The iPad Mini lives! But how will
Apple’s scaled-down 7.9in tab fare against an onslaught of dinky but dangerous
Android rivals?
What’s new?
Steve Jobs famously labeled 7in tablets
“tweeners”, claiming they were too small for great apps. With a host of Android
tabs proving otherwise, Apple has now launched its own iPad Mini. So is small
beautiful?
What We Tested…
Apple iPad Mini
Price: $4,380(16GB)
Apple may be playing catch-up with its 7in
peers, but with the App Store’s riches and the biggest screen on test, it’s
still got victory in its sights.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
Price: $3,900(8GB)
As Slick as you’d expect from Samsung with
a great screen, microSD storage and a rear cam, Will it do for tablets what the
Galaxy S III has for smartphones?
Amazon Kindle Fire HD
Price: $3,296(16GB)
Amazon’s HD tablet is a bargain media
machine running an unrecognizable version of Android that focuses on shopping,
eBooks, movies and music.
Amazon
Kindle Fire HD
Google Nexus 7
Price: $3,600(16GB)
Google’s super-cheap slate has been the
champion of 7in tablets for months now thanks to its Tegra 3 heart and Jelly
Bean brain. It’s still the one to beat.
Versus Touchpad 7
Price: $1,589(8GB)
Seriously strapped for cash? No fear: the
Touchpad 7 serves up Google Play, web browsing and games in a sub-$400 package.
Sounds great-What’s the catch?
What to look for
Apps
Although iOS still has the biggest
selection, Android is catching up. Be aware, though, that the Kindle Fire
restricts access to the Google Play store and the Versus 7 lacks the power for
the latest games.
Display
Resolution isn’t everything: being usable
outdoors and having good viewing angles can be just as important.
Storage
None of these tabs come with much onboard
storage, but bigger versions are available. A cheaper option is to use a
microSD card (if possible) or cloud storage.
Power
The tabs in this test range from quad-core
beasts to single-core weaklings. If you’re a big gamer or watch lots of HD
films, you’ll want one of the faster models.
iPad Mini VS 7In Rivals
Apple iPad Mini
Price: $4,380 (16GB Wi-Fi)
Website: apple.com
Whisper it, but the 7.9in iPad Mini might
be the prettiest tablet Apple has built. What’s more, that stunning satin
aluminum finish and those diamond-cut edges house a tablet that’s supremely
portable at a feathery 308g and just 7.2mm thick.
First impressions when you turn it on
aren’t quite so good: with a resolution of 1024x768, the same as the iPad 2’s,
it’s no Retina device. Still, its 163PPI is none-too-shabby, colors are bright
yet natural and whites are Persil-pure. Plus, at 7.9in it’s comfortably the
biggest on test, and that extra screen space offers plenty of room for app fun.
Plus,
at 7.9in it’s comfortably the biggest on test, and that extra screen space
offers plenty of room for app fun.
Software-wise it runs iOS 6, complete with
Facebook integration and the infamous Apple Maps. There are no live widgets and
the notifications center doesn’t rival Google Now, but for apps it’s still way
out in front. And with the same aspect ratio as its big brothers, your existing
apps will work fine on it. Performance is impressive (it also inherits the iPad
2’s A5 chip), and the Mini loads pages and streams faster than the Nexus.
Frankly, we love it. The extra screen space
it has over its rivals makes it far better for creative apps and much more than
a mere media consumption device. If it wasn’t so expensive, it would be our
winner.
That downsized screen may call for slightly
more precise finger work, but not by much. Even button-filled synthesizer apps
work with only the occasional hitch.
The Mini’s slender bezels make your thumb
more likely to stray on-screen. Apple’s thumb detection tech (also on the iPad
4) avoids unwanted swipes.
If you were expecting useful ports on the
Mini, you were a fool. You get the new Lightning docking/charging setup and a
3.5mm socket. MicroSD? Still just a dream.
Tech Specs
·
Display 7.9in IPS LCD,
·
1024x768 (163PPI)
·
OS Apple iOS 6
·
CPU Dual-core A5 @ 1GHz
·
Camera 5MP,
·
1080p@30fps (rear);
·
1.2MP, 720p (front)
·
Connectivity Wi-Fi, 3.5mm,
·
Lightning, Bluetooth 4.0
·
Battery 10 hours
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
Price: $3,900 (8GB)
Website: samsung.com
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 felt on top of
the 7in world this summer and then Google came along. And frankly, beyond
Sammy’s useful custom apps, a handy microSD slot and a 3MP rear camera, not
much sets it ahead of the Nexus 7.
For starters, it’s got a 1GHz dual-core
processor running the show, so it’s no surprise that it’s a step or two behind
Google’s quad-core effort. It’s also running Ice Cream Sandwich, and while it’s
in line for a Jelly Bean update soon, it’s always likely to lag behind Google’s
own tablet in this regard.
That’s not to say it’s all bad. The
1024x600 display is better than the specs suggest, with good viewing angles and
a picture that’s often punchier than the Nexus 7’s, although smaller text on
web pages can be jagged and hard to read.
Samsung’s
Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 felt on top of the 7in world this summer and then Google came
along.
The Tab 2’s speakers are also good – on a
par with the Fire HD’s, as long as they aren’t cranked up too loud and
Samsung’s mini pop-apps are useful additions. A microSD slot is a major bonus,
particularly since a plethora of unnecessary hubs and apps clog up your storage
space.
The Tab 2 is a solid choice, but it can’t
compete with the speedier performance and sturdier design of Apple or Google’s
offerings.
Despite the Tab 2’s slightly low-res
display, vivid colors mean hi-res photos and HD movies look the part. We still
prefer the screens on the Nexus and Fire HD though.
We’re big fans of Sammy’s mini apps, such
as the music player and email. Also seen on the Galaxy Note II, they pop up
from the bottom of the screen with notifications.
It could be aluminum from a distance, but
the Tab 2 7.0’s chassis is in fact made from plastic. It’s no iPad Mini, but
the Tab 2 still manages to look like a grown-up slate.
Tech Specs
·
Display 7in PLS LCD,
·
1024x600 (170PPI)
·
OS Android 4.0 ICS
·
CPU Dual-core OMAP
·
4430 @ 1GHz
·
Camera3MP, 720p@30fps
·
(rear); VGA (front)
·
Connectivity Wi-Fi, 3.5mm,
·
microUSB, SD, Bluetooth
·
Battery 7 hours
