Gadget review: Google Nexus 7 by Asus

I’ve spent the last six months ordering OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Internet Tablets from China hoping to find a gem.

These are the factories that are hidden at the bottom of the supply chain, manufacturing for big-name brands such as Apple, Asus, HP and Advent. Nothing I’ve tested has come close to challenging the iPad or even Amazon’s Kindle Fire Tablet, until now.

Determined not to let Amazon and Apple relegate Google to geek corner, the Internet giant has teamed up with PC and tablet makers extraordinaire, Asus, taken a huge hit on their own profit margins, and created a tablet that could well be the bargain of 2012. It sports a 7in 1280x800 HD IPS display which has 216ppi (pixels per inch). Android tablets have tended to suffer from frustrating lag and screen delays at times. Google seem to have fixed most of these by deploying their new Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system which includes “Project Butter” speed-up enhancements plus a sprightly Quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 1GB RAM.

This means screen swipes, internet page loads and Skype video chats zip along with the deftness of a gymnast but the power of a heavyweight boxer. Although there’s no built-in 3G Internet (Wi-Fi only is supported) and no memory expansion slot, these seem like minor foibles when you consider the impressive eight hours battery life and built-in Bluetooth, Gyroscope and GPS. With the 8GB version starting at £159 plus £15 of free credit to spend in the Play Store, there’s little not to like about this performer.

• £159 (8GB) and £199 (16GB) from https://play.google.com and www.dixons.co.uk