It's too bad those other tablets are rubbish.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7231/the-nexus-7-2013-review
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/07/the-2013-nexus-7-revi...
1 - the display doesn't get dim enough; it's too bright to read in bed next to a partner
1a - this is INCREDIBLY annoying: at the lowest brightness, the display flickers. Noticeably.
1b - I repeat 1a
2 - slow charging times
3 - it's not quite wide enough to read technical pdfs comfortably. Also, the software available to read pdfs generally is not particularly good. Ebookdroid is the best of a bad bunch. On the bright side, it can invert colors for reading in bed. However, it still isn't particularly good at finding the content in pdfs formatted for other screens, boxing it to exclude eg page numbers or headers, then filling the screen with just content.
Anyway, I found the slightly wider screen on an ipad mini better for reading pdfs. ymmv; if I where just reading kindle books and not reading in bed I'd probably like it better. Also, I'm over 6 feet tall and have big hands, so I find the mini comfortable. Again, ymmv.
Basically, it serves the same purpose as my iPad without the bulk. That being said, my I use my iPad more when I'm at my desk, or sitting and reading at home. Oh, and the Nexus has better speakers. I hate having to bounce the sounds off something for my iPad.
The Minis are great (my children each have one, it's easier to carry with their smaller hands). Basically, the Nexus is that happy medium, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.