Google Nexus 7 vs Apple iPad Mini: Is the Price Right for the Budget Tablet Throne Fight?

Tablet market across the world is dominated by Apple iPad, which is followed by the Android tablets made by several manufacturers. So far, Apple was only dominating the 10 inch tablet segment with iPad however now, the Cupertino based tech giant has entered the 7-inch tablet segment after the launch of its latest tablet iPad Mini.

However, this small tablet segment is already occupied by several devices from major tech players including Samsung, Google, Amazon and others. Moving ahead, in this comparison, Gizbot has taken Google Nexus 7 – the first tablet unveiled by Google under its Nexus series in collaboration with Asus -- which has all the potential to give a stiff competition to the Apple's miniature tablet.

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As far as the Indian tablet market is concerned, both the tablets are awaiting their official release in the country, but, still consumers who are highly interested in getting one for them can buy them from some online retailers that sell products prior to their official release.

This way, iPad Mini is available for pre-order for a price of Rs 25,900 approximately from a couple of websites. At the same time, Nexus 7 is reportedly landing in India today for a price of Rs 19,981.

For those readers who are planning to buy a small tablet this festive season, here is a comparison between the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini. Read it below.

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Dimensions & Weight: Nexus 7 carries a dimension of 198.5 x 120 x 10.45 mm and weighs in at 340 grams being thicker and heavier than the iPad Mini boasting a dimension of 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm and weighing around 308 grams.

Display: In terms of display, Nexus 7 has a 7 inch WXGA 10 point multi-touch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

In comparison, iPad Mini packs a 7.9 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, which is not a Retina Display.

Processor: Nexus 7 packs 1.2GHz quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor that emphasizes low power consumption and high performance for playing audio and video.

In comparison, iPad Mini is equipped with a 1GHz dual core Apple A5 processor, which is based on the dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor that can adjust its frequency automatically to save the battery life.

Operating System: This is the most contradictory aspect of the comparison, Nexus 7 is an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean based tablet, whereas iPad Mini runs on iOS 6. However, there are reports claiming that Nexus 7 will receive Android 4.2 Jelly Bean upgrade soon.

Speaking of software features, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean comes with all new features including Project Butter for smoother and responsive performance, expandable and contractible notifications, improved Android Beam, on-screen navigation buttons, resizable App Widgets functionality, high resolution contact photos, Android Beam app and more.

On the other hand, iOS 6 has over 200 new features including Apple Maps, improved Siri, new Safari app, iCloud cloud storage, new Photostream app, PassBook app, deeper integration to Twitter and Facebook and more.

Camera: On the camera optics front, Nexus 7 has a 1.2MP front camera for video calling, but the tablet lacks a rear camera of better resolution for clicking snaps and recording videos.

In comparison, iPad Mini has a 5MP rear camera with iSight technology and a 1.2MP front camera for video calling. The iSight camera technology offers some additional features to the camera including backside illumination, HDR, panorama support and faster aperture speed.

Storage: In terms of storage, Nexus 7 comes in 16GB/32GB internal storage and 1GB RAM while iPad Mini has 16GB/32GB/64GB onboard storage and 512MB RAM. However, both the tablets lack a micro SD card slot for expandable memory support.

Connectivity: When it comes to connectivity, Nexus 7 is packed with features including NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and micro USB 2.0. It is also reported that a 3G version of the same is underway.

On the other hand, iPad comes with a Lightning port, which was announced with the iPhone 5, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features. Further, the 3G and 4G supporting iPad Mini will be launched in mid-November.

Battery: Nexus 7 is loaded with a 4,325 mAh 16Whr Li-Po battery offering up to 9.5 hours backup, whereas, iPad Mini is packed with a 16.3 Whr Li-Po battery delivering up to 10 hours backup.

Price: In terms of pricing, Nexus 7 is reportedly coming to India today at a price of Rs 19,981 while iPad Mini will be priced in the range of Rs 25,000 to Rs 33,000 approximately. However, these are not the official pricing of the tablets and the companies will announce the exact price only during the release.

Verdict

Nexus 7 and iPad Mini are smaller tablets that are lightweight as compared to the 10 inch counterparts and hence they are easy to carry around adn economically priced. However, both the devices lack a few key elements such as micro SD card slot for expandable memory support.

Detailing on the Nexus 7, the tablet is equipped with advanced specifications including a faster quad core processor and NFC connectivity.

At the same time, iPad Mini packs a relatively larger display, better camera performance with iSight camera optics, varied internal storage options and the new Lighting connector.

When it comes to the price-conscious Indian consumer market, Apple products have always been priced higher as compared to the offerings of other companies. Going by these lines, it is evident that the iPad Mini will be priced quite high as compared to the Nexus 7 tablet.

Hence, the final buying decision depends on the price, operating system and features of both the tablets.

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