[QUESTION] choosing nexus 7 (2013)

BigB · 8 Apr 2020, 21:06

Hi, I'm searching for nexus 7 in my country and unfortunately there are not many available.
However I got lost.

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There were many variants of nexus 7 and I don't know which will be compatible with Ubuntu Touch? If someone could mark?

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexus_7_(2013)#Model_variants

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Second question is what are the limitations caused by hardware (it's marked as legacy).

I ask because I couldn't find it on UT website.

TotalSonic · 5 Aug 2020, 18:06

The only versions of Nexus 7 that currently works with UT are 2013 2nd Generation WiFi (codename flo) or LTE (codename deb). I have an LTE version - but camera and bluetooth are not working on it with UT. I would recommend purchasing a Pine64 PineTab instead at this point.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

Rondarius · 5 Aug 2020, 18:14

@BigB The first N7 in the table is flo the other two is deb with different LTE depending on where you live. UT should work on all three. I don't have a N7 so I can't help you with the second question.

kugiigi · 5 Aug 2020, 18:32

Nexus 7 2013 (Wifi) or flo is the originally supported device with deb coming in later one if I am not mistaken. I would suggest to get the flo model for best experience especially if you don't need mobile data. Nexus 7 2013 is a great device and I really like the size and feel of that tablet however, it's quite old and in terms of performance, it's a bit worse than Nexus 5. Actually, I've already sold mine a few months ago due to hardware issues and not being used. I would suggest the pinetab if that size is good to you but if you want the portability of the Nexus 7 then I would say go for it if you find a good deal

Keneda · 8 May 2020, 22:45

@BigB Legacy is also for devices previously supported by canonical, like meizu MX4.

Why don't you choose Bq Aquaris M10 FHD as it's a better supported and still available device?

PS : pinetab is far from being daily usable.

dobey · 5 Aug 2020, 22:48

@Keneda I would definitely not recommend the M10 over the Nexus 7 for a tablet to use with UT. The original retail Ubuntu Edition devices are more difficult to get UT on if they don't already have it, and they are more problematic for future upgrades.

Keneda · 8 May 2020, 22:55

@dobey Oh yes, i forgot about that (mediatek).
I talked about it because it's the most well supported device in ubports device list (the "Maturity" bar).

PS : BQ androïd devices are still easier to unlock bootloader than meizu devices though, no?

BigB · 6 Aug 2020, 08:13

Thanks for You all!

I unfortunately live in "far far away Europe country" where it's hard to purchase bq or meizu... that's why I've chosen Nexus as it is still avaliable here

Thank You for explanation, I found out that flo and deb has camera on the right side in the top bar and previous 2012 model has it in the centre of top bar. I also asked resellers for pictures of fastboot mode to make sure. (The problem was that they marked their devices as just nexus 7).

Mentioned problems (with bluetooth) are acceptable for my needs.

In future I wish I have pinephone and pinetab but for now they are not ready.

Once again big thanks I'll mark thread as solved.