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Hardware Problems Continue to Plague New Nexus 7

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While the new Nexus 7 is getting rave reviews for its new design and hardware improvements, it looks like Google and Asus still need to work out kinks with the new 2013 tablet. After we had reported about a GPS bug , it looks like there may be a glitch with the touchscreen.

We had previously reported of a highly sensitive touch panel as a potential dealbreaker for the Google tablet, but it now appears that the problem may be worse than we had originally believed.

On Google’s online product support forum, here’s what one user wrote about the touchscreen issue:

At first the keyboard seemed okay, though it would occasionally register double presses on the keyboard.  Now it has gotten progressively worse and the keyboard getting very erratic.  It is frequently registering double taps, and often ghost taps in areas not anywhere near where I’m touching on the keyboard.  It’s almost to the point where it is unusable.

A reboot seems to offer a temporary remedy for some users, though as many in the forum noted, the issue “gets progressively worse” as the device gets used over time.

The issue is also documented on support forums on XDA-Developers as well in several different threads.

Here’s what another user had noted about the tablet’s problematic touchscreen behavior, which may be a grounding issue.

My second nexus 7 only acts up if it’s laying on a non grounded surface (coffee table, couch etc). As soon as it’s in my hand it seems to work fine. I’m still not really satisfied with a partially messed up tablet.

Nexus-7-2013Other users also note that when the tablet is plugged in, the touchscreen behavior returns to normal. While still other reports suggest that this may be a touchscreen issue unrelated to grounding:

I’ve tried gripping in both hands, from the bottom bezel, on the table and on the couch. Still, I see this behavior. It’s not constant, but it’s prevalent enough that I don’t know if I’m going to keep it.

Right now it’s unclear still if this is a software or hardware issue. If it’s a software issue, then Google could launch a fix to all units when the software update is available, but if it’s a hardware issue it would mean that users would either have to ship their units back for repair or swap out affected units for a new one.

Moving from last year’s Nexus 7 to the newly refreshed Nexus 7 hardware for 2013, Google and Asus had slimmed down the side bezels of the slate. It’s unclear if that design change is correlated with the glitchy touchscreen that’s being reported.

If it’s unapparent that your 2013 Nexus 7 tablet has a multitouch display issue, you can try to download an app to test the touchscreen. One such app is Yet Another Mulitouch Test through the Google Play Store.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. L Malinofsky

    08/14/2013 at 4:39 pm

    I can confirm this problem is also present on Nexus 7 purchased 3 weeks ago, therefore not one of the new models. Problem is better when held in hand and a reboot seems to make things better for a while.

  2. Joel McLaughlin (@gorkon)

    09/03/2013 at 7:23 am

    I am not noticing this on the one I just bought. Note: This was a software issue. Not a hardware one. The most recent update fixed this. The GPS is also working well too. Really this was a lot of hand wringing over nothing.

  3. R dizzle

    09/15/2013 at 1:55 am

    N7 2 bricked after three weeks. Didn’t consider an exchange. With so many poor reviews, I took my refund and left.

    • Gigigeorgia1

      10/04/2013 at 8:07 am

      took my nexus 7-2 back because the screen freezes and will sometimes come back on with pushing on/off button with the volume button, still gets stuck. Got a replacement and having the same issue. Used to be the X was stuck, now just the Google title. Won’t turn off either. I will just get a refund. I something more reliable.

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