tablets: iPad Mini or Nexus 7?

[dragonev]

Originally Posted by DodgeV83

The iPad mini fits in my front pants pocket when I'm wearing a suit, or wearing my normal pants, but it doesn't fit in my jean pants (but neither would the N7).
Then she got glasses and couldn't stop talking about how much better HDTV looks

Oh be sure a have a perfect vision - I am regularly tested=) I just do not look for the pixels probably?=)

Originally Posted by mantan

We went from never owning an Apple product to buying seven Apple devices in the last 4 years. My wife had an iPad, but I'd wanted something ith wifi, but it's great for when I want to connect at an airport or my kid's practice.

Very interesting feedback. Thank you

Originally Posted by MrXiro

I don't know where you are got the 5-7% margin but based on what you said retailers would only make $23 MAX per iPad Mini 16gb sold... that seems WAY too low for a retailer to agree to sell. Then they sell open item units for 10% off so then they would be selling at a loss.

My god that woman is boring...

On the margin - well probably I am slightly closer to the industry I know that in the UK retailers make 5-7% on the iPads. Of course, it might be different for the US (although I heavily doubt it).

iPad was renewed in 6 months. Technology cycle shrinked a lot and we might be witnessing the switch to a shorter renovation periods. I do not say it will happen, I am just noting the likelihood.

Originally Posted by andrewlgm

- I wanted to try android. I never had before.
- I already own a larger iPad with the retina display, so it seemed kinda senseless to buy the same product in a lighter package without the retina display.
- I wanted GPS (the nexus GPS works anywhere without WIFI as long as you donwnload a GPS app other than google maps cuz that one requires data connectivity)
- it fits in my back pocket
- it's cheaper to replace if stolen or broken

Apart from the first point (I've already tried Android) all the rest is a high quality support for the Nexus. Thank you.

Originally Posted by jonhcox

I have had my Nexus 7 for a little over 2 months now. I regularly switch between Android and iOS because I enjoy both ecosystets purely a your mileage may vary situation. You just don't know until you spend some quality time with one ecosystem or the other.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by terminator-jq

I know I'm beating a dead horse but PPI is not the ONLY thing that makes a good screen. Most reviews have said the iPad mini has better colors, better whites, better blacks and more pop than the Nexus 7 and Kindle fire HD.

The only time a "retina" screen comes in handy is when you need extra fine detail or if you plan on using your tablet 6" from your face.

At the end of the day if you are looking for pixels on the iPad mini you will find them. However, for just normal every day use the iPad mini's resolution is more than good enough.

Agree with you. MobileTechReview comparison made it apparent that the overall perceived quality of the Mini's screen is way higher than the Nexus's one.

Originally Posted by CandyNJ66

Lisa Gade of Mobile Tech Review? I love her and think she's the best unbiased reviewer around

She is a bit boring though

Originally Posted by smwatson

Loads of apps I'll never use? Great!
It's also getting close to half the price of the iPad Mini, which makes it fantastic value.

No argument on price. Quite a few on the App side.

Originally Posted by OTACORB

I purchased a N7 when Google/ASUS first released it. I have to admit I was taken by it. I loved the lighter smaller size of it and it became my d where I can not only listen to music and or watch video with a simple touch of the Airplay icon. Those are things in my mind that make the iPad Mini worth the price.

Thanks a lot for your comment. Since I have a Mac, iPhone and likely to get an AppleTV soon ecosystem point is very relevant.

Originally Posted by lianlua

I'm not sure if s/he was referring to anything specific to an iPad, but mid-single digits is indeed the normal reseller range for Apple hardware.
ny money on hardware sales, couldn't compete on service, and didn't have any other source of income except the people who previously came in to buy computers.

Thank you for the comment. Agree with the most of it. And yeah, I am "he".

[ssspinball]

Originally Posted by smwatson

Loads of apps I'll never use? Great!

Ah so you use the exact same set of apps as every other person you know? My guess is no, you have your own specific set just like your hobbies and interests aren't the same.

Originally Posted by smwatson

The apps I use are all present and correct on Android, and all perfectly fine.

That's great that it worked out for you, but it is not the experience that most have had. Some people think a Kindle Fire works is "perfectly fine" vs an iPad/N7. I think we can both agree those people are on crack!

[jonhcox]

I went today and played with another Mini. I was under the impression that the display on the N7 was better calibrated for color. I took my N7 with me and I actually thought the colors were punchier on the iPad Mini. I used the Evernote icon as kind of a test and thought the green was much more vibrant on the Mini, which I had read and understood to be a little duller. I went to Interfacelift and downloaded a couple of pretty vibrant wallpapers to both devices and the Mini came out a little more colorful. Both displays were set to their brightest levels.

I know that brighter, more vibrant colors do not mean that one display is better than another (I own a Galaxy Nexus), but I think I actually prefer the more vibrant colors I saw on the Mini. The resolution difference is really only noticeable when looking at text. I also think I prefer the 4:3 format of the mini over the 16:9 format of the N7, and that comes down to two things: I like the wider format because I read on my side at night and I can have a wider page in portrait mode, and I can rest my thumb on the display and hold it like a book. Both of those are purely personal preferences. Now I just need to sell my Nexus 7. The best thing is that Google sold me a 16GB for the price of an 8GB version.

[lianlua]

Originally Posted by jonhcox

I went today and played with another Mini. I was under the impression that the display on the N7 was better calibrated for color.

No, it's the other way around, just as you observed in person. The iPad mini is substantially better for color accuracy than the Nexus 7. The N7 has a wider gamut, but frankly, that doesn't typically make much of a difference and it's not worth anything without high accuracy to match.

If someone were to want something with higher resolution than the iPad mini but without giving up stellar color, the clear winner is the Kindle Fire HD, which has the wide gamut and high color accuracy. But it's a Kindle, not a standard Android tablet, so there are tradeoffs there, and it's 16:10, also a trade.

[jonhcox]

Originally Posted by lianlua

No, it's the other way around, just as you observed in person. The iPad mini is substantially better for color accuracy than the Nexus 7. The N7 has a wider gamut, but frankly, that doesn't typically make much of a difference and it's not worth anything without high accuracy to match.

If someone were to want something with higher resolution than the iPad mini but without giving up stellar color, the clear winner is the Kindle Fire HD, which has the wide gamut and high color accuracy. But it's a Kindle, not a standard Android tablet, so there are tradeoffs there, and it's 16:10, also a trade.

Thanks for the clarification. I definitely found the iPad Mini to have a more color friendly display, especially with the whites and overall brightness. My N7 definitely looks dimmer and more washed out.

[ericlewis107]

Personally I would say iPad since it has more hd and tablet based apps. Love my Nexus but that is a big drawback.

[cutiedoggy]

Sold off my ipad 2 to get the n7 while waiting for the iPad mini.

No regrets selling off my n7, no doubt it's a really good device in all, I still prefered the screen size of the mini, something more squarish rather than rectangular looking n7.

i liked the mini's ability to display more content while reading a magazine(full screen on mini) or surfing the net. Yes, the screen resolution is not as great as the n7, to me, it's not that big of a deal at all

[mackinmike]

You do realize you will have a biased result.. this is an apple website.

[dragonev]

Originally Posted by mackinmike

You do realize you will have a biased result.. this is an apple website.

this thread shows that it might not be the case since we already have a number of comments which praise the Nexus

[Dlanod]

Just taken delivery of my Nexus 7 cellular and I have to say that it's pretty impressive. Waiting for the Mini in a couple of weeks for the final show down.

[phr0ze]

I just hate buying apps twice. Many apps you buy for iphone are ipad compatable. At the very least, run in iphone mode.

So yeah, I can get similar apps on both, but why buy them twice.

[Max(IT)]

Originally Posted by Vermillon

I love apple products but honestly the nexus 7 is far superior then the iPad mini.

Did you ever use it ?
Actually it all about ecosystem. Nexus 7 technical specs are great, but using a table it not about performance (and the mini is a fast tablet).
For me Android is just too "fragmented" to be a real choice.

It's only my opinion.

Originally Posted by ctyrider

If you can't tell the difference between 163ppi (Mini) and 216ppi (N7) screens - then you haven't really looked closely enough. This is assuming you have normal 20x20 vision.

You have to look really close to see a difference.
I mean, the screen is superior, no doubt about that, but in daily use there's not such a big difference.

[jonhcox]

The resolution difference is pretty apparent when you look at text, that said, the color reproduction is much better on the Mini. As is overall brightness. Personally I think it's worth it. Also, I find the App selection on my Galaxy Nexus to be fantastic, but the tablet selection is still rather in its infancy.

[AdonisSMU]

My html5 app runs like butter in iOS even on an iPad 1. It runs like hell on Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy S3.

[gmanist1000]

Originally Posted by dragonev

Trying to decide which one to buy for myself as a Christmas present. The choice is between the iPad Mini 16Gb Cellular (£369) or Nexus 7 32Gb 3G (£252). Previously had both iPad 2 and Nexus 7 WiFi, but sold both recently to get some extra cash for a cellular one. Each device has its' own pros and cons:

Mini:
+ iOS and millions of apps
+ perfect fit for my rMBP and iPhone 5 (can use the same Lighting charger)
+ bigger screen

- price
- smaller "HDD"

Nexus 7:
+ Some features of Android OS (SwiftKey, Widgets, Direct Download, Android File Transfer)
+ price
+ bigger "HDD"

+/- offline navigation

- shape is somewhat weird and no rotation in the home screen
- worse display (yeah yeah I saw the specs, but I also so both things in action)
- 1.5 apps for the entire android market

What's your opinion?

Coming to an Apple based website and asking a question like this, your answer is probably going to be biased.

[D.T.]

Originally Posted by dragonev

+ perfect fit for my rMBP and iPhone 5 (can use the same Lighting charger)

Having an existing iOS device also means you can share [purchased] apps, switching between them will be a very seamless experience, you'll be able to utilize shared services like Photostream, other iCloud services that sync data between apps (like Podcasts), iTunes match, etc.

One thing that I don't believe anybody has touched on is the service/support part of the equation. If you have an Apple Store close by, being able to walk into a store that's a direct channel from the device manufacturer (vs. 3rd party like Best Boobs) is extremely nice.

[dragonev]

Originally Posted by Dlanod

Just taken delivery of my Nexus 7 cellular and I have to say that it's pretty impressive. Waiting for the Mini in a couple of weeks for the final show down.

It is impressive, but my concerns are that all of this excitement is only because of the price and slightly better "perfect world" tech specs.

Originally Posted by phr0ze

I just hate buying apps twice. Many apps you buy for iphone are ipad compatable. At the very least, run in iphone mode.

So yeah, I can get similar apps on both, but why buy them twice.

This is a concern for me. The only thing I really miss from Android is a SwiftKey. I have no idea why no one yet managed to develop something similar.

Originally Posted by gmanist1000

Coming to an Apple based website and asking a question like this, your answer is probably going to be biased.

Well, I have been a member of this forum for a while and would like to hear the voice of the people from here. I have no illusions on the potential biases. And as I said 3 times already, there are already some very good comments that praise Nexus in this thread.

[Dlanod]

Originally Posted by dragonev

It is impressive, but my concerns are that all of this excitement is only because of the price and slightly better "perfect world" tech specs.



This is a concern for me. The only thing I really miss from Android is a SwiftKey. I have no idea why no one yet managed to develop something similar.



Well, I have been a member of this forum for a while and would like to hear the voice of the people from here. I have no illusions on the potential biases. And as I said 3 times already, there are already some very good comments that praise Nexus in this thread.

The screen is genuinely very good. And the performance is quick. Not far away from my 4th gen iPad and for stuff like Pulse and Currents it seems faster.

And I can send sms with it - I have a Phone sim in it. Which is awesome and I can't do this with my iPad. Not many of my contacts use iMessage.

[EMAN19]

Originally Posted by Ccrew

I'd say it's a contest. Equal performance, better resolution screen, 1/2 the price. The Nexus is a nice tablet.

I have a rMBP and a iPad3, I couldn't get used to the screen on the Mini personally and took it back after 10 days. Bought a 32gb Nexus 7. It's a consumption device, it does what I want it to do, and does it well. Apps I use on IOS are available on Android for me.

I played with the Nexus 7 and it stutters when you scroll on webpages. There's also the odd hiccup when swiping from one home screen to the next. Android is never a fluid experience. It's almost always choppy and uncomfortable.

What's up with the scaled apps on the Nexus 7? They're not even tablet apps, just larger mobile apps. Bad user experience in my opinion. I feel as if they offer all of this free Google Play money to compensate for a below average product.

[dragonev]

Originally Posted by EMAN19

I played with the Nexus 7 and it stutters when you scroll on webpages. There's also the odd hiccup when swiping from one home offer all of this free Google Play money to compensate for a below average product.

Agree. But what really bugs me is that none of the UK's Apple Stores have a cellular models in stock and didn't have them at all yet. It is already a bloody late November and I don't want to wait for the delivery from the Online store.

[fubaracing7374]

iPad mini all the way!!!

[dragonev]

Thanks everyone for your participation. Went to the Apple Store today and bought 32Gb Mini + Cellular (there were no 16Gb in stock and I couldn't wait anymore).

[Booji]

I just got my 32GB/3G N7 and have been using it for about 5 hours and my initial impressions are that the user experience is not anywhere near what a iPad is. Its just not fluid like an iPad, the apps are not customised to the screen and the whole thing feels like a pre-production prototype.

I was Android user a couple of years back with a Nexus 1. Wanted to revisit Andriod with Jellybean just to see how far it has come. My N7 is updated to the latest and greatest version 4.2.1.

I don't regret buying it, as its good to be able to make the comparison, but as soon as the next generation iPad Mini comes out, the N7 will be up for sale.

The one thing I have learned is that I'm sold on the 7" form factor. It is so much more convenient for most of what I use a tablet for.

[nishishei]

The N7 is laggy as hell browsing simple websites like Macrumors. There's a noticeable delay when scrolling and zooming/panning. Anyone who tells you that N7 is just as fast or smooth as the Mini here is lying to you or woefully ignorant. I owned an N7 for a while. I learned to never trust specs and release day reviews.

[Fruit Cake]

I had the mini, loved everything about it, jus not the screen. Everyone can harp on and ignore the non retina, it all comes down to personal preference, but to me it's kinda like the pretty girl with the bad teeth, once she smiles and shows those crook or missing teeth, it's a total put off.

Had the N7 as well, didn't mind it, we'll priced, but wifi only made it a bit limiting. I took advantage of the fact my iPhone only got little use since I got iPad and got an android phone instead so I can have best of both. As my android had a 5.5inch screen there was little point keeping a 7inch tablet that basically did the same thing.

End of the day though, the mini for me needs retina. I'm too used to the retina screen.