Nexus 7 2013 vs. Galaxy Tab A6

[Gizmoluvr]

Hey everyone....

So I used to own a Nexus 7 (2013) and I remember I -loved- it... I stupidly convinced myself I wouldn’t need it when I got a bigger phone and sold it. I bought a Galaxy Tab A6 last year (after trying out and returning a Fire tablet) and its -ok-... but seems a bit laggy and isn’t super responsive.

I’m considering buying another N7, looking at the specs (processor speed, memory, etc) it appears the N7 is actually a better product than the Galaxy A6... I can live with the fact that N7 doesn’t have expandable storage, I just want a fast responsive tablet in the 7inch size range.

Any thoughts from the experts or previous owners on these two vs each other? Will I have problems running such an old device on new software/apps? Is the Galaxy A6 somehow better despite specs looking worse on paper? I’m looking forward to any input. Thanks guys!

 

[Hadron]

Which "Galaxy Tab A6" are you talking about? The 10.1" 2016 model has, on paper, a more powerful SoC than the N7 (which wasn't cutting edge even when released, though tablets tend not to be). There's also a 7" model, harder to find details of the SoC, but 3 years newer than the N7.

The two points I'd make are:

1) there's more to a SoC than the clock speed. There's also more than just the clock speed and the number of cores (core architecture is very important, and with more complex designs the scheduler matters too). Marketing types doubtless like you to pick one number and fix on that, but they aren't interested in giving you good information, just in selling.

2) the N7's edge was always software rather than hardware. Samsung have a different approach, basically "cram stuff in" rather than "keep it lean". So on similar hardware the Samsung approach will be slower.

As for the N7, the first question is do you need anything that requires Android 7 or 8 (actually what does your A6 have?), since Android 6 was the last official release? Of course there may be ports of more recent versions for it if you are happy to root - I've not checked (xda-developers would be an obvious place to look). The state of the battery on an old device might be something to consider. I know my son is still using his N7 (2013 model), but I've not asked him recently how long it lasts for these days.

 

[Gizmoluvr]

Thank you! Yes this is exactly what I was getting at... I remember the N7 ‘feeling’ faster and better than the current A6 feels (it’s the 7” one), and it looks better and faster on paper. I was wondering, and you confirmed, there’s more than just one number to look at.

You know, I can’t say I know of anything I -need- Android 7 or 8 for, A6 7” Tab I have is running 5.1. I was wondering if I bought the N7 and tried to update software if it wouldn’t run as fast with a newer version of Android. Would I just stop updating at a certain point then?

As for battery, I’m looking at either new or refurbished N7s, I suppose if I end up going the RF route I’d have to make sure I knew what kind of battery I’m getting, great point.

Which "Galaxy Tab A6" are you talking about? The 10.1" 2016 model has, on paper, a more powerful SoC than the N7 (which wasn't cutting edge even when released, though tablets tend not to be). There's also a 7" model, harder to find details of the SoC, but 3 years newer than the N7.

The two points I'd make are:

1) there's more to a SoC than the clock speed. There's also more than just the clock speed and the number of cores (core architecture is very important, and with more complex designs the scheduler matters too). Marketing types doubtless like you to pick one number and fix on that, but they aren't interested in giving you good information, just in selling.

2) the N7's edge was always software rather than hardware. Samsung have a different approach, basically "cram stuff in" rather than "keep it lean". So on similar hardware the Samsung approach will be slower.

As for the N7, the first question is do you need anything that requires Android 7 or 8 (actually what does your A6 have?), since Android 6 was the last official release? Of course there may be ports of more recent versions for it if you are happy to root - I've not checked (xda-developers would be an obvious place to look). The state of the battery on an old device might be something to consider. I know my son is still using his N7 (2013 model), but I've not asked him recently how long it lasts for these days.

 

[Hadron]

I don't know how much new vs refurb N7 would mean now, because there haven't been any new ones built for years and so even if there is a genuinely unused one its battery has been in storage for a long time (which isn't ideal in itself).

The N7 should go up to Android 6 officially, so sounds like it could be more recent than your current device. I've not questioned my son in any detail on how his goes, but I am sure he's applied every update that came and is still happy with the device.

 

[lvt]

Good news is that replacement batteries for the N7 2013 are still available. I don't have the N7 2013 but I have opened my N7 2012 and found that the battery is quite easy to replace. It could be the same for the 2013 version.