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There's an awful lot to like about the Advent Vega Tegra Note 7, with no huge disappointments to be found. Nvidia has done well with its first tablet, and partner Advent should be very happy to have its branding emblazoned upon it.
It might not have an external finish quite up to the premium feel of an iPad, or the new Nexus 7, but that's not to say it isn't a real competitor to those two. With an Android experience almost as good as Google's own, an abundance of power to keep the experience smooth and the addition of the stylus, the Tegra Note 7 is pushing well above its weight.
We liked
The Tegra Note 7 is very good value for money. The stylus is implemented amazingly well and feels incredibly responsive for a tablet so much cheaper than any Samsung rivals. It'd be a great note taker and makes things all the more appealing to creative types, or those that just fancy the tactile feeling of a pen rather than finger-jabbing.
It's an incredibly fast tablet – I didn't find an app or benchmark that it didn't fly through. Gaming particularly shines on the Tegra 4 processor, with games optimised for Nvidia's processing being especially impressive.
The screen is vivid and bright with great viewing angles, and sound is better than any other 7-inch tablet I've seen so far thanks to the stereo speakers.
Despite not being the absolute latest version of Android, Nvidia has tinkered to just the right degree – adding some nice little extras to make sense of the stylus, allow for wireless video streaming and control tablet performance.
We disliked
Don't let the price tag and array of features entirely blind you. There are tablets out there with a better design. Other than the hint of rubber on the rear, the Tegra Note 7 can only be described as solid and doesn't win any awards for design innovation.
The only let-down when coming from a world laden with 1080p smartphone screens, is that the screen feels a little low resolution at times. Yes, the 720p screen is miles away from being bad, but when compared to full-HD rivals such as the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini Retina, the soft text and jagged edges become more apparent.
It's a little bit of a shame not to find more options available with more built-in storage, or any models with LTE included, and is something I'd like to see in a second-generation Tegra Note.
Verdict
If you thought Google had mastered everything in its own Nexus tablets then think again. Nvidia has pushed the design brief beyond a typical budget Android tablet and shown that power, flexibility and a great Android experience can be had for a price that makes it accessible to everyone.
Like the thought of the 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, but want better speakers, more power and a stylus to boot? This should without doubt be on your tablet short-list.
Still not convinced by Android? Then the latest iPad Mini is probably your best alternative, but alongside the much cheaper Tegra Note 7, it's really only the design that could possibly swing you.
