iPad Mini vs Google Nexus 7, the 7-inchers fight
There were rumors about an iPad Mini circulating the web long before Apple made the announcement. We took the device’s specifications and compared them to the ones belonging to the Nexus 7, Google’s latest tablet. Here are our findings.
Because of its size, the iPad Mini is the main competitor of Google’s Nexus 7. There mas a marked for mid-sized devices and Apple took the plunge and released a new tabled that is based on the original iPad.
How about the Price?
Google entered the market with an 8GB device priced at ?159, with the 16GB one costing ?199 while the price of the iPad Mini has been for a long time unknown. Apple didn’t lower the price of its new device as low as Google did. The 16GB model of the iPad Mini costs ?269, a full ?70 more than the cost of it’s competitor. Google didn’t wait long to announce that it has a 32GB model in mind that will cost the same as the 16GB model. We’ll have to wait and see how Apple will counter-attack in the price area and if it will.
Size
The two devices have similar screens and are almost exactly the same in weight and size. The Apple Mini is 135 x 200 mm in size while the Nexus 7 has a size of 120 x 199 mm. The iPad Mini is also a little bit thiner and lighter than the Nexus 7 with 7.2 mm in thickness and 208 grams in the WiFi model’s case. The Nexus 7 weighs 340 grams and has a thickness of 10.5 mm.
Screen
The iPad mini has a 7.9 inch display, just a little larger than the one of the Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 has a resolution of 800 x 1280 and the iPad Mini has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, the same resolution that can be found on the iPad and iPad 2. The pixel density in the iPad Mini is of 163ppi compared to the 216ppi that the Nexus 7 sports.
Processor speed
The Nexus 7 has an nVidia Tegra 3 with a 12-core GPU. The nVidia Tegra 3 is a quad-core chip. The Apple iPad Mini has – no surprise here – an A5 dual-core processor at 1GHz. The same processor can now be found in the iPad 2.
In terms of processor specifications, the Nexus 7 stacks higher than the iPad Mini.
Storage space
Google’s Nexus 7 comes in two sizes: a 8GB one and a 16GB one, with a 32GB model probably in the works. Apple follows it’s standard 16GB-32GB-64GB model when it comes to storage space. Both tablets have a microSD slot so you can expand their storage space to your liking.
Camera
The Nexus 7 only has a front camera that can do 1.2Mp while the iPad Mini has a 5MP rear camera and a 1.2Mp front camera that can do FaceTime in HD.
Connectivity
The main difference between the two devices when it comes to connectivity is that the iPad Mini is using the Lightning connector that was presented at the launch of the iPhone 5. The Nexus 7 uses the common Micro USB cable that is available in any shop and is compatible with almost all Android smartphones and tablets.
Both devices have WiFi on board and they both have Bluetooth. Apple’s iPad Mini is dual-band and therefore can display faster speeds while the Nexus 7 has an NFC chip. The Nexus 7 doesn’t have a 3G model but there are rumors there is one currently in development. The iPad Mini has a WiFi model and a cellular model that supports 3G and 4G.
Software
There is great difference between the two devices when it comes to software. The Nexus 7 uses Android 4.1 Jelly Bean while the Apple iPad Mini comes with Apple’s proprietary iOS 6.
Battery life of the two devices
With WiFi on, the Nexus 7 can do 10 hours of web browsing. Apple claims their iPad Mini device can also do 10 hours of battery life with WiFi activated. The Nexus 7 has a 16Wh battery and the iPad Mini sports a 16.3Wh one.
Conclusion
Given the similarity of the two products we would have to rely on price to give a verdict. The Nexus 7 comes first because of its price range and affordability. Another factor that made us declare the Nexus 7 a winner was that it runs an open-source operating system that can be tweaked to your liking.
This doesn’t mean that the Apple Mini is no competition for the Nexus 7. It has a better camera, two in fact. The iOS 6 is a well-though operating system that is both user-friendly and beautifully designed. The decision is that of the consumer’s but we will have to see what the future brings because both Apple and Google have plans for newer, improved versions of their devices.
