Comparing the Nexus 7 to the iPad mini

Posted Oct 23 2012 by AndroidGuys in , with 98 Comments



Well, it’s official.  Apple has a 7.9-inch iPad mini coming in the next few weeks and it cost $329 or more.  Hide yo kids, hide you wives, this thing is going to kill off Android tablets.  If you listen to Apple tell it, the new device is going to be embraced unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Google’s friends and allies ought to throw in the towel, right?  Hardly.  If you want to compete on price point alone, Android is gonna be just fine.  Should you opt to look at hardware, Apple’s new iPad mini already lags as compared to some of today’s Android counterparts.

Take a look at the chart below and check out how the ASUS Nexus 7 stacks up against the new Apple iPad mini.  We’ll continue to update with details as we can gather them…

ASUS Nexus 7 iPAD mini
OS Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean  iOS 6
Display 7” 1280×800 HD (216 ppi)  7.85-inch 1024×768
Processor Quad-core Tegra 3  Dual-core A5
Memory 1GB RAM
Storage 16GB  16GB
Camera 1.2MP front-facing camera  5-megapixel rear, 1.2-MP front-facing
Battery 10 hours  10 hours
Weight 340 grams  308 grams
Size 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm  7.2mm thin
Apps/Games Google Play (600,000+) iTunes (700,000+)
Other

Microphone NFC (Android Beam) Accelerometer GPS Magnetometer Gyroscope

Google Now

Voice Commands

  Lightning connector
Lightning to HDMI
Lightning to VGA
Price 16GB ($249)  16GB ($329)
32GB ($429)
64GB ($529)

Early Consensus

If you are an experience Android user and really want to keep on the forefront of the platform, the Nexus 7 is still the winner.  It’s a stock Google experience that just happens to be the latest release available.  The Tegra 3 processor is in a class of its own and the Google Play store opens the door to an exponential number of apps, including Amazon Appstore.

Apple’s iPad mini is going to sell well to its base however we don’t see anything here that scream “awesome new experience”.  Honestly, and without bias, we cannot find something that justifies a new tablet buyer coughing up another $130 over Android.  Yes, there’s the ecosystem and apps, but we are scratching our head at the bigger picture.  To us, this eats from the plate of both the iPod Touch and iPad.

Which one is right for you?

Seriously, if you are an Apple lover or fanboy, there’s nothing we can say here that’s going to sway you. You’re going to buy Apple no matter what and you don’t care how much it costs.

If you really must make a purchase right now (Oct 23) and want the most bang for your buck, the Nexus 7 is the choice.  Thanks to its higher resolution display and much cheaper price point, it looks as good as it performs and saves you money in the process.

When you consider that Apple was so quick to replace the iPad with a new 4th generation announcement, it tells you that it cannot afford to wait around for annual devices.  For them to have to bump the specs in its super-popular device so quickly, and to talk so much about the Nexus 7, tells us Apple is concerned.  The Nexus 7 is a serious threat to Apple and we’re not even talking about lower-priced stuff on the horizon.

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  • HarrHarrHarr

    Leaving out most details on the iPad Mini, yep. Lets start correcting you mister.
    First of all : 750,000+ optimized iPad apps. 5MP iSight camera, Front facing 720p HD camera. And you left out the PPI. Wich is more than the Nexus 7. But I agree, it is overpriced and it I still doubt it will bring down the Nexus/Kindlefire sales.

    • scanneR.

      Hardly,..

      The Nexus 7 has 216PPI with 1280×800 resolution and the Mini has 163PPI with a resolution of 1024×768. The backfacing camera is nice, however it is not really needed by all (Though for those that would actually take video or pictures with a tablet instead of their phone, this is a huge plus for them.).

      The only thing that the iPad would have over the Nexus 7 otherwise is the optimized apps. (However the easy customization in Android (in my opinion) outweighs this.

      I’m not sure why the processor information was left out, (The iPad Mini has a dual core A5 Processor.) but the Quad core should be able to easily demolish it in most tasks, however we will have to wait for the benchmarks to see if this is true in the end.

  • Shawnee

    The only real difference is the app ecosystem written expressly for the tablet (which you omit from your matrix). 275K apps tailor made for the device is what likely tips new tablet consumers who can afford the extra price.

  • Brummer

    @HarrHarrHarr
    PPI is actually lower…

  • hoggleboggle

    “750,000+ optimized iPad apps” – No those are iOS apps total, iPad optimized are considerably less
    . And you left out the PPI. Wich is more than the Nexus 7 – no, the Nexus has a higher PPI and a higher overall resolution.

  • Utkarsh

    The actual equivalent model of the Nexus 7 is the 16gb one is $249. So the real price diff is $80 and not $130.

    There are other minor differences which makes the iPad a better choice.

    But I do agree its a little overpriced, $299 would have been the ideal price.

    • hldc1

      The 32GB Nexus 7 should be official in less than a week at the $249 price point. That would make the 32GB Nexus 7, at comparable storage capacity, $180 cheaper than the iPad Mini. Or for $80 less, you would get twice as much storage. Android FTW!

    • Greg Bell

      I was going to upvote this when reading the first half of your post, but then you made some pretty strange unsubstantiated claims. What are these minor differences worth $80?

  • olbp

    Thats all there is, for all that HYPE? Nothing more? Actually, I expected the ifad 4 to be a 10.1 to 11.8 model. They are too close to the same size to matter. Personally, from looking at the specs, I would have thought that the proper price, compared to the Nexus, would have been $199.00. Oh, well, there is that Apple logo to pay for.

  • *Gerard*

    Comparing the most similar offerings (both 16gb) would result in the iPad Mini being $80 more than the N7, not $130. Also, HarrHarrHarr’s comment is completely wrong. Even though the Mini has a larger screen that the N7, it actually has a lower resolution and lower ppi. One more thing – no GPS on the cheapest Mini? am I misinformed or is this true?

  • Alcancun

    Uh… You seem to have left out the cameras.
    Let me help you nexus 7 one 1.2 mp
    Mini two front 5 mp the back HD

    To me the cameras easily erase the price difference…

    • ianmccully

      The camera’s are there thanks above.

    • Greg Bell

      Have you ever seen anybody taking a picture with a tablet? I’ve seen it once, and it looked ridiculous. Google was right to leave out the rear camera on the Nexus 7, it’s a waste of money. Everybody already has a crappy camera on their smartphone, why do they need a second crappy camera on their unwieldy tablet? GPS is far more useful. If I were a prospective iPad mini owner, I’d take that trade.

  • Walkop

    You people are forgetting that no apps are actually optimized for the iPad mini – they’re all for the iPad 3 and 2. Yes, the resolution is the same, but that doesn’t matter as the screen area differs. “But the apps scale great!” you might say. WELL THEN! I say the Nexus 7 scales fine to all Android apps too!

  • http://www.thinkingbrian.com/ ThinkingBrian

    Four things:1. I would say that the iPad Mini is priced accordingly and that’s because all Apple products are overpriced and expensive so it falls right in line.
    2. Looking at the specs of the Apple iPad Mini, I see more of the specs from last years Acer A100 than a Nexus 7. I know this because I use to own a Acer A100 before I sold it to buy an Nexus 7 which is the best 7 inch tablet on the market to date. You can;t bet the overall specs of a Nexus 7 and the pure Android experience.
    3. In all honestly, it’s nice to see Apple finally join the 7 inch tablet party, a year late, but still join the party and the iPad Mini is a good entry-level 7 inch tablet that will sell fine among Apple fans and some independents. But I have to wonder what the iPad Mini 2 will bring?
    4. Would I buy an iPad Mini? For the record, No. And it would be no even if I didn’t own a Nexus 7.

    • Haggie

      I’m an Acer owner that switched to a N7. The N7 is the best of many Android devices I have owned. Blazing fast, great screen, and rock solid OS. First Android device I haven’t bothered to root.

  • eudaimonean

    Apple can justify premium pricing thanks to two things only: build quality and customer service. (Well, there’s also brand prestige, but it’s the build quality and service that are driving the brand prestige.) The iPad mini, if previous Apple products are any guide, will have superior build quality to competitor products. Judging from spec sheet alone, the iPad mini is going to be more physically sleek than the Nexus 7. And on the service side, no one else in the market can match Apple’s service level at their retail locations. My only Apple product is a 1G iPad, and when I experienced a minor touchscreen issue I brought it into an Apple store. I had no receipt, didn’t even remember when it was purchased (it was a gift), but they were able to look up the product ID and give me a replacement within a few days. I experienced a similar minor problem with my Nexus One (headphone jack stopped working) and there wasn’t a comparable hassle-free service experience.

    Now personally neither of those things matter to me, which is why I haven’t owned an Apple product since the first iPad. (Also, iTunes is just a complete dog.) But there a sizable market for which these two things matter. Might not be a volume market, but it’s the sort of market that can give Apple big margins. It’s clear at this point that Apple’s going to continue its strategy of going after high-margin premium markets only. It’s perfectly happy to cede volume to its competitors while doing so to protect its margins.

  • Crippleware

    Why would I spend the money to get a Apple Mini when there are better smaller tablets on the market these days. It’s just funny how no one pays attention to how Apple just leads you like Mice to buy there products. I admire Android for giving customers what they are looking for right up front. As you can see as times go on Android continues to get better and more exciting with different vendors offering the latest and greatest in New Phones. Good Try Apple, but I’m happy where I am.

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  • harry

    hey greg ball . right on with your comment i havent seen people take pic with a tablet yet

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  • http://www.facebook.com/daniel.l.corl Daniel L. Corl

    I would just like to point out that pricing and options for the Nexus 7 has changed. The 16GB is now only $199, a 32GB wifi-only is available for $249, and you can even pick up a 32GB with 3G for $299.

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