Size and weight

The iPad mini shapes up at 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm and weighs 312g, against the Nexus 7’s dimensions of 199 x 120 x 10.45mm and 340g weight. So while the devices are pretty much the same height, the iPad mini is wider - yet still thinner and lighter - reflecting more favourably on its overall form factor.

Display

The Nexus 7 has a 7in IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels (216 PPI), which trumps the 1024 x 768 pixels (163 PPI) of the iPad mini. Some may prefer the larger 7.9 screen of the latter however, with its thinner bezel accommodating more room in which to operate.

Storage and memory

The Nexus 7 comes in 8, 16 and soon, 32GB offerings, while the iPad mini will available as a 16, 32 and 64GB model. Neither has a card slot for additional memory.

Processor

The Google-Asus manufactured tablet boasts a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor clocked at 1.3GHZ. We don’t know about the speed of Apple’s A5 chip, but its dual-core engine is likely to lag behind the Nexus 7.

Software

The Nexus 7 runs the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, with the iPad Mini running the much-maligned iOS 6.

Camera

The iPad mini offers more in this department with a 1.2-megapixel front camera and a 5-megapixel rear, while the Nexus 7 has only a 1.2-megapixel front-facing cam. Both devices record video in 720p.

Battery

This is a dead heat on paper. Each party claims its tablet can last for 10 hours.

Connectivity

While the Nexus 7 does not even come with integrated 3G, the iPad mini boasts super-fast 4G LTE connectivity on the more expensive models. The cheaper additions are Wi-Fi only like the Nexus 7.

Price

The Nexus 7 was noted for its excellent value on release at £159 for the 8GB model and the imminent 32GB edition is expected to cost £200. This makes Google’s product much more of a budget device, with the iPad mini’s price range starting at £269 for the Wi-Fi only 16GB version, and ending at £529 for the 64GB LTE model.

For a closer look at both tablets, check out our reviews of the Apple iPad mini and the Google Nexus 7.