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We ended the first part of our tablet comparison with the iPad Mini with Retina Display enjoying a 3 to 1 lead over the Android competitors. Now let’s proceed with second installment where we’ll look at the other aspects of the tablet and announce the victor of this head-to-head comparison.

comparison

Audio Quality

Sound output has always been a subjective opinion and to be frank it’s really difficult to definitively conclude that one is better than the other in this category.

For an average user, the difference in audio quality is nearly indistinguishable. However, instead of just giving each candidate a point, we decided to do a little research to find out which excels in this area. Luckily, the folks over at GSM Arena provided a very detailed comparison between the sound output of these three candidates. Here are the results based on their audio test:

audio

However, if you need more information about each of the parameters in the chart, just head on over to this link.

In a less technical term, the chart tells us that the iPad Mini 2 is the more well-rounded performer compared to the other two slates. But as we’ve mentioned earlier, unless you have a very sophisticated ear, the difference between the three contenders are very marginal.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 1
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Camera

The three slates on our list have the same 5MP camera on the back that also shoots 1080p videos with 30fps frame rate. Moreover, all the tablets have an accompanying 1.2MP camera on the front that records 720p videos.

Based on our experience, the image output in well-lit condition are almost identical to each other. But in order to pick a victor in this criterion, we delve a little deeper to find out which one has the better camera setup both in the hardware and software standpoint.

camera comparison

As you can see, the contest is a tightly contested one. However, the LG G Pad walks away with the award on this one despite of its slightly narrower aperture. The reason for that is the Stereo quality audio on the video recording which is notably missing on the other tablets.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 2
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Processing power

It’s a bit of a tossup in the processing segment. On one end we got two candidates (N7 and V500) sporting a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor with 2GB of RAM. On the other hand, the iPad Mini 2 is equipped with a 64-bit dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and accompanying M7 processor.

Real-world usage aside, one can make the argument that the new iPad Mini has the least amount of firepower on paper than the rest of the gang, making it a two-horse race between the G Pad and Nexus 7.

benchmark

Above is a side-by-side comparison of the benchmark test result we got from the LG G Pad 8.3 and Google Nexus 7 2013. Despite having an almost identical configuration, the former fared better in the test compared to the 2nd Generation Nexus tablet.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 3
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4
Storage

Unlike the other categories we’ve tackled so far, this one’s pretty lopsided for the LG G Pad. That’s because it’s the only tablet that has an expansion slot for a micro-SD card among the candidates. Sure you can opt for 128GB iPad Mini 2, but then you’d have to shell out a hefty amount of dough to get one.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 1
LG G Pad 8.3 = 4
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Price

Speaking of price, I think we can all agree that Nexus 7 2013 reigns supreme in terms of pricing. The 16GB version currently retails for USD229 while the new iPad Mini and G Pad costs USD299 and USD329 respectively.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 2
LG G Pad 8.3 = 4
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 4

Battery Life

We’re down to our last category and it seems that the iPad Mini with Retina Display will come away victorious as it lambasted the other two tablets in terms of mileage per charge.

The iPad Mini 2 benefited from the 45% bigger power pack compared to its predecessor, allowing it to last almost 11 hours of continuous web browsing over Wi-Fi and more than half-a-days’ worth of 1080p video playback.

ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013 = 2
LG G Pad 8.3 = 4
iPad Mini with Retina Display = 5

Verdict

That concludes our rather lengthy comparison between the Apple iPad Mini with Retina Display, LG G Pad 8.3 and the ASUS Google Nexus 7 2013. The iPad Air’s smaller sibling won the contest by a hair with the LG G Pad 8.3 coming in a close second place.

This is not to say though that 2nd Gen Nexus 7 is any less spectacular than the two aforementioned slates. In fact, it’s still a force to be reckoned with primarily because of its cheap price tag and reliable software update from Google.

ipad mini with retina philippines

That said, if you’re in the market for a tablet that’s 10-inch below, the iPad Mini 2 is your best bet. But if iOS isn’t exactly your cup of tea, then the LG G Pad 8.3 will certainly be a good alternative.

The post Battle of the 3 Best Tablets under 10-inch (Part 2) appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

It’s been a long time since LG released an Android tablet and the last time we remember it was outrageously expensive. LG’s comeback to the tablet market is marked by the G Pad 8.3 with a form factor that’s strikingly akin to the iPad Mini. Check out our full review of the LG G Pad 8.3 after the break.

We thought LG would have given up on the tablet market altogether but after it announced the G Pad 8.3 last September, it made a really good first impression. It was designed well, had an impressive configuration and was also priced competitively.

The only other critical factor is when they’d release it in the local market. Fortunately, the answer to that is this December.

Design and Construction.

The G Pad comes with a simple yet elegant design. The solid body is made of a combination of metal and glass, crafted into a smooth slab with curved corners and a slim body.

The size is very close to that of the iPad Mini but slightly taller due to the 16:9 screen aspect ratio. The front panel is entirely covered by Gorilla Glass while the back panel is mostly covered with brushed metal aluminum.

The power button and volume controls are on the right side, the 3.5mm audio port and slot for microSD card are on top, microUSB port and microphone at the bottom end.

The 5MP rear camera is tucked at the top corner at the back while the 2.1MP front facing camera is on the other side, just beside the LG logo. The dual stereo speakers at the back are both flushed towards the right corner giving you the impression that it is meant to be oriented in landscape position when playing music or movies.

Display.

With an 8.3-inch IPS LCD, the G Pad comes with a full HD 1080p resolution. That puts it at about 265ppi in pixel density, among the highest in Android tablets we’ve seen of late.

The IPS display on the G Pad is undoubtedly among the best we’ve also tested — colors are natural, screen is bright and vivid, images are sharp, high contrast and very wide viewing angles.

Like the G2, the G Pad has a very thin bezel which is generally good but sometimes could get cumbersome while holding the tablet in portrait orientation (it is perfect for landscape orientation though).

The tap to wake or tap to sleep feature is also present in the G Pad (borrowed from the G2) which is among the most useful and practical feature we’ve seen.

OS, UI and Apps.

The G Pad comes with Android 4.2 Jellybean which is already a capable version of the operating system. LG added the same Optimus UI (there was no news about changing the name of their UI) we were already familiar with, especially on the G2.

The user interface is clean and simple, with some additional features that were first introduced in the G2 were also added (like Quick Memo and QSlide).

Multimedia and Camera.

We first saw the Quick Remote on the LG G2 and the same feature is also found on the G Pad. We’ve extensively tested the remote app for TVs and other appliances and it worked almost flawlessly most of the time (even on air conditioners).

QPair is another native app to the LG G Pad that allows you to share SMS and other notifications from your G2 to your G Pad. We liked the fact though that you can actually edit the soft button menus and re-arrange them or add another button.

While the tablet only has 16GB of internal storage, there’s also an option for USB OTG so you can plug in a flash drive or HDD if you want to access larger 3rd party storage. That’s aside from the option to expand external storage via microSD card.

The pair of speakers at the perform quite well, just enough power and some level of clarity although bass is expected to be lacking in oomph.

The 5MP rear camera is decent, works good with ample lighting but degrades very quickly on low-light conditions.

Photos are nothing spectacular but pretty decent; good enough for a tablet. As for video recording, here’s a sample of a YouTube clip we got:

Tick on the 1080p setting before playing the clip.

The autofocus works well and focuses at the subject at very close range.

Performance and Benchmarks.

The tablet is a very capable one and is able to handle anything we throw at it, from gaming to multimedia, all while multitasking several apps.

The G Pad scored a good 11,483 on Quadrant, a high of 22,199 on Antutu Benchmark and a full 60.0fps on Nenamark 2.

These scores are better than the ones we got from the Xperia Tablet Z and the Nexus 7 2013. The only other tablet that scored much higher than the G Pad is the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition (with its octa-core chip).

Connectivity and Battery Life.

The current model that we reviewed is the WiFi-only variant as the LTE model is not yet released. Nevertheless, we’re contented to have the usual connectivity options like Bluetooth and GPS on board. In fact, we’re already happy that it comes with a built-in IR blaster as a remote control.

We were hoping there’d be NFC here as well but unfortunately, there’s none.

As for battery life, we’re pretty satisfied with the performance of the G Pad. On normal use, we manage to last over a day — mostly running social networking apps, Chrome browser, music player and YouTube.

Using our standard battery bench of playing a full HD 1080p movie in a loop at 50% brightness and 0% volume, the tablet lasted close to 8 hours.

Conclusion.

With a suggested retail price of Php16,990, the LG G Pad 8.3 is probably among the best Android tablets you an get around these days, right up there with the Nexus 7 2013. In fact, the two are are almost in the same caliber but the G Pad 8.3 slightly edges over the Nexus 7 2013 in some aspects (like premium build, wireless remote, expandable storage).

We can definitely say LG G Pad 8.3 is a great comeback in the tablet market for LG Mobile. It’s got the right mix of everything — beauty, performance and price competitiveness.

LG G Pad 8.3 V500 specs:
8.3-inch IPS LCD @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 265ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz quad-core processor
Adreno 320 Graphics
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD card
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
HSPA+/LTE 100Mbps (optional)
5MP AF rear camera
1080p video recording @ 30fps
2.1 MP front-facing camera
4600mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
216.8mm x 126.5mm x 8.3mm
338 grams (weight)

What we liked about it:
* Very nice design
* Premium build quality
* Great hardware configuration
* Impressive display quality
* Good battery life

What we did not like:
* Lacks NFC
* Low internal storage

The post LG G Pad 8.3 Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.