 "How the new Nexus 7 compares to iPad mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3")
Google has announced new versions of its Nexus 7 tablet and this one comes with a full HD screen and better processing power for graphics and a 5 megapixel rear camera.
Here’s a look at how the new Nexus 7 compares with its main rivals the iPad mini and the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.
Price: Google’s Nexus 7 is priced at $229 for the 16 GB version, $269 for 32 GB. Sadly only the 32 GB model comes with WiFi and 4G LTE and costs $349. There’s no 64 GB version like the iPad mini. The new Nexus 7 is considerably more expensive that last year’s model which started at $199 for 16 GB version and $249 with 32 GB. The 32 GB model with Wifi and 3G was priced at $299.
The iPad mini is of course considerably more expensive and is priced at $329 for the 16 GB model with Wi-Fi only, $429 with 32 GB, $529 with 64 GB. The WiFi plus cellular connectivity models costs $130 more.
In India, the Nexus 7 (2012) version starts at Rs 15,999 while the 32 GB version starts at Rs 18,999. Both however are WiFi only. The 32 GB WiFi plus 3G costs Rs 21,900 making it much cheaper than the iPad mini in India. The iPad mini starts at Rs 29,990 for 16 GB with WiFi and 3G making it quite an expensive buy.
The recently launched Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 for the 7-inch screen and with 3G is priced at Rs 17,399. In terms of price the Galaxy Tab 3 seems the cheapest but remember this only for the 8GB version of the tablet, although it does come with a microSD slot with 32GB as the limit. We’ll have to wait and see how the new Nexus 7 tablets are priced in India and more importantly when they launch in India.
Screen: The new Nexus 7 has the same 7 inch screen but Google has bumped up the screen resolution to 1920 x 1200 pixels which comes to 323 pixels per inch. This is a full HD screen at 1080p. The previous model had a 1280 x 800 pixels screen resolution which was 216 pixels per inch.
[caption id=“attachment_986015” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The new Nexus 7 (L) and the iPad mini. Agencies.[/caption]
This is way better than the iPad mini which has a slightly bigger screen at 7.9 inches diagonally but a terrible resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels which comes to 163 pixels per inch. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has a TFT screen with a WSVGA screen resolution that is much lower at 1024 x 600.
The new Nexus 7 has the best screen for now but Apple is likely to bump up the iPad mini’s screen and re-launch the tablet with its patented Retina Display technology this year.
Camera and Battery life: The new Nexus 7 has a 5 megapixel rear camera and 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera. It also comes with 9 hours of battery life. The previous version of the Nexus 7 had no rear camera and only came with a 1.2 megapixel front camera. It had 8 hours of battery life. The new tablet also has wireless charging built-in (it is Qi compatible which is industry standard).
The iPad mini has a 5-megapixel back camera and 1.2 mp camera front camera. The battery life for the iPad mini is much better at 10 hour for the WiFi only version and 9 hours for the 3G version.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch version has 1.3 megapixel front camera and 3 megapixel rear camera. It has 4000 mAh battery and Samsung says that it can provide 20 hours of Talktime on CDMA. Samsung has not specified the browsing time for the tablet.
If you want a decent camera on your tablet, the iPad mini and the new Nexus 7 are the way to go.
**Processing and Storage Space and Senors:**The Nexus 7 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, 1.5GHz processor which is quad-core and Adreno 320, 400MHz GPU for graphics. Google’s tablet comes with 2GB RAM and 16 or 32 GB storage space but no MicroSD slot. It has GPS, Gyroscope, Accelerometer,Compass and Ambient Light.
The iPad mini has a dual-core A5 processor chip clocked at 1Ghz and PowerVR SGX543MP2 for graphics. The mini comes in 3 versions: 16, 32 and 64 GB but no micro SD slot. It has 512 MB RAM. The sensors include: proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis accelerometer (helps with motion input), gyroscope and digital compass.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It comes in 8 or 16GB versions and has a microSD slot with 32 GB as limit. Sensors include: Accelerometer, Geo-magnetic (to determine the position of the device), Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor.
The new Nexus 7 is thus a power-packed device at least on paper.
Operating Systems: The new Nexus 7 runs Android 4.3 the latest version of Android. The problem is that not a lot of apps have been optimised for Android tablets and very often the transition from smartphones to tablets doesn’t offer a great user experience. Google is trying to fix that withthe new DRM (Digital Right Management) APIs in Android 4.3 to help protect content and get higher resolution content onto the tablet. This means that Google’s new tablet will ensure that the 1080p HD quality will be supported by apps. Netflix is launching content with full HD and the new Nexus 7 is the first tablet to have this.
The iPad mini runs on iOS 6 currently and will get the upgrade to the new iOS 7 when it is released in the fall. iOS 7 has seen a complete redesign and Apple is definitely going to optimise that for the iPad mini as well as given that the mini is doing so well in the market.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 runs Android 4.1 version with Samsung’s Touch Wiz UI.
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