Google Nexus 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310: Which one will you buy?

Recently, reports have emerged online that Android creator Google has released its newest tablet -- the Asus-made Nexus 7 on HomeShop18.com in India at Rs 15,884.The company is reportedly selling imported units of the Nexus 7 tablet at an additional discount of Rs 2,000. According to IBN reports, the company has made the tablet available online for Rs 17884, but consumers can avail a huge discount of Rs 2,000 and grab the much-awaited Nexus 7 tablet for Rs 15,884.

While, the new shiny device has already created a buzz in the tech industry, it is anticipated to saturate the tablet market by throwing an open challenge to the entry-level tablets manufactured globally.

However, Nexus 7 is not alone. There are several other consumer electronics manufacturers who are foraying in the 7-inch tablet market category, one of them being Samsung. The South Korean giant recently unveiled its latest tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310.

Boasting pretty decent specs, the tablet was released by Samsung in India around May 2012 at a price tag of Rs 23,250.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310, which runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and is one of the most affordable tablets in the world has become quite a hit in India. But with the debut of Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)-powered Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 has got the biggest rival to content with.

When compared, both the tablets are bold, beautiful and packs impressive specs. So, given a choice, which of the two would you buy? A quick look at the specs of both the tablets below will perhaps help make the decision easier.

Dimensions

Nexus 7 is slightly thicker when compared to Galaxy Tab 2 310. The latter, measures 193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5mm and weighs 344grams. In comparison, the Nexus 7 measures 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm, but weighs slightly less - 340grams.

Display

The Google-branded, Asus-made Nexus 7 will pack a 7-inch backlit IPS LCD display with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution covered in "Scratch-resistant Corning glass."

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 sports the same 7-inch screen but comes with a PLS TFT LCD WSVGA display and TouchWiz UX user interface (UI), although with a lesser 1024 X 600 pixels of resolution.

Nexus 7 also has a pixel density of 216 PPI (pixels per inch), which is again higher than the Galaxy Tab 2 310 (170 PPI).

Recently an analysis by AnandTech revealed that the Google Nexus 7 was on par in terms of pixel density when compared to Apple iPad 2, ASUS Transformer Prime and the 11-inch MacBook Pro. However, it did not do as well against Apple's new iPad, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display and ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity.

Operating System

As mentioned earlier, Galaxy Tab 2 310 runs on Android 4.0 operating system, whereas, the Nexus 7 will ship with Google's latest Android 4.1 OS (Jelly Bean) pre-installed.

The next generation OS will run with enhanced capabilities like offline voice typing, Google Now, improved and re-sized homescreen widgets and notifications, upgraded photo sharing app with the capabilities of NFC technology and the newly introduced Project Butter, which is Google's attempt to make the entire UI "fast, fluid and smooth." It will include triple buffering in the graphics pipeline, to ensure consistent frame rates with interface animations.

At the same time, both the tablets will come packed with the same 1GB RAM and further, Google also made an announcement that device manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, and Sony will get the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean SDK in mid-July too. Which means that Samsung fans can expect Galaxy Tab 2 310 to be upgraded to the new Jelly Bean OS very soon.

Processor

While the Nexus 7 is powered by the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, which has been clocked at 1.3GHz and has a support of 12-core graphics chip. On the other end, the Galaxy Tab 2 310 is powered by TI OMAP 4430 dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz.

As far as the chips are concerned, both TI and Nvidia, offer good value for money and are powerful performers. Although, industry experts believe, the latter has fewer battery issues.

Camera

Here, Galaxy Tab 2 310 scores on the comparison sheet, as the tablet packs a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and an additional front-facing VGA shooter which includes features like geo-tagging and smile detection. Moreover, it can record video at 720p and 30 frames per second (fps).

Whereas, Google Nexus 7 will come equipped with only a 1.2-megapixe front-facing camera that has been designed for video calling and 720p video capture. Moreover, the Google tablet does not have a rear-facing camera as well.

Storage

Globally, Nexus 7 is being offered in two variants: 8GB and 16GB. However, HomeShop18.com in India is offering the 8GB version of the tablet. In contrast, the Galaxy Tab 2 310 is available in 16GB option. On a brighter side, the Samsung tablet has the advantage of an expandable memory storage option (up to 32GB), thanks to microSD card slot, which is lacking in Nexus 7.

Battery

The Google Nexus 7 will come pre-loaded with Li-ion 4325mAh battery, which is expected to serve 8 hours video playback time and 300 hours of standby time.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Tab 2 310 is powered by a Li-Ion 4000mAh standard battery which, according to expert reports, could keep the device juiced up for a little over seven hours on normal video usage.

 Meanwhile, both the tablet's batteries are non-removable.

Connectivity

For your information, the Nexus 7 is a non-3G tablet. However, it has Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC functionality, pre-installed Google Wallet app and 3.5mm headset jack.

On the other end, Galaxy Tab 2 310 includes Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot and Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and HS. Further, the tablet also supports 3G connectivity offering data speeds of up to HSDPA 21Mbps and HSUPA 5.76Mbps.