IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen of WXGA resolution (1280 x 800 pixels), scratch-resistant Corning glass
NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset: quad-core 1.2GHz (1.3GHz in single-core mode) ARM Cortex-A9 processor; 1GB of RAM; ULP GeForce GPU
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
8/16 GB of built-in memory
1.2 MP front-facing camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth; Android Beam
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
GPS with A-GPS support; digital compass
Accelerometer and proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor
4325 mAh Li-Po battery
Incredibly attractive pricing
Main disadvantages
The screen is a bit washed out and has poor sunlight legibility
Non-expandable memory
No USB mass storage or TV-out
No mobile data-enabled version
Front-facing camera only
Disappointing audio output
The Nexus 7 sure has its downsides, but it makes a killer tablet for
web browsing, email or gaming. With the Samsung Galaxy Nexus price set
at $350 (one of the cheapest dual-core droids, especially considering
the screen size and resolution), it looks like Google's Nexus line has
transformed from developer-oriented devices to some of the best Android
buys.
But there's more to it than just bang for the buck - a Nexus gadget
is a ticket to fast updates to the latest Android OS, an untouched
Android at that (some don't really like vendor skins) and a great
developer community pushing the gadgets beyond what Google had in mind
for them.
Nexus 7 tablet at ours
So, is smart money on the Nexus 7 tablet or were there too many
corners cut to make the price? Is the Kindle Fire shaking in its boots?
The specs look promising despite a few stinging omissions, but it's
now for our tests to answer those questions.
Software features The Nexus 7 ships
with the very latest version of Android (4.3), and to be quite honest,
the OS isn't much different from the previous incarnation (4.2.2). At
least not obviously so. For a detailed look at the updated OS' features,
check out our Android 4.3 review.
One
of the few notable Android 4.3 additions is the Multi-User Restricted
Profiles feature, which allows you to set up accounts with extremely
limited access.
Josh Miller/CNET
The notable new features are Multi-User Restricted Profiles,
OpenGL ES 3.0 support, and Bluetooth Smart. User profiles were
introduced with Android 4.2, and the latest version allows you to add a
kid-friendly profile that the primary profile controls. The restricted
profile will only have access to apps deemed acceptable and will have no
access to the Play store. It's an ideal solution for families wanting
to share a single tablet; however, Google leaves the decision of
implementing it up to the developer.
OpenGL ES 3.0
improves polygonal graphics performance and allows the tablet to better
handles effects like lens flares, shadows, and other shader effects.
With Bluetooth Smart, the Nexus 7 can connect to a newer generation of
Bluetooth devices as well as transmit metadata like song titles.
I'm
a huge fan of close-up pics of tablet buttons. Actually, I'm not, but I
liked this particular pic so much, I married it. That's also not true.
Josh Miller/CNET
The other 4.3 changes are minor or so deep into the back end
that most people will never notice the difference. It's certainly not as
satisfying a leap as 4.1 to 4.2 was, and we'll likely have to wait
until Android 5.0 to get some really meaty and truly exciting software
upgrades.
Hardware features The
7-inch Nexus 7 houses a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro system on chip
with a quad-core Krait CPU and a single-core Adreno 320 GPU. It has 2GB
of RAM and includes support for 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 4.0 (including Bluetooth Smart support), and a GPS.
Additionally, a gyroscope, accelerometer, and a digital compass are
included as well.
The Micro-USB port doubles as an HDMI port, as long as you have the required (costs about $30) adapter.
Josh Miller/CNET
The tablet supports SlimPort, which allows you to use the
Micro-USB port as an HDMI port via a $30 adapter, but there is no
physical HDMI port on the Nexus 7.
NFC support returns, and we also get wireless charging, which according to Google will allow any Qi-compatible charger to fill the Nexus 7's battery. And that does indeed
appear to be the case, as the Nokia Lumia DT-900 wireless charger worked
without issue; however, the actual charging speed was painfully slow
compared to a wired charge.
Performance
First things first, the Nexus 7's screen is incredibly sharp and
text is particularly fine and easy to read. You may not fully appreciate
its high pixel density immediately, but when looking at it next to
almost any other tablet screen, the Nexus 7 clearly comes out on top.
It's also one of the brightest tablet displays I've ever seen. Colors
are more accurate and fuller compared with the 2012 Nexus 7 and the
contrast ratio is noticeably higher. Viewing angles are wide and images
appear to have a fuller, more corporeal integrity.
Behold the beauty of the Nexus 7's razor-sharp screen.
Josh Miller/CNET
However, despite its color improvements, the 2013 Nexus 7's
screen doesn't represent color as accurately or vibrantly as the 8-inch
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3's, though the Tab 3's screen isn't as sharp. The
Nexus 7's screen looks comparatively greenish when looking at pictures
or movies of faces and sometimes pushes purple when lots of bright
colors are in the mix. Most won't notice, but it definitely stands out
with the two tablets side by side.
If you're looking for pre-done customisation out of the box, you're
looking in the wrong place. Nexus devices are intended to let you see
Android in its rawest form. It's a way of witnessing Google's vision.
And that's exactly what you're getting with the Nexus 7: pure,
unmodified, untinkered-with Android 4.4. That
means homescreens - five of them. But of course, you can instantly
replace them with your own launchers and tweaks. Lots of people go for
custom launchers, which provide a safer, less technical way of modifying
the look of a device without having to go down the rooting and custom
ROM line.
Ultimately, what you're getting on the surface of the Nexus 7 is something that looks pretty much identical to previous Jelly Bean versions, give or take the odd tweak.
Widgets
are prevalent, as they have been since day one of the Android OS,
making them a key selling point that iOS users can only hanker after.
And nowadays, they're not just on your homescreen, but your lock screen
too.
It's ideal for the ultra-lazy - you don't even have to swipe
to unlock your screen when you want to perform a task. It equates to
dozens fewer finger swipes a day for heavy users. No wonder we're
turning into a nation of fatties.
(As a side note, remember, Nexus
devices get updated first. So when that OTA notification comes, it's
just a matter of hitting 'Install' to stay on top of the pack.)
Breaking with the look of Jelly Bean (and Ice Cream Sandwich before it), the colour scheme is much lighter in KitKat. All
those Tron-looking blues have been swept away, and replaced by a clean
and crisp white and the odd touch of grey. It gives everything a
lighter, more elegant feel.
Looks aside, it's easy to navigate and
intuitive enough. First-time users may find the menus a little
overwhelming, but seasoned tinkerers will be at home.
This is a world away from the extreme handholding of Apple's models, as any Android fan will attest.
In
fact, most of the changes to the OS are under the hood. There are some
slight differences, like the fact you can now have user profiles, but
it's other things that make a difference. Things like support for
Bluetooth 4.0 and OpenGL ES 3.0, plus better DRM coding.
Google's
invested some serious time and effort into providing a usable keyboard
in its interface, something which first broke cover in the Nexus 4 in late 2012.
It's
a great effort, albeit hardly an original idea. It apes the
functionality I first grew to love with the Swype keyboard, which was
later adopted by Swiftkey.
Indeed, it's almost on a par with the
latter in terms of functionality and reliability, though I still prefer
Swiftkey for two reasons.
Firstly,
the fact you can alter the keyboard's theme (I'm fickle), and secondly,
because flicking between letters and numbers is easier on Swiftkey than
Google Keyboard. But there's really not that much in it. As for
the performance, boy does this baby fly. Last time, I got excited by
Project Butter - a bit of Android code that would revolutionise our
lives by making everything run smoother and quicker.
But it wasn't
as great as it sounded. Anyone with a creaking original Nexus 7 will
tell you that Project Butter can't work miracles.
The
optimisations of Android 4.4, and Project Svelte, are a different matter
altogether. Mixed in with that 1.5GHz quad-core Krait CPU, Qualcomm
Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset and 2GB of RAM, they mean there is little you
can do to make the new Nexus 7 stall.
Games and apps load in a
flash and you can swipe between screens, littered with widgets, and not
encounter the slightest stutter.
Multi-tasking is handled with
ease - it's all done via one of the three on-screen soft buttons you'll
find throughout the OS. I had more than 20 apps open at the same time
and encountered no problems whatsoever. The Nexus 7 is hard to beat in
this respect.
Battery Life
I have to hand it to Asus and Google here. It may be sorcery – I
won't pry too much – but they have managed to pull off the impossible
here.
They've shrunk the battery size, and yet seem to have improved battery life compared to the previous iteration.
From
4325mAh to 3950mAh, on paper at least, I thought they'd taken leave of
their senses. But it just goes to show how much the software influences
the energy spend that the Nexus 7 seems to just go. And go. And go. And
go.
This
is hardly a scientific comparison - it's hard to compare an old Nexus 7
that's been used for a year with a different processor and screen to
the new one and hope to give a fair verdict.
But what I'll say is this: where I expected the new Nexus 7 to fall down, it actually just keeps on giving.
In
real world usage, results will vary – it depends what you're using your
tablet for, but I found that when testing, I was using the Nexus 7
nearly all day.
With
all Google services enabled, I managed about two hours worth of surfing
the web, read a Kindle book for about 45 mins, sent 20-30 emails from a
separate Exchange account set to push, connected to the car stereo via
Bluetooth and streamed some music on a 20 minute drive, as well as
checking out Google Maps Navigation for the duration of that journey.
I
went from a full charge overnight, taking the Nexus 7 off the juice at
8am. By 9pm, I was still going strong with 41% of battery remaining.
The
new Nexus 7 was put through TechRadar's video battery test which sees a
90 minute video played at full brightness (or 300 Lux, whichever
arrives first), with multiple accounts syncing in the background.
After the video had finished the Nexus 7 had dropped just 20% battery which is similar to the Kindle Fire HD, while the G Pad 8.3 dropped 30% during the same test and the Tesco Hudl saw a 21% loss.
This
is a tablet that you can use without worrying it will die on you. Of
course, you have to remember that the more apps you load on, the more
background processes you have running and the more juice you're likely
to get through.
And when the LTE version comes out, it'll be
running an extra radio which is likely to impact. But for now, it's
pretty damn good.
On top of that, I'm pleased to see that Google has continued with previous models and kept the charging port as Micro USB.
There
is nothing worse than an OEM using a proprietary port. It's so
stressful worrying in case you lose it and have to pay a king's ransom
to replace it officially.
The alternative is being able to charge wirelessly - something that is available on the Nexus 7, but I was unable to test just yet as the correct accessories haven't made their way over.
The stunning, stylish touchscreen Ultrabook with a scratch-resistant finish
Asus made good at its promise
to officially reveal the Zenbook Infinity (UX301 and UX302), its super
thin but power-intensive touchscreen ultrabook, at Computex this week.
Just
several hours later, TechRadar and the Infinity were getting up close
and personal, and while Asus is yet to confirm a few final specifics, we
had more than enough time with it to form some initial impressions.
A few years ago, nearly every PC maker had its own version of the
idea ultrabook (some would call them MacBook Air clones), with a slim
body, low-voltage CPU, 13-inch screen, and a premium price. In 2014, the
nearly identical laptop everyone needs to have is a radically updated
version of that ultrabook, adding Windows 8, a touch screen, and a
better-than-HD screen resolution.
The Asus UX301 joins the Toshiba KiraBook, Apple MacBook Pro, Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro,
Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, and others in offering a touch screen that
goes beyond 1080p. In this case, it's a 2,560x1,440 display, which has
so far proven to be slightly more common than the 3,200x1,800 version
found in the Yoga 2 and Razer's upcoming Blade 14.
In
either case, it's a lot of pixels to push on such a small screen, but
there are definite benefits in reading on-screen text and editing
high-resolution photos. It's not an extra feature that counts as a
must-have just yet, but just as touch screens have gone from oddity to
standard feature in less than two years, I can see these higher
resolutions coming to more and more laptops in the near future. Hopefully,
many of those future models won't cost quite as much as as this one. At
$1,899 (it's about $50 less at most online stores), this configuration
of the UX301 is about as expensive as non-gaming laptops get. The
components are appropriately premium, to be sure, with an Intel Core i7
CPU and big 256GB SSD, but only 8GB of RAM and no other particularly
unique features, aside from scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 on both
sides of the lid. A 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro
with similar specs (but minus the touch screen, of course), is $1,799.
Likewise, a similarly configured Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus can be found
for about $1,750, with an even higher-res 3,200x1,800 screen. With just a bit of daylight between the prices of comparable laptops,
your preference will likely rest on subjective impressions of the
design, keyboard, and touch pad (all very good here, but the same could
be said for the Ativ Book 9 Plus, for example). And keep in mind, if a
better-than-HD screen is the main feature you're after, Lenovo's Yoga 2
Pro offers a 13-inch 3,200x1,800 hybrid for just about $1,000.
Design and features
The Zenbook was one of the first laptops
to truly embrace the ultrabook vibe, with slim, tapered metal shells,
and lids that stood out from the crowd with a circular pattern that some
say resembled rippling water. Here the same effect is generated not in
aluminum, but but under a Gorilla Glass 3 lid, over a dark blue
background. The big difference between this and other recent slim
ultrabook-style laptops we've tested is the incredibly high gloss finish
on the back of the lid -- as one would expect from a glass top layer.
At a
bit over 3 pounds, the UX301 feels hefty in the hand, solidly built,
but not as light as some other 13-inch laptops. However, despite the
generally tight-feeling chassis, a very minor bump onto a carpeted floor
left the power pin from the AC adaptor seriously bent out of shape,
although still functional. That's why Apple, for example, has a magnetic
power connection (although I've dropped and bumped plenty of Windows
laptops over the years with nary a bent power plug pin). The matte
black interior features a sunken keyboard with large island-style keys.
Important keys such as Shift, Enter, and Backspace are decently sized,
and the entire keyboard has a very MacBook-like vibe, from the layout of
the arrow keys to the power button at the very top right corner. Typing
was only slightly hindered by some keyboard flex around the center, but
you'll have to be a heavy typist to really notice. The
large clickpad-style touch pad is much better than the versions found
on the early Zenbooks of years ago. Back then, touchpad response was
finicky, and multi-touch gestures were near-useless. This version is as
good as any Windows laptop, with quick response and natural-feeling
inertial scrolling, but I had to turn off the Windows 8 edge gestures because they were too easy to accidentally trigger. The
13.3-inch 2,560x1,440 touch screen display is a system highlight.
Covered with edge-to-edge glass, the touch response was excellent and
off-axis viewing was decent, but not best-in-class. The ultra-high
resolution allows for an amazing level of zoom, and you can
pinch-to-zoom on pages of text to see the effect up close. The glossy
screen does, however, have a lot of glare under normal lighting
conditions, so you may end up twisting and turning to find a glare-free
angle. The speakers are from Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, a
subsidiary of the famous audio company, and sound decent for such a
small laptop, although that may be because they're fired from side-edge
speakers, which gives you an especially wide stereo image.
Touch
Technology with a human touch
Zenbook UX301 is wonderfully tactile, but
that goes well beyond just the feel of its sleek, smooth and durable
glass design. Windows 8 is designed with touch in mind and a dedicated
ASUS Human Computer Interface team help make it even more intuitive to
use with features like a responsive multi-touch display, and a large
touch pad with multi-touch support. The backlit keyboard with automatic
brightness control also means you'll always have a clear view of the
keys, so you can stay productive, even in complete darkness. So
whichever way you like to work, Zenbook UX301 has you covered.
10-POINT CAPACITIVE MULTI-TOUCH DISPLAY
Touch is such an intuitive way to
interact with a computer display, we've been trying to do it for decades
— just ask anyone who sells screen-cleaning kits. The good news is that
with Zenbook UX301, reaching out to touch the screen is no longer an
empty gesture. Its 13.3-inch multi-touch display responds to the
slightest touch in just 30ms, so you can tap an icon to open an app,
pinch a web page to make the text larger, and swipe across the screen to
switch between running applications instantly. Multi-touch makes
everything so much easier.
The power and performance you need
Zenbook UX301 is a high-performance
Ultrabook™ in every sense. A 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor
with Intel Iris™ 5100 graphics make light work of the most demanding
tasks, and keeps you entertained with your favorite games and HD video,
even when you're on the move. Solid-state storage means applications
launch in double-quick time and, together with Super Hybrid Engine II
technology, boosts battery life and standby time to stretch out the time
between recharges. Two USB 3.0 ports support the latest high-speed
storage and recharge mobile devices in double-quick time, while
sophisticated thermal management means Zenbook UX301 never loses its
cool.
Portable power and performance
Zenbook UX301 is powered by 4th
generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors for seamless multi-tasking
performance and outstanding energy efficiency. A high-end 28W Core
i7-4558U dual-core option makes light work of even the most demanding
applications. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology gives a burst of extra speed
up to 3GHz when you really need it, while Intel® HD Graphics 5100 with
Clear Video HD technology gives silky smooth playback with Full HD
video.
Work all day on a single charge
Energy-efficient components like the
Intel® Core™ processor and solid-state drive help Zenbook UX301 last for
up to 8 hours on battery power, so you can get a full day's work done
before you need to recharge. Exclusive Super Hybrid Technology can also
boost battery life by up to 25% for less demanding tasks like web
browsing and watching video, so you can last even longer between trips
to the power socket.
Always ready when you are
No one should have to wait when they want
to get something done, which is why Zenbook UX301 wakes from standby in
just two seconds. Exclusive Super Hybrid Engine II technology gives up
to two weeks' standby time too, and automatically saves all open
applications and data to the solid-state drive when the battery drops
below 5% charge level gets too low. So you don't have to worry about
always leaving Zenbook Touch plugged into a power socket just because
you're not using it.
USB 3.0, the next-generation connection for faster data transfers
USB 3.0 is ten times faster than USB 2.0
and with two ports at your disposal, you can save photos, transfer MP3s
and open multi-gigabyte video files in a fraction of the time with
compatible storage. USB 3.0 has more power for mobile devices, too.
Smartphones and tablets recharge in half the time compared to USB 2.0,
even when Zenbook UX301 is switched off. USB Charger+ technology lets
you charge your devices on-the-go.
Audio
The UX301LA's headphone-microphone combo jack offers satisfactory power,
a succinct stereo image and no interference or background noise.
The speakers are no miracle-workers, but they'll get you through a
videoconference just fine. Just know that (as usual with ultrabooks) any
music you listen to will be reduced to the middle of the spectrum with
little-to-no bass or high-end.
Processing Power
The Intel Core i7-4558U dual-core processor ranges from 2.8 GHz to 3.3
GHz, placing it just ahead of the Core i7-4500U dual-core (1.8 GHz to 3
GHz).
This gives it an average performance about 5% faster than the i7-4500U
found in the Dell Inspiron 14 7000 Series, and about 19% faster than the
i5-4200U that equips the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro.
That said, it's still a ways behind quad-core processors like the
i7-4700MQ, which is 20% faster on average. But in terms of everyday
usage, it's a highly capable chipset that can handle any type of task in
a reasonable span of time.
Gaming
One unique thing about the Core i7-4558U is that it has an Iris 5100
graphics chipset. This GPU has 40 processing units, which is twice as
much as the HD Graphics 4400 found in many similar ultrabooks, so we
were expecting better gaming performance on it.
Unfortunately, despite having twice as many processing units, it only
performs 10% to 15% better. It's still a night-and-day difference with a
dedicated graphics card, even a mid-range one like the Nvidia GeForce
GT 740M (40% better performance).
You can still play some recent titles, as long as they're ones that don't require much graphics processing power, such as FIFA 13 or Dirt 3,
but even then you'll have to lower the screen resolution in order to
get fluid gameplay. That said, it plays HD videos without a problem.
Battery Life
The UX301LA held out 6 hours and 15 minutes during our battery test of
continuous video playback in airplane mode with the screen brightness at
100 cd/m², headphones plugged in and the keyboard backlighting turned
off. That's excellent battery life (although, of course, the 13" MacBook Air and Sony Vaio Duo 13 last even longer).
Models, specs & options
Asus is offering a number of different configurations and options for the Zenbook Infinity UX301LA:
CPU
2.8-GHz Intel Core i7-4558U
Operating System
Windows 8 Professional
RAM
8GB
RAM Upgradable to
Hard Drive Size
Dual 128GB
Hard Drive Speed
n/a
Hard Drive Type
Dual SSDs
Secondary Hard Drive Size
Secondary Hard Drive Speed
Secondary Hard Drive Type
Display Size
13.3
Native Resolution
2560 x 1440
Optical Drive
None
Optical Drive Speed
n/a
Graphics Card
Intel HD Graphics 5100
Video Memory
Wi-Fi
802.11ac
Wi-Fi Model
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 4.0
Mobile Broadband
Touchpad Size
3.9 x 2.6 inches
Ports (excluding USB)
Headphone; Mini DisplayPort; Mini HDMI; USB 3.0
USB Ports
2
Card Slots
SD memory reader
Warranty/Support
1-Year International/1-Year Accidental Damage/30-Day Zero Bright Dot/2-way FREE shipping/24-7 tech support
The GoodThe
Asus Zenbook UX301 packs in a lot, including a better-than-HD touch
screen, big 256GB SSD, and Core i7 processor, in a slim, smart design.
The BadIt
costs more than most comparable better-then-HD laptops, including the
Retina MacBook Pro. The Zenbook doesn't feel as rugged as its price
warrants, and its battery life is unimpressive.
The Bottom LineAsus
was one of the first PC makers to go ultra-thin with its Zenbook line.
That latest UX301 version packs in nearly every high-end spec you'd
want, but it's priced out of reach for most, and lacks an all-day
battery.
