Apple’s iPad set the standard for 10in tablets, so how
does its pint-sized mini fare against the best of the smaller-screen tablets?
Google’s taken a hit on the pricing of its Nexus 7, hoping
to encourage take-up of the Android platform and content sales. We never
expected Apple to match that price with its iPad mini, which costs $165 more
than the Nexus 7 at the same 16GB capacity.
The Nexus 7 is the smaller tablet at 120x199mm versus
135x200mm, but the mini is both thinner and lighter: the Nexus 7 is I0.5mrr and
340g; the iPad mini measures 7.2mm and weighs in at 308g.
Given this slightly larger chassis, it’s no surprise to find
a larger 7.9in screen on the mini. Its 1024x768 resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio
matches that of the iPad 2, whereas the 7in Google panel offers a higher
resolution of 1280x800 pixels. This results in a 216ppi pixel pitch for
Google’s tablet; 163ppi for the mini.
In our testing the Nexus 7 was also the faster of the two
tablets, with its quad-core nVidia Tegra 3 chip able to offer more oomph than
the iPad mini’s I GHz Apple A5 du al-core processor.
In our testing the
Nexus 7 was also the faster of the two tablets.
Neither tablet accepts removable memory cards to boost the
internal storage capacity, although the iPad mini offers a 64GB option where
the Nexus 7 maxes out at 32GB.
Google’s Nexus 7 has a front-facing 1.2Mp camera; the iPad
mini matches this and gets one up with a 5Mp rear-facing iSight camera.
The iPad mini is charged through Apple’s new Lightning
connector, introduced with the iPhone 5, while the Nexus 7 takes universal
Micro USB. Both have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity onboard, although Apples
table: is dual-band and the firm is touting faster speeds via channel bonding.
The Nexus 7, meanwhile, adds NFC to the spec sheet. Mobile 3G connectivity is
an option for both tablets, and the mini also supports 4G LTE in the UK.
The iPad mini
The major difference between these two tablets is the
software they run - that’s Android 4.2 Jelly Bean for the Nexus 7, and iOS 6.0
for the mini. You can read our reviews of each on pages 10 and 12 respectively.
With similar battery packs inside, expect both tablets to
last around 10 hours when surfing the web.
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Google Nexus 7
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iPad Mini
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Price
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$199/$249
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$329/$429/$529
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Display
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7” HD (1280x800,216ppi
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7.9” (1024x768, 163ppi)
|
|
Processor
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Tegra 3 (quad-core)
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A5 (dual-core)
|
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RAM
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1GB
|
|
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Storage
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8GB/16GB
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16GB/32GB/64GB
|
|
Camera
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1.2MP front camera
|
5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
|
|
Battery
|
10 hours of web surfing
|
10 hours of web surfing
|
|
Network
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Wi-Fi
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Wi-Fi
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NFC
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Yes
|
|
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Dimensions
|
7.81” x 4.72” x 0.41”
|
7.87” x 5.3” x 0.28”
|
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Weight
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340g
|
308g
|
