Many Nexus 7 (2013) owners are reporting that their tablet has suddenly stopped booting into Android OS hinting at a possible hardware problem with the internal components of the tablet.

The affected units are stuck at the “Google” boot logo screen with some owners even being unable to boot into recovery. Even flashing the factory image has not helped solve the issue, which clearly suggests that this is a low-level hardware issue.

Many of the frustrated Nexus 7 users who contacted Google directed them towards Asus. However, since most Nexus 7 units are out of warranty by now, the latter is quoting anywhere between $150-200 to fix the issue.

It was initially thought that the issue started cropping up after Nexus 7 (2013) owners updated their tablet to Android 5.1, but since many owners who are still on Android 5.0.2 are facing the issue, it is unlikely that the latest version of Lollipop has anything to do with it.

Looking at the issue, it is likely that the problem has got to do something with the NAND controller in the tablet or the NAND chip itself. The 2012 Nexus 7 also suffered from NAND issues (poor I/O performance), so this is not really the first time that Asus has screwed up in this department.

It is unlikely that Asus will publicly acknowledge the issue, and offer a free fix to affected customers which is bound to leave a negative taste in their mouth about the whole experience and the company.

Did your Nexus 7 (2013) suddenly brick itself?