After many leaks, the expected Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 it has finally become official. Although we still do not have the exact release date, Samsung has announced that it will go on sale globally this month and we have already been able, in addition, to know all their Technical specifications, so we can already show you a comparative putting his characteristics face to face with that of one of the greatest rivals, if not the greatest, to beat in the field of compact tablets: the iPad mini.
Designer
With regard to the design, both tablets are very similar, with slightly rounded corners and much narrower side frames than the upper and lower ones, but the hallmarks of both Apple and Samsung they are still perfectly visible. As for the colors in which they can be purchased, the iPad mini is available in both black and white, while the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 it has so far been advertised only in white.
We also find an enormous similarity in dimensions, although it can still be seen that the 3 8.0 Tab is a little longer than the iPad mini, which is slightly more square: the tablet of Samsung is taller (20,9 cm in front of 20 cm) and narrower (12,38 cm in front of 13,47 cm). The similarity is even more pronounced when it comes to thickness (7,4 mm against 7,2 mm) and weight (314 grams against 312 grams).
Screen
La screen It is not the strong point of either of the two tablets that we present, and in this section, therefore, we find what could well be considered a technical draw. In addition to being almost exactly the same size (8 inches the tablet of Samsung y 7.9 inches of Apple ), the resolution data is also very similar: with a resolution of 1280 x 800 la Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 achieves a pixel density slightly higher than that of iPad mini (189 PPI vs 162 PPI), whose resolution is 1024 x 768. However, as you can see, the difference is certainly small.
Unlimited
Although the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 It is not one of the most powerful tablets of the last generation of Samsung, its technical specifications are sufficient to exceed those of the iPad mini. The processor of the South Korean tablet is a Intel Clover Trail de dual core but 1,5 GHz, while that of the Cupertino, the A5, Is dual core with a frequency of 1 GHz. The superiority, however, is even clearer in the RAM section, with 1,5 GB against 512 MB.
It is true, in any case, that as we discussed in our full test tablet, the performance of the iPad mini it can be underestimated by judging only the technical specification sheet and, at least in terms of user experience, we can find ourselves with a much greater fluency than one would expect, thanks in large part to its operating system. It will be interesting, therefore, to be able to observe video comparisons that allow us to appreciate the real differences of responsiveness in everyday use, but for that, unfortunately, we still have to wait.
Storage capacity
Considering the different capacities of the available models, the advantage would be for the iPad mini, which is available up to 64 GB hard disk, in front of Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 which will only be released in two models (16 / 32 GB). Tablet SamsungHowever, it has a fundamental point in its favor, which is the possibility of inserting cards micro-SD and expand the available memory up to 64 GB, option that at the moment Apple still not incorporated to their devices.
Cameras
In this section we meet again with practically absolute equality between both devices. Although it is common for tablets to dispense with the rear camera, both in the iPad mini with in the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 we can find it, and in both cases we will enjoy a lens of 5 SM. There are also no substantial differences when it comes to the front camera, from 1,2 SM on the tablet Apple and 1,3 SM in that of Samsung.
Connectivity
Both tablets are available in both versions only Wi-Fi as in connected versions 3G. Of course, both devices also have, for all their models, with Bluetooth 4.0.
Battery
This is a point that is always difficult to judge without real evidence of autonomy: in principle the data of battery they are very similar4450 mAh for tablet Samsung y 4490 mAh for that of Apple ), but the duration between load and load, probably, are not so similar, since those of Cupertino have proven to be unbeatable for the moment in this section and the iPad mini is another great example of their superiority. We will have to wait for the tests done with the devices, in any case, to assess the real differences in autonomy between the two tablets.
Price
As you may have seen, in addition to the similarity in size, the offer of the two tablets is very similar in terms of Technical specifications: although that of Samsung manages to surpass that of Apple at some specific points, the distances do not seem excessive. Of course the differences remain operating system y design to tip the balance between one and the other, but probably for most the deciding factor when choosing between the two is the price.
Unfortunately, this detail, as you may already know, is the one that manufacturers usually take the longest to make public, and Samsung for the moment he has not said anything about it. The only references we have for now are prices given by some distributors, which point to $329, but it must be borne in mind that these first prices usually do not coincide with the official one, which is most often exceeded. Curiously, this first reference would fully coincide with the price of the iPad mini, which is also 329 Euros for the most affordable model.