tablets: iPad Mini or Nexus 7?

[nishishei]

Originally Posted by ctyrider

So you didn't prefer the screen of the Mini, you preferred the size of the Mini. N7 has a better quality screen, no question about it.

N7 might have a better quality screen, but its font rendering is even worse than the Mini. So even with higher ppi density, the text ends up looking more jagged and pixelated on N7 than on Mini.

And we're not even talking about all the screen white-out issues (where it will lose contrast and saturation and look like a grey filter was placed over it) that plague the N7, which my unit had.

And who really gives a damn about the resolution when the N7 browses the Internet like it's still Internet Explorer 4.0? The N7 is laggy and stutters like hell doing any kind of scrolling, zooming/panning, and oftentimes unresponsive when clicking a link. And the more you use it, the slower it gets. Remember those days of computing?

[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.

[EMAN19]

Originally Posted by nishishei

And who really gives a damn about the resolution when the N7 browses the Internet like it's still Internet Explorer 4.0? The N7 is laggy and stutters like hell doing any kind of scrolling, zooming/panning, and oftentimes unresponsive when clicking a link. And the more you use it, the slower it gets. Remember those days of computing?

PRECISELY!

This is one of the areas where Android fails time and time again. I've owned several Android devices through out the years, so I know what I'm talking about. They start out OK, but progressively get worse and worse as time goes on, sort of like PCs.

[maflynn]

I'd say the mini, because what offers, especially to those who may be enmeshed in the iOS ecosystem.

[3bs]

If only it had a retina display I'd say iPad Mini. I'll be waiting for the next model and getting that probably

[ReanimationN]

Originally Posted by 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.

Originally Posted by 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.

I agree with you both 100%. After the new gadget feeling wore off, I was confused as to what everyone was talking about, it was nowhere near as fluid as iOS, yet so many reviews and people were praising it for being incredibly fluid, on par with iOS, that Android's performance problems had been solved etc.

OP- out of your two choices, I'd go for the iPad Mini. I personally wouldn't buy one, as I'm waiting for a good Windows 8 tablet, but it's what I'd get if I had to choose between the two.

[spinedoc77]

Originally Posted by EMAN19

PRECISELY!

This is one of the areas where Android fails time and time again. I've owned several Android devices through out the years, so I know what I'm talking about. They start out OK, but progressively get worse and worse as time goes on, sort of like PCs.

Where are you guys getting that the N7 is slow and laggy? Mine runs great, have had no slowdown or lagginess except for one program which I uninstalled. I have more slowdown on my ipad, especially when loading a graphics intensive webpage it will sit there for a good 10 seconds before loading the page, and if I scroll down I get a checkerboard until those graphics load.

I still prefer iOS to android in many ways though, but that may just be conditioning over the years. iOS is more polished but only because they have more options. For example the Safari is junk in terms of options, but I have the option to purchase iCab which as a browser blows away anything available on Android.

[EMAN19]

Originally Posted by spinedoc77

Where are you guys getting that the N7 is slow and laggy?

Navigating through the various home screens and and scrolling up and down in web pages yields lag and choppiness. Obviously not all the time, but sometimes. This is something that I've noticed with Android -- whether it be Android native or Android with a skin overlay like TouchWiz or Sense. I've never experienced lag or choppiness with Apple.

[Vidd]

I don't understand the browser comparisons. Isn't the iPad mini 1024x768 and the Nexus 7 1280x800? Surely the Nexus should show the same amount, at least? EDIT: Oh wait, I get it now. The pages scale to fill up the width.

[AppleRobert]

Originally Posted by EMAN19

Navigating through the various home screens and and scrolling up and down in web pages yields lag and choppiness. Obviously not all the time, but sometimes. This is something that I've noticed with Android -- whether it be Android native or Android with a skin overlay like TouchWiz or Sense. I've never experienced lag or choppiness with Apple.

Go to XDA developers forum, just google it if you never heard of it.

My Nexus 7 was slow downloading from the play store and browsing back when. I forget what specifically was causing it but searching threads about that issue on the N7 forum board alleviated it after I did what was recommended.

[EMAN19]

Originally Posted by AppleRobert

Go to XDA developers forum, just google it if you never heard of it.

My Nexus 7 was slow downloading from the play store and browsing back when. I forget what specifically was causing it but searching threads about that issue on the N7 forum board alleviated it after I did what was recommended.

It's just how Andfoid is. Every Android device I've played with stuttered and turned choppy at some point. It's the nature of Android, and Nexus 7 is no exception. And it has a quad-core chip yet it still isn't always fluid and smooth like iPad or any iOS device is.

[cynics]

Hmm I don't find modern Android devices to be laggy enough prefer iOS over it. I'm really surprised anyone does. I have all sorts of stuff going on on my N10, live wallpapers, widgets, flash player, torrent etc etc. IOS for the most part will only be doing one thing, maybe two things but the OS will stop and suspend everything.

[Saturn1217]

I'm typing this on a nexus 7 but I do think the iPad mini is a great form factor. The lack of retina is a bit annoying but not a deal breaker at least when I used it.

I think software really makes or breaks both tablets and it really just depends on what you prefer.

My main reason for picking nexus 7 over iPad mini was the small font sizes on the iPad mini. I will be the first to admit that I don't have stellar eyesight (only 27 but I do wear glasses). So for some people this will not be an issue but for me it was. I was also surprised to discover that the nifty rejecting of thumb touches on the mini that is supposed to make up for the small bezel didn't work even in safari?!

I completely agree though that the chrome browser on the nexus 7 is unnecessarily bad. I still use it because I like the features but performance is definitely lacking...

I think people should buy the mini if they really want a lighter tablet, they have good eyesight (or don't intend to do a lot of browsing) and they like iOS. Don't get the mini if you want a larger display. That's why I was considering it and the limitations of a 10inch ui squeezed into a 8inch form factor negate this. Also don't be afraid of phone apps on the nexus 7. Most of them look great, especially games. No where near as bad as apple would have you believe.

[AppleRobert]

There are alternative browsers folks are using because the font size in Safari is too small. Or landscape mode I guess is an option as well as zoom if one likes Safari over other browsers.

[999blb]

I was having the same problem as you: Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini? I ended up getting the Nexus 7 32GB because it was $10 cheaper than how it's normally priced ($239) so I thought, more savings! I thought it seemed like a good device because I already have an iPhone so it's getting the best of both worlds because I love both Android and iOS

[kdoug]

I own both. The N7 32GB was on sale for $229 on eBay so I couldn't pass it up. I love gadgets.

[Dlanod]

Got my Mini today and it has just struck me what the difference is, apart from the screen. The Nexus 7 is like a big phone. The Mini is more like a tablet. And yes I know it could be classed as a big iPhone but I'm referring to the screen format.

[cynics]

Originally Posted by Dlanod

Got my Mini today and it has just struck me what the difference is, apart from the screen. The Nexus 7 is like a big phone. The Mini is more like a tablet. And yes I know it could be classed as a big iPhone but I'm referring to the screen format.

I'd agree some apps may make you consider the N7 as a big phone. But I feel the total opposite. Just compare the home screen of an iPad to an iPhone. The ONLY thing you can do with it is add more apps. With Android tablets you can utilize all the big widgets for email or whatever and size them on the screen to your liking. You get a massive screen and it doesn't offer support for a mouse on iOS. That's fine on a phone but not for a tablet, that's the way I feel anyway.

[daveathall]

I am getting an iPad mini for a Christmas present from my grown up son, Im really looking forward to it.

[Eidorian]

I'm not really sure what I would do with the iPad Mini over my Nexus 7.

[Booji]

The choppiness of the N7 is not apparent all the time, but varies from application. For example, Flipboard is not too bad, but the Wall Street Journal application is so choppy, difficult to scroll and has such poor format for the screen, its a real pain to read it.

[mantan]

Hmm....I may be changing my vote.

When I went to charge my Nexus this morning it didn't seem to be charging correctly. When I came home this evening it was only partially (37%) charged. More troubling was a white ring around the perimeter of the screen and what could best be described as a 'ghosting' effect on the screen. The whole thing looks washed out with white and the main screen 'ghosts' when I switch screens - almost like a 'burn in' effect.

I had bought at a local store (instead of Google Play) as I wanted it for a business trip the next day. I've had it less than a month, but outside the 15 day return window. So now I'm in an hour line wait for the a chat representative from Asus.

So we'll see how it goes. In fairness, I tend to be less impressed with Apple's customer service than most around here. I DETEST the cattle call that's a typical Apple store at night with people around in herds waiting for the Genius Bar that's running 45 minutes behind the scheduled appointment time.

But the plus side of a local store is you can usually walk out with the problem resolved. I have a bad feeling that if we can't fix this issue, I'll be waiting for an RMA to be shipped. I bought a tablet primarily to be a business travel companion. With a trip scheduled next week, I wonder if I'll receive something in time....

[Dlanod]

Well I've arranged to send my Nexus 7 3G back today and I'm going to keep the iPad Mini cellular. The screen on the Mini isn't as nice but I like the bigger screen and to be honest, the Mini performs far better than the Nexus 7 despite the lower specs. iOS is hard to beat. The software and the hardware is designed together. This must be the secret I guess.

My Mini screen is nearly perfect in terms of build. No debris or dust problems that seem to plague Apple and just a tiny grey spot in a place that is only noticeable on a plain white screen. The Nexus screen was perfect if a little loose in bits. And having had a failed 16GB Nexus 7 screen I wonder long these screens will really last.

[mantan]

Originally Posted by mantan

Hmm....I may be changing my vote.

When I went to charge my Nexus this morning it didn't seem to be charging correctly. When I came home this evening it was only partially (37%) charged. More troubling was a white ring around the perimeter of the screen and what could best be described as a 'ghosting' effect on the screen. The whole thing looks washed out with white and the main screen 'ghosts' when I switch screens - almost like a 'burn in' effect.

I had bought at a local store (instead of Google Play) as I wanted it for a business trip the next day. I've had it less than a month, but outside the 15 day return window. So now I'm in an hour line wait for the a chat representative from Asus.

So we'll see how it goes. In fairness, I tend to be less impressed with Apple's customer service than most around here. I DETEST the cattle call that's a typical Apple store at night with people around in herds waiting for the Genius Bar that's running 45 minutes behind the scheduled appointment time.

But the plus side of a local store is you can usually walk out with the problem resolved. I have a bad feeling that if we can't fix this issue, I'll be waiting for an RMA to be shipped. I bought a tablet primarily to be a business travel companion. With a trip scheduled next week, I wonder if I'll receive something in time....

It actaully turned out better than expected. It turns out the white ghosting effect occurs when the battery runs down to zero. But in the time I was on hold with Asus, the problem cleared up and it's been fine since.

ASUS was very easy to deal with and sent me an RMA in case I change my mind. The downside is there is the 7-10 day window you don't have a device. So I'm going to keep it and chalk it up to a one time occurence.

I just received the Mini that I'm getting my teenage daughter for Christmas. At the end of the year, I'll do some side by side testing.

[ReanimationN]

Originally Posted by mantan

So we'll see how it goes. In fairness, I tend to be less impressed with Apple's customer service than most around here. I DETEST the cattle call that's a typical Apple store at night with people around in herds waiting for the Genius Bar that's running 45 minutes behind the scheduled appointment time.

I fully agree with this, I don't know why Apple gets the love it does for its customer service, I've never been impressed with it. I usually get some goose of a 'Genius' who sits there being intentionally thick the entire time, its only after I really push to get whatever I'm in there for that they'll start being reasonable. Of course, that hasn't been the case every visit, I have had a few great people serve me, who were very attentive and helpful, but they've unfortunately been in the minority.

The service you get also varies wildly from store-to-store, the service you get in the Sydney CBD store is far better than any other store I've been to.