Samsung has just announced the newest 7-inch tablet in its product line-up, the Galaxy Tab 3. With the competition in the smaller tablet space heating up, can Android oust iOS?
Does Samsung have what it takes to take on Apple and become the tablet king? Here's a look at how the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 and the iPad mini stack up against each other:
Processor
A 1.2GHz dual-core processor powers the Galaxy Tab 3, whereas the iPad mini has a dual-core A5 processor.
Display
The Galaxy Tab 3 has a 7-inch WSVGA TFT display with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution. On the other hand, the iPad mini sports a slightly bigger 7.9-inch LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology and 1024 x 768 pixels resolution.
However, the Galaxy Tab 3 betters the iPad mini with its higher pixel density of 169 ppi versus the iPad mini's 163 ppi.
Form Factor
The Galaxy Tab 3 measures 7.40 x 4.37 x 0.39 inches and the iPad mini has 7.87 x 5.30 x 0.28 inches dimensions, making the latter taller, wider and thinner than the former.
Weight-wise, at 302g, the Wi-Fi version of the Samsung tablet is lighter than the iPad mini, which weighs 308g.
Storage
The Galaxy Tab 3 comes in 8/16GB on-board storage options, which can be expanded to an additional 64GB using a microSD card. The iPad mini offers 16/32/64GB of internal storage; however, with no option to expand the memory further.
The Galaxy Tab 3 has double the memory vis-à-vis the iPad mini,1GB of RAM versus 512MB of RAM.
Camera
The iPad mini has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera which is better than the 3-megapixel camera of the Galaxy Tab 3.
However, the Galaxy Tab 3 has a 1.3-megapixel secondary camera which is a shade better than the iPad mini's1.2-megapixel one.
Operating System
The iPad mini runs on iOS 6, whereas the Galaxy Tab 3 comes pre-loaded with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Connectivity
The Galaxy Tab 3 supports Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and Bluetooth 3.0. The iPad mini offers Bluetooth 4.0 support, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz). However, unlike the iPad mini, the Galaxy Tab does not offer 4G LTE support.
Battery
The iPad mini has a non-removable 16.3 watt-hour (4400mAh) battery, which provides 10 hours of continuous use. On the other hand, the Galaxy Tab 3 has a removable 4000mAh Li-ion battery, but the hours of usage support offered is not yet known.
Price And Availability
The iPad mini starts from $329 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, and the price of the Galaxy Tab 3 is not yet known. The Wi-Fi version of the Samsung tablet will be available worldwide in May, with the 3G version hitting the shelves a month later in June.
With the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 packing quite a punch, it will be interesting to see if Samsung can rout Apple in the smaller tablet space. The pricing will be a deciding factor and the fact that the Galaxy Tab 3 can double up as a phone (yes, it has calling functionality) could well tilt the scales in Samsung's favor.
