tablets: iPad Mini vs Nexus 7- User Comparison

[blackhand1001]

Originally Posted by Technarchy

I used both for about 30 minutes each today.

I prefer the iPad Mini.

I despise the feel of 16:9 tablets. I hated it on my Asus Transformer, and it hasn't grown on me since. Also, the Nexus 7 feels shockingly low rent compared to the iPad Mini in terms of materials and overall feel.

The transformer and nexus 7 are not 16:9. They are 16:10.

[Technarchy]

Originally Posted by blackhand1001

The transformer and nexus 7 are not 16:9. They are 16:10.

Even worse

[blackhand1001]

Originally Posted by Technarchy

Even worse

How is that worse. That's closer to 4:3 than 16:9. I personally believe 16:10 is the best ratio. Eveyone here knows your a troll.

[Technarchy]

Originally Posted by blackhand1001

How is that worse. That's closer to 4:3 than 16:9. I personally believe 16:10 is the best ratio. Eveyone here knows your a troll.

Everything unpleasant about 16:9 is present in 16:10 when it comes to tablets. And at the same size you a much larger image display area with 4:3.

TV's monitors and phones are a different animal.

[technowar]

Well for me, 7" tablet is my sweet spot. So basically, I have my eyes on both NX7 and iPad Mini but there's no way I will be buying the iPad Mini when it is equipped with a-not-so-retina-display display. I also want to try the thing they called Android experience. Since I am in the SEA, NX7 + 3G will be available here until next year though it won't matter to me. The point is, should I get myself the NX7 and sell it afterwards for a refresh iPad Mini with retina next year?

[Rodster]

Originally Posted by blackhand1001

How is that worse. That's closer to 4:3 than 16:9. I personally believe 16:10 is the best ratio. Eveyone here knows your a troll.

I still own monitors with a 1280x1024 resolution and for me that's the best for reading and webpages. I do think the 16:10 format is the best compromise for a widescreen but I still love the 4:3 and 5:4 aspect ratio.

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Originally Posted by technowar

Well for me, 7" tablet is my sweet spot. So basically, I have my eyes on both NX7 and iPad Mini but there's no way I will be buying the iPad Mini when it is equipped with a-not-so-retina-display display. I also want to try the thing they called Android experience. Since I am in the SEA, NX7 + 3G will be available here until next year though it won't matter to me. The point is, should I get myself the NX7 and sell it afterwards for a refresh iPad Mini with retina next year?

As always buy what you need NOW because technology changes rapidly. In a years time the newer Nexus 7 could blow the doors off the current Nexus 7 and could make you think hard about the next Mini.

I still have my doubts the next Mini will have retina, we'll see. I do think it will get the A6 chip.

[technowar]

Thank you for pointing that out Rodster. I guess I'll be sticking to NX7 until iPad Mini gets a retina. I think the app selection for Android tablet is what is holding me back.

[Rodster]

Originally Posted by technowar

Thank you for pointing that out Rodster. I guess I'll be sticking to NX7 until iPad Mini gets a retina. I think the app selection for Android tablet is what is holding me back.

On average there is NO shortage of Google apps and with the success of the Nexus 7 you can expect more apps specific to android tablets will be made. Google has hit the 700K threshold.

So my suggestion is to go to the Google Play store and compare your favorite iOS app to theirs.

[technowar]

As I was surfing xda forums, I found several thread about the display, battery, etc, well basically about the build that isn't pleasing.

Also, I guess the apps found in Google Play is more on smartphones than tablets.

[Rodster]

Originally Posted by technowar

As I was surfing xda forums, I found several thread about the display, battery, etc, well basically about the build that isn't pleasing.

Also, I guess the apps found in Google Play is more on smartphones than tablets.

Keep in mind the Nexus 7 is sold at cost. It's not like Google is making $149 profit on each device. That said the screen looks good enough. The battery IS acceptable at around 8hrs maybe more depending on your tweaks. The build quality is decent. The only issue is the infamous screen lift on the left side. At first that was a big problem. Now it's mostly gone. If you get one just exchange it for a new one.

As far as apps go those are hit and miss as well. Keep in mind prior to the Nexus 7 android was all about phones. Now it's the Nexus 7/10 and Samsung has begun to sell lots of tablets lately.

Honestly 90% of the android apps/games I use scale nicely on a wide range of tablets.

[technowar]

That's the point about the screen lift, I am in living in the SEA part of the world. I just can't ask for a replacement.

[Rodster]

Originally Posted by technowar

That's the point about the screen lift, I am in living in the SEA part of the world. I just can't ask for a replacement.

The screen lift is more of an eyesore and only noticeable if you hold it at the right angle you might see a ever so slight lift. It doesn't affect the overall performance of the device. The reason it became an issue with most is because most have some level of OCD and want perfection from everything they buy.

And I bet a large majority of those would not have realized it if they had not read about it. In other words my very first Nexus 7 worked awesome until I read about the infamous screen lift. At that point my brain said unacceptable.

If I would have never known about the screen lift I would have been a happy camper with my 1st Nexus 7 to this day.

[technowar]

Well sadly I am one OCD'ly guy. There's noone to blame here, after all it only costs 199. But that is not the point, you are paying for it and these guys give you some cr*p.

[Rodster]

If that's the case I would buy one from a retailer that has a good return policy. I recently purchased a N7 that had no screen lift.

[daveathall]

I have had a play with a white iPad mini today, I think it is a stunning device, I don't have the best eye sight in the world but the screen is well within what I discern as good. After reading some posts here I was expecting a fuzzy screen, as far as I'm concerned, that just isn't the case. I had no other Apple products at the time with retina in which to compare, I also did not have a Nexus 7, although I have had a quick play with one some weeks ago.

TBH, IMHO it all boils down to price, if one can afford the iPad mini, then that would be the one I would pick, if one can't, I firmly believe that the Nexus 7 will also give superb enjoyment for over a hundred quid cheaper.

[paulsalter]

Whats the reading experience like for eBooks on the mini

I use the 7 a lot for reading and find the size is about the same as a paperback book

[maflynn]

Originally Posted by paulsalter

Whats the reading experience like for eBooks on the mini

I use the 7 a lot for reading and find the size is about the same as a paperback book

Its no Kindle, but I think its fine. I have poor eye sight and I don't notice any increased eye strain from the mini. If you used an iPad 1 or an iPad 2 for reading, then that gives you a good idea of the text quality imo

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Originally Posted by nickftw8686

4. Apps- The main reason I switched to the mini was better apps and I can say it was a good switch. The same apps I have on my Nexus 7 are just overall better on the iPad Mini, plus I can finally use some apps that were missing from the google play store.

This is the number one reason for my choosing the mini over the N7. I think the N7 has a lot going for it, but at this point, I'm entrenched in the iOS ecosystem. While I can a few things with the N7 (at a cheaper price), I lose out on too many advantages that the mini brings to the table in meeting my needs

[paulsalter]

Originally Posted by maflynn

Its no Kindle, but I think its fine. I have poor eye sight and I don't notice any increased eye strain from the mini. If you used an iPad 1 or an iPad 2 for reading, then that gives you a good idea of the text quality imo

Thanks, seen it on an iPad 2 but not anything newer than that

The mini is certainly tempting, at some point in the future

[maflynn]

Originally Posted by paulsalter

Thanks, seen it on an iPad 2 but not anything newer than that

The mini is certainly tempting, at some point in the future

The N7 on paper looks like a really goo tablet, add to that those who own it and love it. I think its an excellent tablet at a very cheap price, but I think when you put it all together what the mini brings to the table, outweighs what advantages the N7 may have - at least for my needs

[paulsalter]

Originally Posted by maflynn

The N7 on paper looks like a really goo tablet, add to that those who own it and love it. I think its an excellent tablet at a very cheap price, but I think when you put it all together what the mini brings to the table, outweighs what advantages the N7 may have - at least for my needs

I agree on what you say, for my needs I need a bit more time with google to see how things go (only been android for just under a year, been on iOS since almost the start)

with the play store improving (in the uk) by adding movies purchases and music (next week) I am going to see

I am in a mixture of Android/iOS eco systems at the moment so working out which better suits my needs

[daveathall]

Originally Posted by paulsalter

Whats the reading experience like for eBooks on the mini

I use the 7 a lot for reading and find the size is about the same as a paperback book

Originally Posted by maflynn

Its no Kindle, but I think its fine. I have poor eye sight and I don't notice any increased eye strain from the mini. If you used an iPad 1 or an iPad 2 for reading, then that gives you a good idea of the text quality imo[COLOR="#808080"]

I think this is a very fair answer and I echo its content, I didn't have it long enough to test for eye strain but (for me) it was certainly easy enough to read, and I couldn't notice any pixels but as previously said, my eyesight isn't the best in the world.

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Originally Posted by paulsalter

I agree on what you say, for my needs I need a bit more time with google to see how things go (only been android for just under a year, been on iOS since almost the start)

with the play store improving (in the uk) by adding movies purchases and music (next week) I am going to see

I am in a mixture of Android/iOS eco systems at the moment so working out which better suits my needs

I agree, I haven't long been with Android, I am looking forward to putting all my music with Google, I am used to, and comfortable with iTunes ATM. I have an iPod classic that I store most of my music that I use in the car, I also store it on a NAS that I use to stream music around the house using a Sonus system. I dont use my phone or iPad 1 for music.

[blackhand1001]

Originally Posted by Rodster

Keep in mind the Nexus 7 is sold at cost. It's not like Google is making $149 profit on each device. That said the screen looks good enough. The battery IS acceptable at around 8hrs maybe more depending on your tweaks. The build quality is decent. The only issue is the infamous screen lift on the left side. At first that was a big problem. Now it's mostly gone. If you get one just exchange it for a new one.

As far as apps go those are hit and miss as well. Keep in mind prior to the Nexus 7 android was all about phones. Now it's the Nexus 7/10 and Samsung has begun to sell lots of tablets lately.

Honestly 90% of the android apps/games I use scale nicely on a wide range of tablets.

Most reviewers actually got better battery life with the nexus 7. I know at least engadget did. The tegra 3 has an extra low power companion core that is used for a lot of tasks like video playback and background tasks. Keep in mind that battery life is also heavily dependent on usage. Different tasks drain differents amounts.

As for the nexus 4 and nexus 10. I would wait for the final software to be out before judging their battery and performance. The review units google sent out didn't have the final software and there was some major 4.2 kernel issues regarding performance and battery compared to 4.1.2 that will be ironed out by launch.

[shiinx]

The one thing that drove me away from the Nexus 7 (but not into the arms of the iPad mini, mind you) was the fact, that in landscape mode the screen real estate gets really narrow. With not being able to hide top- and softkey-bars in general, you already get less space. Then when using some apps, it gets even worse. For example, the tabs and urlbar in chrome leave only about 1280x640 for actual content.

[smwatson]

Originally Posted by shiinx

The one thing that drove me away from the Nexus 7 (but not into the arms of the iPad mini, mind you) was the fact, that in landscape mode the screen real estate gets really narrow. With not being able to hide top- and softkey-bars in general, you already get less space. Then when using some apps, it gets even worse. For example, the tabs and urlbar in chrome leave only about 1280x640 for actual content.

Which is about the same as my 13 inch MacBook. That'll do for me!

[shiinx]

Originally Posted by smwatson

Which is about the same as my 13 inch MacBook. That'll do for me!

I thought so too. The MBP13 has a resolution of 1280x800 - the same as the Nexus 7. But then, I keep the dock hidden to get more space on the screen (this would be equal to hiding the softkey bar on the nexus).