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?
Check out the Google Nexus 7 review
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?
User comments (7)
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serge26 July 2012
i think that both tablets are nice, but if you want something really good designed, you should take the ipad. But if you want to take a look to android is a good option but i think that exist other tablets much better than the nexus, i think the nexus is an average tablet, good but is not the best.
Report as inappropriateKaltern26 July 2012
Because you have obviously used both right? The iPad is seeing the end of its dominance, finally.
Report as inappropriateChris Bryson26 July 2012
My 'other half' has the iPad 2 and I have just bought the Nexus 7, now finally being able to dump the Playbook. Both are totally different because of the size. I use the Nexus 7 all around the house as it is so portable, but the iPad never leaves the front room. If I had to choose, I would always pick the Nexus 7. It still is not perfect, doubt it ever will be, but neither is the iPad. But I also like to customise and mess around with things, so Android is great for that. iOS is getting a little dated now and boring.
Report as inappropriateJoshua26 July 2012
Yeah I agree iOS is boring now, in saying that it is far better than Android. Android has old style menus where all the settings on iOS are in one place, nice and easy. I'm going to wait to decide who will kill the iPads power, Windows Surface? Definitely won't be an instant success however; Microsoft pour money into it like the Xbox, it can become dominant. In other words iPad has the lead, but it's all to play for, it's a three horse race now. iOS, Android, Windows.
Report as inappropriateSimonDobrzanski26 July 2012
It is not really how good the machine is. It is the content available to use on it. So untill some one else catches up to iTunes apple will win every time.
Report as inappropriateRichard26 July 2012
I got the nexus 7 and I loved it just when I unlocked the screen. I never had an ipad , but I have tried it at some times in shops and I think the nexus is more interesting than the ipad . I know apple has more apps, but android is a different kind of os, and it is cheaper than the apple products just like the new iPad or even an older one. Nexus is came with less storage, because we don't need to use it for books and movies, because they are in the cloud. Also apple keep the iOS just in the same and its get boring now.
Report as inappropriateDaRiCh27 July 2012
It's gotta be a Nexus 7 for me. I would use it mostly for movies and games, something the iPads not really suited for with its ancient 4:3 screen. The Nexus 7 is MUCH better suited for this use, though the lack of storage and an SD card slot is bit of an issue. Cloud storage is a bit pointless, as wifi is not available everywhere!
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