Apple iPad mini 2 with Retina specs comparison vs Nexus 7 vs LG G Pad 8.3

39comments
Apple iPad mini 2 with Retina specs comparison vs Nexus 7 vs LG G Pad 8.3
Apple's tiny tablet just received a second edition, if you haven't heard, and we have to pit it against the fearless rivals on the other side, the Nexus 7 and LG G Pad 8.3 to gauge how it stands against some Android competition.

At first look the Android tablets are flawless, with 1920x1200 pixels displays, which in the case of the G Pad 8.3 return slightly lower pixel density because of the larger diagonal, yet plenty for a small slate. The G Pad 8.3 is the thinner, more premium slab, with metal back cover and more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, which is reflected in the price, of course, as Google is not subsidizing this one - $350 vs $230 for the Nexus 7 munchkin.

So what's the iPad mini with Retina Display to offer against those two pretty boys, except the 400 000+ tablet-tailored apps that iOS has? Well, for starters, it is thinner than both the Nexus 7 and the G Pad 8.3. In fact, at 7.5mm, it is the third thinnest slate out there, period, behind only the first iPad mini and the Xperia Tablet Z. Now, we shouldn't forget that Apple achieved this with a body crafted out of aluminum, which makes it all the more impressive. As for power, well, there's plenty, since the mini with Retina is run by the first 64-bit mobile processor, Apple's venerable A7.

The kicker? That amazing 7.9" display carries the same resolution as the larger iPad. That's right, 2048x1356 pixels amounts to 326ppi pixel density, a record feat on a device that is basically all screen. Neither Nexus 7, nor the G Pad 8.3 can match this, but it's another question altogether if the premium design and the extra pixel density are worth the $399 starting price Apple is commanding for the iPad mini with Retina Display. Check out the specs comparison tablet below for the nitty-gritty and tell us what you think.

Apple iPad mini 2 Google Nexus 7 (2013) LG G Pad 8.3

Design

Dimensions
7.87 x 5.30 x 0.30 inches
200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm
7.87 x 4.49 x 0.34 inches
200 x 114 x 8.65 mm
8.54 x 4.98 x 0.33 inches
216.8 x 126.5 x 8.3 mm
Weight
12.03 oz / 341.0 g 10.55 oz / 299.0 g 11.92 oz / 338.0 g
Materials
Back: Aluminum
Keys
Right: Volume control, Other
Colors
Black, Gray, Silver, White Black, White

Display

Size
7.9-inch, 71.82% screen-to-body 7.0-inch, 62.32% screen-to-body 8.3-inch, 72.80% screen-to-body
Type
IPS LCD IPS LCD, 300 nits IPS LCD
Resolution
1536x2048px, 324 PPI 1200x1920px, 323 PPI 1200x1920px, 273 PPI
Colors
16 777 216 16 777 216
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass
Features
Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A7 Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 Snapdragon 600
Processor
Dual-core
1300 MHz
Cyclone
Quad-core
1500 MHz
Krait
Quad-core
1700 MHz
GPU
PowerVR G6430 Adreno 320 Yes
Memory
1GB (LPDDR3)/128GB
1GB/16GB
1GB/32GB
1GB/64GB
1GB/128GB
2GB/32GB
2GB/16GB
2GB/32GB
2GB (LPDDR2)/16GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 64 GB
OS
iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x, 7.x) Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.3, 4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3) Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.2.2)

Battery

Type
6471 mAh, Li - Polymer 3950 mAh, Li - Polymer 4600 mAh, Li - Polymer
Charging
Qi wireless charging

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera Single camera
Main camera
5 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 33 mm
5 MP (Autofocus)
Aperture size: F2.4
5 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.6
Video recording
1080p (30 fps)
Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling
1080p 1080p (30 fps)
Front
1.2 MP
Video capture: 720p
1.2 MP 1.3 MP

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0 4.0 4.0
WLAN
a,b,g,n,dual-band
Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n
a,b,g,n,dual-band
802.11 a, b, g, n
a,b,g,n,dual-band
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 a, b, g, n
USB
Lightning microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor
HDMI
Yes
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Other
Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop NFC, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Multiple speakers Multiple speakers Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
TV-out SlimPort,TV-out DLNA,SlimPort
Additional microphone(s)
Yes

Cellular

4G (FDD) Bands
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 1, 2, 4, 5, 13, 17
3G Bands
5, 8, 2, 1 5, 8, 4, 2, 1
Data Speed
LTE, HSPA, UMTS LTE, HSPA, UMTS
SIM type
Nano SIM Micro SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
Flight mode, Silent mode Flight mode, Silent mode Haptic feedback, Flight mode, Silent mode
Other features
Voice commands, Voice recording Voice commands, Voice recording Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Apr 15, 2013
FCC ID value: BCGA1490
FCC ID value: ZNFV500
Measured SAR
Body: 1.19 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.30 W/kg
Body: 0.72 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
Oct 22, 2013 Jul 24, 2013 Sep 01, 2013
Prices (MSRP)
$829 $350 $350

Score a Free iPhone 13

Switch to a 3-Month Total 5G Unlimited plan with Total Wireless


We may earn a commission if you make a purchase

Check Out The Offer
Google News Follow
Follow us on Google News
Loading Comments...

Latest Discussions

by Thisfonesuxs • 4
by TBomb • 8
by bklabel • 16

Recommended Stories

FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless