Apple's iPad mini has been announced, adding another contender into the competitive 7-inch tablet wars. As the consumer, you are spoilt for choice, making it difficult to decide which is most suitable for you.
To help you decide, we've put together the specs of the iPad mini compared with other popular 7-inch tablets currently in the market--the Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD. We've chosen the Galaxy Tab 7.7 instead of the newer Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for this comparison, because the former is more comparable with the iPad mini in terms of screen size and price.
| Specs | iPad mini Wi-Fi | Nexus 7 | Galaxy Tab 7.7 | Kindle Fire HD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple A5 (dual-core) | Nvidia Tegra 3 (quad-core) | Samsung Exynos 4210 (dual-core) | TI OMAP 4470 (dual-core) |
| Operating system | iOS 6 | Android 4.1 Jelly Bean | Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (with update) | Custom Android |
| Storage | 16/32/64GB onboard storage, non-expandable | 8/16GB onboard storage, non-expandable | 16GB onboard storage, expandable via a microSD slot | 16/32GB onboard storage, non-expandable |
| RAM | TBC | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB |
| Camera | 5-megapixel iSight camera, 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera | 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera | 3.2-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera | 720p front-facing camera |
| Screen | 7.9-inch (1,024 x 768 pixels) IPS LCD | 7-inch (1,280 x 800 pixels) IPS LCD | 7.7-inch (1,280 x 800 pixels) Super AMOLED Plus | 7-inch (1,280 x 800 pixels) IPS LCD |
| GPS | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| NFC | No | Yes | No | No |
| Dimensions | 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm | 198.5 x 120 x 10.5mm | 196.7 x 133 x 7.9mm | 193 x 137.2 x 10.2mm |
| Weight | 308g | 340g | 340g | 567g |
| Price | US$329 (16GB), US$429 (32GB), US$529 (64GB) | US$199 (8GB), US$249 (32GB) | S$598 (US$490) | US$199 (16GB), US$249 (32GB) |
In terms of specifications, we think that the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD are the best options, as they have higher-resolution HD screens, so text, images and videos will appear sharper and more pleasing to the eye. Those on a budget will appreciate the lower starting prices of those two tablets.
Some geeks will also appreciate the appeal of Google's reference Android Jelly Bean tablet, which has impressive tech specs (for its price) such as an HD screen, and the inclusion of GPS and NFC. Note: Amazon content and Google Play Books, Videos and Music are not available in Asia, so these tablets may be more compelling for those living in the US.
Samsung's slate is the most expensive, but it's just around US$30 more than the iPad mini's cellular version of the same capacity. This gets you a better screen with a higher resolution and pixel density, albeit with a lack of LTE capabilities. This may not be a dealbreaker if you're in Asia, where LTE networks are as widely available yet.
In my opinion, the iPad mini is definitely out. Like my colleague Aloysius Low, I'll giving the iPad mini a miss due to the low-res screen, which doesn't justify its high price tag. However, there are many people out there who covet the sleek, aluminum looks of Apple's products, as well as those who have already purchased a lot of iOS apps. Our misgivings probably wouldn't stop them from standing in line for the mini tablet.
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