iPad mini 3 vs. the competition: Which will you hold in one hand?

The iPhone might be getting bigger with each iteration, but it's not quite at tablet size yet. There's still plenty of room for the latest 7.9-inch iPad mini, now equipped with Touch ID. But is that enough to justify buying one over other 7-inch slates? We've sized up the iPad mini 3 against some of its more popular competitors to see which tablet's specs give you the most bang for the buck. If matching the iPad mini 3 up against the Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab4 7.0 and Kindle Fire HD 7-inch isn't enough for you, make your own comparison with our handy tool and decide for yourself which tablet really comes out on top.

	iPad mini 3	Nexus 7 (2013)	Galaxy Tab4 7.0	Kindle Fire HD 7-inch (2014)
Price	$399 and up (WiFi), $529 and up (Cellular)	$229 and up	$179	$139 and up
Thickness	7.5mm (0.29 inches)	8.65mm (0.34 inches)	8.89mm (0.35 inches)	10.6mm (0.4 inches)
Weight	331g or 341g (0.73 or 0.75 pounds)	290g (0.64 pounds)	276g (0.60 pounds)	337g (0.74 pounds)
OS	iOS 8	Android 4.4	Android 4.4	Android 4.4
Display	7.9-inch IPS LCD Retina display	7.02-inch IPS LCD	7-inch WXGA TFT LCD	7-inch IPS LCD
Resolution	2,048 x 1,536 (326 ppi)	1,920 x 1,200 (323 ppi)	1,280 x 800 (216 ppi)	1,280 x 800 (216 ppi)
Processor	64-bit Apple A8X	32-bit 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro	32-bit 1.2GHz Cortex A7 (quad-core)	32-bit 1.2 GHz MTK8135 (quad-core 2xA15+ 2xA7)
Memory	A7	2GB	1.5GB	1GB
Storage	16 / 64 / 128GB	16 / 32GB	8GB	8 / 16GB
Ports	Lightning	microUSB	microSD, HDMI	micro USB 2.0
Front camera	1.2MP FaceTime, 720p	1.2MP	1.3MP	VGA
Rear camera	5.0MP iSight, f/2.4, 1080p	5.0MP	3.0MP	2.0MP, 1080p
Cellular radio	Optional GSM/EDGE CDMA UMTS/HSPA/ HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA LTE	Optional GSM/HSPA+/LTE	None	None
WiFi	802.11 a/b/g/n	Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n	Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n	802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth	v4.0	v4.0	v4.0 LE	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes
Battery	10 hours	3,950 mAh	4,000 mAh Li-ion	8 hours

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

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