Tale of the tape: comparing iPad mini, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD

By Salvador Rodriguez

October 23, 2012, 4:30 p.m.

With the unveiling of the iPad mini the battlefield is finally set for this holiday season's tablet wars.

The iPad mini is taking on Google's Nexus 7 as well as Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire HD. So let's see how they stack up on paper.

Also

Display

Although the iPad mini boasts the largest display of the bunch at 7.9 inches, its resolution falls short of others. The iPad mini has just a 1,024 by 768 pixel resolution and a low pixels per inch density (PPI) of 163.

By comparison, the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD have 7-inch screens with 1,280 by 800 pixel resolutions and 216 PPI.

Weight

When it comes to weight, though, the iPad mini is easily the lightest of the three. It weighs 0.68 pounds. The Nexus 7 comes in at 0.75 pounds while the Kindle Fire HD rounds out the bunch at 0.87 pounds.

Thickness

The iPad mini is also the thinnest of the mini tablets at just 7.2 millimeters, or .28 inches, thick. The iPad mini by far beats the Kindle Fire HD, which is 10.3 millimeters, or about .40 inches, thick, and the Nexus 7, which is the thickest at 10.45 millimeters, or .41 inches.

Camera

With cameras, Apple is once again the clear winner. The iPad mini is the only one of the tablets that features a back-facing camera. It shoots 5-megapixel photos and records 1080p HD video.

The iPad mini also has a front-facing camera, which records 720p HD and shoots 1.2-megapixel photos. Google ties that mark with the Nexus 7.

Meanwhile, the Kindle Fire HD is the clear loser. Its camera doesn't take pictures or record video. It can only be used with Skype.

Battery

Amazon clearly wins when it comes to battery life, asserting the Kindle Fire HD can stay powered for 11 hours during continuous use.

The iPad mini, though, is a close second. Apple says it has the same 10-hour battery life that the 9.7-inch iPad has.

Google's Nexus 7 has a battery life of 8 hours.

Connectivity

All three tablets connect to Wi-Fi, but if you're looking for a small tablet that can connect to cellular networks, your only choice is the iPad mini. But LTE doesn't come cheap. The cellular-connected iPad mini starts at $459.

Comments (2)

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Larrys7 at 6:25 AM October 24, 2012

Google C.E.O. Larry Page has full-blown AIDS.

cjwilliams2008 at 8:05 PM October 23, 2012

Another tabletmaker also introduced a series of new Android tablets with some impressive features -- one is called the Novo 7 Flame - priced at $189 at a site called TabletSprint - a 7 Inch tablet that gives the $249 Nexus 7 & the new $330 Mini iPad some competition-- the Novo 7 Flame has 16GB, Android 4.1 O/S, a high resolution 1280x800 screen, Micro-SD portable storage, HDMI to view movies and media downloads on a TV in HD, Two Cameras - inclhding a 5 MegaPixel camera with AF & Flash, and a 2 MegaPixel Webcam; plus Bluetooth, Ethernet, WiFi and an option for 3G... made by Ainol Electronics - an Award Winner for "Best Tablet of the Year" at CNET/Consumer Electronics Show 2012 -- They're also launching two new 10-Inch tablets with high resolution screens -- one has a Dual Core processor with a 1280x800 screen for $220; and a powerful Quad Core with a 1920x1200 Liquid Crystal display (like Apple's Retina screen) for around $260 -- one of the first sites to offer these new models in the U.S. is TabletSprint --

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