Thursday, November 28, 2013

Google Nexus 7(2013) vs Apple iPad Mini with Retina Display

With black friday and cyber monday coming up soon, you can expect electronics sales to go through the roof. And that is the reason I will help you buy the best portable tablet for you. Today, I will be comparing the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini, 2 of the best devices in the 'mini tablet' category.

Size

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7
The tablets are both 7.9 inches tall, but that's where the similarities end. The Nexus 7 is 16 percent narrower, giving it a very different look and feel. The Nexus' little bit more thickness doesn't matter too much as it is not fat.

Weight

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7

The Retina iPad mini is actually heavier than last year's model. It isn't a huge difference in hand, but it also doesn't feel quite as feathery as the 1st-gen iPad mini. The extra heft has it coming out at 14 percent heavier than the Nexus 7.

Build and feel in-hand

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7

We're looking at a familiar aluminum construction for the iPad mini, and a matte plastic build for the Nexus 7. The back of the Nexus 7 is quite similar to the LG Nexus 5. Neither tablet is uncomfortable in hand, but if you are used to using devices with one hand, the Nexus 7 should be better for you given its narrower design and lighter weight.

Colors

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7

You have two color options for the Mini, and a standard black for Google's tablet.

Display

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7
If you mostly use your tablet outdoors, I would suggest the Nexus 7 as I noticed a higher brightness level and that would help for reading in bright sunlight. The 2012 Nexus 7 and 1st-gen iPad mini both had a terrible display resolution. But no worries there anymore, as these latest models are razor-sharp. The Nexus 7 does display a wider range of colors but the iPad mini has a tad high pixel density. But don't worry, you won't be able to notice ;)

Software

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7

iOS and Android each have their fans. The Android 4.4 KitKat update is still in the process of rolling out to the Nexus 7. So if you buy one today, you might still be on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for a little while. The iPad mini on the other hand, comes with iOS 7 out of the box. An extra note for the Android critics, the Google Play Store underwent an update on 23rd November that will help widen the app library for tablets easily before you all start yapping :P

Storage

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7

The iPad mini offers two extra storage tier options. Neither tablet has a microSD card slot.

Wireless

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7


Both slates are sold in both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + cellular models. The cellular models in both devices support LTE.

Battery

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7


The above numbers show battery capacity, but we have some much more telling numbers. In our hands-on test, where we stream video continuously (with Wi-Fi on and brightness at 75 percent), the Nexus lasted 5 hours and 33 minutes. In the same test, the Retina iPad mini lasted 10 hours and 50 minutes. We wouldn't call battery life a huge concern on the Nexus 7, but it also doesn't compare to the excellent uptimes from the Mini.

Processor

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7

Here, you can see definitely that the Nexus' processor has more potential to work faster. The 64-bit chip on Apple products still doesn't makes any sense to me as 64 bit chips are supposed to provide RAM capacity higher than 4 GB but Apple uses just 1/4th of the maximum capacity.

RAM

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7



The Nexus 7 doubles the iPad mini's 1 GB of RAM, making it better for multitasking.

Cameras

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7


Nothing mind-blowing in the camera department, but since tablets make for awkward cameras anyway, I don't think that's anything to worry about.

Release date

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7


It's hard to believe, but the 2nd-gen Nexus 7 has already been around for four months. If Google sticks with its established cycle, we could see a 3rd-gen Nexus 7 about eight months from now.

Starting prices

iPad mini with Retina Display vs. 2013 Nexus 7

The iPad mini gives you a much bigger screen and a little better battery life, but you're also paying for it. It starts at US$170 more expensive than the Nexus 7(we did expect that, didn't we? :P).

Wrap-up

If you ask my personal opinion, hands down, the Nexus 7 is better all over. But, in the end, it all depends on you and which tablet you want. Let me know in the comments section which tablet are you gonna buy this Thanksgiving or which you already have! :)If you liked this article, please also read my other articles below and share it with your friends who love Android too! Also, if you want to make sure you are one of the first persons to get notified when we write more awesome stuff like this, +1 and follow the blog via e-mail!



3 comments:

  1. I currently have a 1st gen iPad Mini and since having sold my iPhone and moved to Android, I think it's time to do the same with my tablet. I've been looking around and I definitely think I'm going to get the new Nexus 7... This article helped man! Thanks!

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  2. As an avid Android evangelist, I gotta say this is one of the best side by side comparisons I've seen. Little to no bias shown, just straight facts. One thing to note though, with the Nexus 7 (2013), the battery life can be GREATLY increased by a custom kernel and judicious tweaking... But now we're talking outside the box hehe

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