Norman Chan, Tested:
And therein lies what I think is a significant difference between how battery life should be managed and valued between the Nexus 7 (along with other small tablets) and other mobile devices. For the majority of Nexus 7/iPad Mini owners or potential buyers, my guess is that these small tablets are secondary devices that complement other computers. Unlike a full-size tablet like the iPad or Nexus 10, I don’t think the Nexus 7 is appropriate as most people’s sole computer. As a consequence, secondary devices are by definition not as critical in day-to-day use as a laptop or smartphone.
I couldn’t agree more with Norm here. I’ve been putting a Nexus 7 through it’s paces for work testing over the past few weeks, and it drops its battery life significantly faster than a 3rd or 4th generation iPad. But even with some pretty intense web browsing, YouTube videos and jumping between multiple apps, I don’t think I ever saw less than seven hours of battery life. In short, two really long spurts of secondary use over two days between charges. That’s excellent.