The Google Nexus 7 has become the hottest new tablet on the market by pushing the envelope for mid-priced tablets. Many reviewers such as Techradar and CNET think it is the clear winner among the seven-inch tablets. The new back is a durable plastic that has a good grip and the display is clear and responsive with vivid resolution. Games run well and the viewing angle changes easily from landscape to portrait. The screen resolution is not quite as good as the Retina of the iPad Mini and colors are slightly less saturated but reviewers have said the resolution is close enough that it was hard to tell the difference.

The Google Nexus 7 has a good speaker system but takes a while to charge, although it does have a relatively long battery life even when multitasking. The main plus of the Google Nexus 7 is that it is more affordable than its competitors by starting at under $300. The Google Nexus 7 comes in up to 32 GB of storage space. Google fixed the bugs and "phantom touches" issue of the predecessor, making the current model more stable.

While the iPad Mini still wins in screen quality due to Retina display and slight larger 7.9-inch screen, the Google Nexus 7 offers an affordable seven-inch entrant with a competitive screen, smooth performance, storage options, and a long battery life. Google is rumored to release a slightly larger Nexus 8 in the summer.

Highlight Press reports on the upcoming competition between hardware makers in the 8-inch tablet, or "phablet," space: "In terms of hardware, chances are we'll be looking at precisely what was expected to make it into the Nexus 7 3's makeup, only in this case with an 8-inch or 8.1-inch touchscreen. In specific, think a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPU, 3GB of RAM, 1080p visuals and a 10-megapixel camera and you're at least half-way there."

"As far as competition goes, the Nexus 8 would be squaring off against the likes of the 8.3-inch LG G Pad, the 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and of course, the iPad Mini."