First up, there’s an update to the Nexus 7 tablet. The 7-inch tablet has been bumped to 16 and 32 GB of internal storage for $209 and $259 respectively (previously the pricing for the 8 and 16GB models). The 32GB version also has an option for HSPA+ cellular connectivity, for an additional $50.
Next up there’s a larger Nexus-branded tablet, the Nexus 10, which comes with a ten-inch screen with a resolution of 2560×1600. Unlike the Nexus 7, this one has both a front-facing camera (1.9 megapixel) and rear-facing camera (5 megapixel). It comes with MIMO WiFi for faster connections, but at this point, there’s no cellular option available. Like the Nexus 7, it will come with both Bluetooth and NFC onboard.
The Nexus 10 comes in a 16GB model for $409, or a 32GB model for $509, and will be available starting November 13. The Nexus 10 will be running Android 4.2 (still known as Jelly Bean).
Both of these tablet updates continue Google’s aggressive pricing strategy compared to the iPad – the new Nexus 7 models have a much nicer price than the iPad Mini, especially when you look at the cellular-enabled model. The Nexus 10 also seems to offer a killer deal, if you’re only looking for WiFi. No doubt Apple is still banking on overall user experience and breadth of apps to keep the faithful happy, but these new Nexus models are still bound to entice more people over to Android.
The third new member of the Nexus family is an update on the smartphone, now known as the Nexus 4, and this time manufactured by LG. The 4.7-inch quad-core Nexus 4 sports an 8 megapixel camera, now with a feature called “Photo Sphere”, which allows you to create panoramic images in all directions. The phones will have HSPA+ connectivity, NFC, and Bluetooth onboard.
The 8GB version of the Nexus 4 will run $309, and the 16GB version will be $359, and will be available for order starting November 13. It will be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
In addition to Photo Sphere, 4.2 Jelly Bean also offers multiple users on a single device (a nice addition in the wake of the launch of Windows 8), built-in gesture typing (something previously seen only on third-party keyboards), and wireless video when teamed up with a TV sporting a compatible wireless HDMI adapter.
Once I get my hands on it, I’ll take a deeper look at the new flavour of Jelly Bean in an upcoming post.