Hi
I'm looking to buy an Tablet/Ipad. I've looked at a Ipad Mini,a Nexus 7" & Galaxy tab 2, read loads of reviews etc, and I'm getting a bit confused as to what to buy. i realise that the Ipad is dearer & there is various good bits & not so good bits in all 3. If they all were to cost the same which one would any one choose. Can anyone give me guidence please. Pete G

They're all extremely similar.

Personally I wouldn't get an ipad mini right now as they're bound to put a better screen on it at the first update (probably september).

Do you or your family run any compatible devices at the moment i.e iphone or Android phone? do you use itunes allready? do you use a lot of Google's services at the moment?

Does it matter to you that some tablets are made from plastic and some have better build quality although at more expense?

Do you want a 7" screen or 7.9" screen?

Not wanting to get into details about speed, graphics and responsiveness, but I would say that if you need easy file transfer (USB), easy video out (HDMI) and multi-tasking (background downloads) Android is better.

The Nexus 7 doesn't offer HDMI, but all round we're moving away from cables to wireless solutions such as Miracast or Airplay.

dont think the Galaxy Tab 2 does either, lots of people having problems with the adaptors you can buy.

If you already have apple devices stick with apple. if you have android devices stick with android. If you fancy a change then get the other make.

If you dont have any device at the moment. Then I would get the one with the best screen, which is the Nexus 7. It will be cheaper than the ipad. The ipad screen is also poor compared to the Nexus7 screen. Since the screen is what you will be looking at, I would get the one with the best screen.

I would go to your local electrical retailer, and have a look at all three tablets side by side. Also bear in mind that Android is far more flexible than iOS.

I have a Nexus 7 and an iPad mini. Personally I infinitely prefer the iPad mini, but I would say the Nexus 7 is better value for money. I always choose the iPad in preference to the Nexus 7 and on many occasions in preference to my retina iPad 3. The screen is a lot bigger than the Nexus 7 (albeit lower resolution) and yet still in a very manageable form factor that makes it very easy to use on the go.

Yep.. I have network media player attached to my TV and I'm able to stream directly from my Nexus using a DNLA client. No messy cables involved or use it to remote control my NAS.

I have an iPhone and I looked at the iPad mini - but chose the Nexus 7 for a number of reasons, not least its cheaper and it fits in my pocket so I can in fact take it out with me without needing a man bag.

This last point may not be important to the OP.

No one can know what tablet is best for the OP, not even the OP.

The only thing to do is go and buy one.


How about something like a Kindle Fire HD at £159 ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlC8pr5rY0o

Its probably the worst of the bunch. Its bulky and limited to what you can buy from Amazon. The only thing it has going for it is it is cheap.

It's wider than a Nexus 7, bulky is a personal thing.

For home use a person might not care.

As for "worst", that is not correct. It depends what a person is after.

Kindle Fire HD is very much for people who don't think of themselves as very techy.
----------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8bCJxqlMX0

I have both and I agree. I also think that overall the screen on the iPad mini is slightly better than the screen on the nexus 7. The nexus 7 has better specs on paper but I find that the mini has a better colour temperature.

Obviously not accounting for the fact that the Nexus 7 has a 30% higher screen resolution,

The OP really needs to have a play with both. While the Nexus 7 has a far better resolution, the iPad mini provides a much larger useable screen area. Due to the differing aspect ratio the difference is very noticeable.

I think it makes sense to go for the biggest screen you can afford/is portable for you. For me though, once you go over a certain screen size, I would rather have my laptop with a proper keyboard - it beats any tablet hands down.

That was the crucial factor for me. Without a case, the Nexus 7 fits perfectly into an inside jacket pocket.

I have a handbag so it's whatever will fit in that

The nexus 7 and the ipad mini fit comfortably in my everyday handbag. My galaxy tab 2 10.1 will not fit in my handbag and that's what led me to get a 7 inch tablet in the first place.

In real life I don't see this, but we are all different. I often find that specs on paper are different to real life performance. The mini looks rubbish on paper but in real life I find it to be quite good. Likewise the nexus 7 sounds amazing on paper but in real life whilst it is good it isn't amazing. Perhaps I was expecting too much. I find the screens on the mini and the nexus to be adequate. Nothing special or out of the ordinary. They are both better than the screen on my galaxy tab 2 10.1 though. Out of the mobile screens I have I'd rank them like this

1. ipod touch fifth generation
2. Galaxy note
3. ipad mini
4. Nexus 7
5. Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

On specs they should rank like this:

1. ipod touch fifth generation
2. Galaxy note
3. Nexus 7
4. Galaxy tab 2 10.1
5. ipad mini

with a case as well. (obv depends on your jacket and case).

Looks to me like you are avoiding overall usability.

I'd really hate to spend any length of time browsing the web with the Touch or even for that matter, the Note.
Obviously a 10.1" 1280X800 16:10 screen if you look close you can join the dots.

I'm only basing this on screen quality not useability. The 10.1 screen is rather washed out and not very crisp in comparison to the others. If I was basing it on overall useability the galaxy tab would rank near the top if not at the top.

I spent quite a while playing with the nexus 7 and iPad mini before choosing the mini. I would totally agree with you regarding the screen. I could not see any significant difference and definately not the difference implied by the specs.

I do think the extra screen space on the iPad mini makes web browsing easier.

I really do enjoy the mini's screen size and aspect ratio. It's large enough to make it functional yet at the same time it's incredibly light making it portable. I'll definitely be getting rid of my nexus 7. The form factor of the mini makes it hard to justify keeping my galaxy tab 2 10.1, I'll see though. The mini does everything I need in a tablet apart from flash but you can't have everything and having access to iTunes downloads, lovefilm instant and blink box outweighs the lack of flash.