By: iPadfanzz Editor on April 8, 2013
Apple seems to have struck a chord with consumers by launching iPad Mini, a 7.9” tablet in the fast growing 7” category. What has gone in iPad Mini’s favour are its small size, weight and portability, without any compromise in specs, as it is a complete iPad. At 200mm high, 134.7mm wide and 7.2mm deep the Mini is ‘just’ about compact enough to fit in a back pocket, school handbags and office bags.
Not doubt, the iPad Mini is a cute, discreet and a very lightweight tablet. It feels like a whole new device for Apple. The 7.9” screen size roughly adds 35 per cent more screen real-estate than a 7-inch tablet, and the difference is noticeable. Most websites are easy to navigate in portrait mode, and while the text is too small, it is readable. It's bedroom-cozy and you won’t feel too burdened by carrying the tablet for extended use, especially if that use is focused on reading electronic books. Though, the iPad mini starts at $329 while the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD each offer $199 price tags, you need to keep in mind that you are paying a premium on the price to get the complete iPad (and of course specs justify the extra charging). While rivals are glass and ridged plastic, Apple’s model is glass and aluminium. It is by far the glitziest small-screen tablet with exceptional build quality and rich details like the chamfered edges that give the frame a pleasing finish. Surely, it is a high-end tablet.
The iPad Mini comes with the LED-backlit 7.9-inch (163ppi), 1024x768 resolution, which is a bit short when compared to lower priced competition when it comes to sharpness. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD both trump it at 1280 x 800 pixels (216 ppi) and, if you’re used to Apple’s Retina displays, then you will notice some pixilation. But, because of the smaller, more condensed screen, blurring isn’t a problem. Although the iPad mini lacks defined edges to text based content such as ebooks or web pages, in terms of video playback or app-based gameplay the tablet holds its own with a strong colour palette and impressive contrast ratios ensuring the device is a more than viable option for multimedia absorption.
The iPad Mini supports multitouch input commands and is extremely responsive to the touch with all taps, swipes, prods and sliding scrolls producing their desired on-screen reactions. The home screen offers space for 26 apps - 20 on the main screen, six squidged together on the bottom row - and the viewing angle mirrors that of the latest ‘big’ generation.
The premium tablet by Apple comes with a dual-core A5 processor, found in the iPad 2, iPhone 4S and iPod Touch 5. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean running Google Nexus 7, on the other hand, boasts a 1280 x 800p HD display and NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, both of which are considerable upgrades. In tests, there isn’t great difference to tell them apart, but the Mini is speedy and powers polygons impressively.
The core features list on iPad Mini include iOS 6 operating system, Apple’s compact and fast new Lightning connector (as debuted on the iPhone 5), cameras front and rear, Apple’s compact and fast new Lightning connector (as debuted on the iPhone 5) and a claimed 10 hour battery life complete the core iPad mini features list.
The iPad Mini performs well on the gaming platform and it less cumbersome than the bigger iPad, especially when playing games that take advantage of the accelerometer. Apple has equipped the WiFi-only Mini with 802.11a/b/g/n, 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless capability and Bluetooth 4.0. The device quickly latches onto networks.
Overall, the iPad Mini is no doubt a good built and premium compact tablet. In terms of design and performance, the iPad Min has a leg up against the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD. The Mini is thinner and lighter and has a screen almost an inch bigger than its two main rivals. The Nexus 7 has NFC, which others don’t. The Kindle Fire HD has a mini HDMI, the others need additional accessories. All the tablets come with cloud services and Apple certainly beats others when it comes to its large collection of high quality iPad apps.
Here’s a detailed specification comparison:
Apple seems to have struck a chord with consumers by launching iPad Mini, a 7.9” tablet in the fast growing 7” category. What has gone in iPad Mini’s favour are its small size, weight and portability, without any compromise in specs, as it is a complete iPad. At 200mm high, 134.7mm wide and 7.2mm deep the Mini is ‘just’ about compact enough to fit in a back pocket, school handbags and office bags.
Not doubt, the iPad Mini is a cute, discreet and a very lightweight tablet. It feels like a whole new device for Apple. The 7.9” screen size roughly adds 35 per cent more screen real-estate than a 7-inch tablet, and the difference is noticeable. Most websites are easy to navigate in portrait mode, and while the text is too small, it is readable. It's bedroom-cozy and you won’t feel too burdened by carrying the tablet for extended use, especially if that use is focused on reading electronic books. Though, the iPad mini starts at $329 while the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD each offer $199 price tags, you need to keep in mind that you are paying a premium on the price to get the complete iPad (and of course specs justify the extra charging). While rivals are glass and ridged plastic, Apple’s model is glass and aluminium. It is by far the glitziest small-screen tablet with exceptional build quality and rich details like the chamfered edges that give the frame a pleasing finish. Surely, it is a high-end tablet.
The iPad Mini comes with the LED-backlit 7.9-inch (163ppi), 1024x768 resolution, which is a bit short when compared to lower priced competition when it comes to sharpness. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD both trump it at 1280 x 800 pixels (216 ppi) and, if you’re used to Apple’s Retina displays, then you will notice some pixilation. But, because of the smaller, more condensed screen, blurring isn’t a problem. Although the iPad mini lacks defined edges to text based content such as ebooks or web pages, in terms of video playback or app-based gameplay the tablet holds its own with a strong colour palette and impressive contrast ratios ensuring the device is a more than viable option for multimedia absorption.
The iPad Mini supports multitouch input commands and is extremely responsive to the touch with all taps, swipes, prods and sliding scrolls producing their desired on-screen reactions. The home screen offers space for 26 apps - 20 on the main screen, six squidged together on the bottom row - and the viewing angle mirrors that of the latest ‘big’ generation.
The premium tablet by Apple comes with a dual-core A5 processor, found in the iPad 2, iPhone 4S and iPod Touch 5. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean running Google Nexus 7, on the other hand, boasts a 1280 x 800p HD display and NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, both of which are considerable upgrades. In tests, there isn’t great difference to tell them apart, but the Mini is speedy and powers polygons impressively.
The core features list on iPad Mini include iOS 6 operating system, Apple’s compact and fast new Lightning connector (as debuted on the iPhone 5), cameras front and rear, Apple’s compact and fast new Lightning connector (as debuted on the iPhone 5) and a claimed 10 hour battery life complete the core iPad mini features list.
The iPad Mini performs well on the gaming platform and it less cumbersome than the bigger iPad, especially when playing games that take advantage of the accelerometer. Apple has equipped the WiFi-only Mini with 802.11a/b/g/n, 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless capability and Bluetooth 4.0. The device quickly latches onto networks.
Overall, the iPad Mini is no doubt a good built and premium compact tablet. In terms of design and performance, the iPad Min has a leg up against the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD. The Mini is thinner and lighter and has a screen almost an inch bigger than its two main rivals. The Nexus 7 has NFC, which others don’t. The Kindle Fire HD has a mini HDMI, the others need additional accessories. All the tablets come with cloud services and Apple certainly beats others when it comes to its large collection of high quality iPad apps.
Here’s a detailed specification comparison:
iPad mini vs. Kindle Fire HD 7 vs. Nook HD vs. Google Nexus 7 vs. Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
 Apple iPad mini |  Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 |  Nook HD |  Google Nexus 7 |  Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Screen Size | 7.9 inches | 7 inches | 7 inches | 7 inches | 7 inches |
Resolution | 1024 x 768 | 1,280 x 600 | 1,440 x 900 | 1,280 x 800 | 1,024 x 600 |
Pixel Density | 163 ppi | 216 ppi | 243 ppi | 216 ppi | 170 ppi |
Weight | 10.88 oz | 13.9 oz | 11.1 oz | 12 oz | 12.13 oz |
Dimensions (WxHxD) | 7.8 x 5.3 x .28 inches | 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches | 7.65 x 5.0 x 0.43 inches | 7.81 x 4.72 x 0.41 inches | 7.63 x 4.82 x 0.41 inches |
CPU | Dual-core Apple A5 | Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A9 | TI OMAP 4470 | Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3, 1200 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9 | Dual-core 1GHz |
Storage | 16GB, 32GB or 64GB, no card slot | 16GB or 32GB, no card slot | 8GB, 16GB + microSD, | 8GB or 16GB, no card slot | 8GB, 16GB or 32GB, microSD up to 32GB |
Operating System | iOS 6 | Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) | Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) | Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) | Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) |
Battery | 10 hours | 11 hours | 10.5 hours | 10 hours | Unannounced |
Camera | 5MP rear, 1.2MP front | 1.3MP front-facing | none | 1.2MP front-facing | 3MP rear, VGA front-facing |
Networking | Dual-band Wi-Fi, LTE | Dual-band Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, 4G (HSPA+) |
Price | $329/$459 for 16GB, $429/$559 for 32GB, $529/$659 for 64GB; avail. November 2nd | $199 for 16GB ($214 without lock-screen ads), $249 for 32GB ($264 without ads) | $199 for 8GB, $229 for 16GB | $199 for 8GB, $249 for 16GB | $199 for 8GB |
