New Nexus 7 may hit Australia in Sept

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nexus7-2013

blog Wondering when the new version of Google’s Nexus 7 tablet will hit Australia? You’re not the only one. The previous model proved a hit with Australians, and with new cameras, one of the best tablet screens on the market, better speakers, and a thinner and lighter build, the new one looks set to do the same. Well, we don’t have any inside information to share, but according to Ausdroid, the new Nexus 7 may hit Australia as early as September. The site reports (we recommend you click here for the full article):

“We’ve received confirmation from both a source within Asus and various Australian Retailers and Asus Re-Sellers, who have been busily checking since the announcement, that stock of the tablet will be available in early September.”

That’s great news. Because the new Nexus 7 is looking like a winner. As The Verge notes in its review (or you can check out the same story at Gizmodo or Engadget): “There are plenty of people for whom the iPad mini is definitely the right tablet. But before you pick, look through the Play Store and see if you can find everything you need. Because outside of that discrepancy, the Nexus 7 is a better tablet than the iPad mini. It’s so comfortable in one hand, the screen is incredible, and its performance is virtually flawless. Android itself has even developed into a great tablet operating system, in many ways better than iOS.” Word.

We suspect that the new Nexus 7 will also be available online through Google’s Play store. We recently picked up a Nexus 4 ourselves, and it was quick to deliver to Australia. Of course, you may also want to check out Kogan’s online store in a month or two, as the Melbourne-based retailer has offered nice discounts on Nexii products which we’ve taken advantage of in the past.

Image credit: Google

13 COMMENTS

  1. It was offered in the Play Store for the US release, so it would make sense for the AUS release, too.

    The big questions are price & mobile network compatibility – sub-$300 for Wifi models and $350 for mobile network capable version are extremely compelling, but will it be compatible with the LTE networks here and in what bands?

    • The European model will be compatible with most of our LTE bands. The US model will have limited support. According to the Asus website we’ll be getting the European model.

      The Asus website
      (http://www.asus.com/Tablets_Mobile/Nexus_7_2013/#specifications) lists the following bands:
      EU/KR/AU/Others SKU: 2100(1), 1900(2), 1800(3), AWS 2100/1700(4), 850(5), 2600(7), 800(20)

      Optus currently uses a 1800/2300 network and Telstra is 1800 with 900/2100 on the way. Both carriers will use 700 (APAC – not US) and 2600 at the end of 2014 as well. Vodafone will be only 1800 so far. 1800 is by far the largest component of all LTE networks here.

      What you can see is that the Nexus 7 does not support 900/2300 and the future 700 band is also absent. But the all important 1800 support is there, as is full 3G support. So data support should be excellent, unless you’re on Optus in Canberra.

      Also you may find conflicting information on the net. I think Google changed their specification at some point.

      • I’d like to add, the new Nexus 7 american model, does not support band 3 (1800).
        Only the European/Australian one (will) support band 3 (1800).

        So if you want 4G in Australia, don’t grey import the american one.
        (but it is totally safe to buy the Euro one / whatever they sell officially in the play store!!)

  2. Hmmm….guess I’ll save up for one and my wife can get my current ones as a hand-me-down :)

  3. That Verge review is the worst piece of writing I have ever seen.

    “I bought an iPad mini and its great but I always play awesome games instead of using it to read things, android is behind in app availability, and my nexus 7 (1) is slow, has no battery and a scratched screen, this new nexus has a weird bezel, final score for new nexus: 9/10”

    Did I even read the same review as the guy who put the score on it?

  4. The Anandtech mini review is excellent.

    I note Koran are offering the 16gb for $100 more than it is in the US… How do they manage to make a profit?!

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