Nexus 7 versus Apple iPad: what you need to know

 

Google’s Nexus 7 Android tablet has been getting high praise and rightly so. It has plenty of features, is well-built, and offers great value for money. It’s the worthy new iPad alternative many have been crying out for. But how do the two compare? Let’s take a look.

Look below, and you’ll see the two compared on some of the key criteria to consider when purchasing a tablet. Which would you go for?

Screen size and portability

A trend for smaller tablets is brewing. That’s where the Nexus 7 comes in. Its 7-inch screen offers slightly more portability than the new iPad, which at 9.7-inches across, just about errs on being portable. You could easily stuff either into a small bag. But for a lighter load, the Nexus 7 is much lighter than Apple’s new iPad. It weighs just 340 grams, compared to the new iPad’s 652 to 662 gram lumber.

Power

The Nexus 7 and new iPad are built for handling all that can be throw at them. That means games, apps, music, movies, web browsing, social networking. To get things ticking over smoothly, the Nexus 7 relies on a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, proven to deliver smooth performance throughout. The same can be said for Apple’s new iPad. It uses Apple’s dual-core A5X chip, also capable of loading web pages in seconds. Quad-core graphics make even the latest App Store games look their best.

Apps & games

The Google Play store doesn’t have quite the same library of apps and games as Apple’s App Store, but it’s getting there. Both stores will leave owners of either tablet spoilt for choice. Some of the best are even free. And increasingly, we’re seeing video game console developers bring games to tablets, raising the standard of tablet gaming on both tablets.

Photography and video

The Nexus 7 doesn’t have a rear-facing camera. Instead it makes do with a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera to be used for video calls. Google, and manufacturer Asus clearly believe such a feature to be unnecessary. Apple thinks otherwise. The new iPad gets a 5-megapixel camera suitable for taking photos users would happy share over Facebook and Twitter. It features autofocus, face detection, and full HD video recording. A VGA-quality FaceTime camera lets iPad users make video calls over apps, and for free to other compatible Apple gadgets. If photos and videos are important to you, the iPad is the way to go.

Storage

Out of the box, the Nexus 7 has a lot less storage than an iPad. It comes in 8GB and 16GB variants. An iPad on the other hand, is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB editions. The good news is that both tablets can take advantage of cloud storage – iCloud for the iPad and Google Drive for the Nexus 7, combined with the on board storage deliver all the storage owners of either tablet could ever need. But if we’re talking out of the box, the iPad has more storage.

Battery

Owners of either tablet can look forward to a long-lasting battery. The Nexus 7 offers 8-hours, compared to up to 10 hours on an iPad when watching video, or surfing the web. Those planning to use either device continually might want to knock an hour or two off, if playing games.

Price

At just £159 to £199 – the Nexus 7 is a bit of a bargain. Its array of features, a refined Android interface and high quality build make it the best affordable iPad alternative yet.

By contrast you’d have to pay a lot more for an iPad, which in today’s tablet market remains a premium purchase at Apple’s top dollar prices. New iPad prices start from £399 for a Wi-Fi only tablet with 16GB of built-in flash memory, rising to £659 for 64GB of storage.

Nexus 7, or new iPad? Have you decided yet

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