NVIDIA has been powering up some of the most popular portable devices today. Nonetheless, the company wanted to step out of its comfort zone thus following their release of the Shield console, here comes the Tegra Note 7. As a leading tech manufacturer, the market expects the Tegra Note 7 to perform excellently. Does the slate truly deliver?

When talking about tablets, it is impossible not to come across Amazon Kindle Fire HDX and Google Nexus 7. Both tablets changed the way people see slates. They offer impressive design, build quality and specs. They also perform very well. Apart from these two, Samsung has also been revamping its line of slates. With its release of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, the company emphasizes further its intention on getting the market share for tablets and the high end market. So how does the Tegra Note 7 fair with these competitors?

Design

Some sources say despite the power in Tegra Note 7, NVIDIA needs to step up in terms of build quality. It is not yet at par with products like Google Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. The slate took inspiration from mismatched plastics which are not as appealing as the aluminum and solid casing like in Nexus 7 or Note 10.1. NVIDIA also needs to revamp the screen. The dimmer display will not do well against slates with extremely vivid pixel support.

Weighing 320 grams and measuring 120 x 9 x 200mm (WxDxH), the slate can be held in one hand. However, people may have to get used to the large speakers above and underneath the device. NVDIA also included a rubbery-tipped stylus. NVIDIA can rival Google in battery life as it offers up to 7/8 hours.

Performance

The Tegra Note 7 is the Nexus for NVIDIA. In many ways, the company makes sure it maximizes the Tegra 4 chipset. Being the company behind the chipset makes a lot of difference. NVIDIA has an advantage over other tech manufacturers because it knows how to deliver the true Tegra 4 chip experience and performance. This is similar to how Google knows how to deliver a true Android experience through its Nexus products.

Another notable feature is the DirectStylus. This is NVIDIA's version of the pressure-sensitive stylus similar to the one found on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Other features include virtual surround sound, controller support and always-on HDR photography.

Tegra 4 is one of the most powerful chipsets today. Despite a low-res screen such as in the Tegra Note (1,280 x 800 panel), it can improve graphics. The processor can boost visual effects and deliver frame rates. The 1.9GHz chip recorded 34,365 points on the Antutu system benchmark. This yields similar performance with the latest 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 devices. It also reached near 60 frames per second during the GFXBench and Epic Citadel gaming tests. NVIDIA still needs to work on its OS and integration. Google Nexus 7 is still the winner when it comes to Android integration on tablets.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014

Samsung has been targeting the high end market and it is evident through the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition.

Key features of the Galaxy Note include:

  • Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-T628MP6 GPU; Exynos 5420 chipset
  • 3 GB of RAM
  • Android OS v4.3 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UX UI
  • S Pen input and great software backend
  • One of a kind split-screen multitasking and pop-up mini apps
  • Quad-band GPRS/EDGE/HSPA and hexa-band LTE connectivity cat.4
  • Voice calls (on 3G and LTE models only)
  • 16/32/64 GB of built-in memory
  • 8 MP autofocus camera, 3264x2448 pixels, geotagging
  • 1080p video recording @60fps (LTE model) / 1080p video recording @30fps (Wi-Fi and 3G models)
  • 2MP front-facing camera; 1080p videos
  • Side-mounted stereo speakers
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
  • Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
  • HDMI TV-out (adapter required), USB host (adapter required)
  • microSD card slot
  • Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
  • Infrared port
  • GPS with A-GPS support; GLONASS, digital compass
  • 1080p XviD/MKV video support with subtitles

The device comes in two configurations: Samsung Exynos 5 Octa-running Wi-Fi and 3G editions or a Snapdragon 800 supporting LTE. Both configurations offer powerful performance.

Google Nexus 7

The Google Nexus 7 offers a 7-inch screen and high resolution. The resolution of 1920 x 1200 rivals Apple's iPad retina screen. What Google and Asus achieved was even better. They were able to fit in an HD screen in a 7-inch slate. People can watch 1080 videos.

The device comes in two memory options: 16 GB or 32 GB. It also offers 4G LTE support in the U.S. There is no word yet where Google will release LTE support further. It runs on 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro assuring speed and performance. In terms of OS, no other company can do a better Android table than Google.