Name: New Nexus 7
Brand: Google

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Camera

Tablet photographers are obviously a bane on society, but if you really needed to take a photo with your tablet, at least the Nexus 7 is less conspicuous.

That's because at seven inches, in some ways, it looks like a ridiculously oversized phone. But use it sparingly, eh?

Not only because you look like a gimp if you do, but also because the quality of the camera is pretty poor. It's not shocking, it's just mediocre.

The camera is obviously an aside rather than a key selling point. In fact, there are two of them: 1.2MP on the front (for video calls and selfies), and 5MP around the back.

Considering the lack of a rear camera was one of the criticisms of the original Nexus 7, the fact that Google and Asus have chosen to furnish me with one here is commendable.

It's certainly more convenient than spinning the whole tablet round and guessing where to point it if you're trying to show somebody something other than yourself on a video call.

The camera software is the same as that you'll find on the Nexus 5, except that HDR+ is missing. That means a few filters, white balance options and geotagging. Nothing I haven't seen before.

Same for the video, though you are also able to snap photos during a movie filming session by simply tapping the screen, which is a feature the HTC One X gave me and one I've grown to expect ever since.

Colour balance isn't great - pictures either tended to look overly cold or overly warm, with not much in between. And as for low light, forget it. There's no flash, no light, nor any other help here for dark conditions and so, if you have poor visibility, you're going to have no real chance of a good snap.

Moving the camera during photos leads to blur, so forget action shots.

The same could be said for video. Obviously, the frame refresh rate is higher and so moving subjects can be handled more efficiently and effectively.

But again, the light just looks either too stark or too cosy. At least sound is captured well and with those stereo speakers, playback sounds decent too.