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Price: $369 (Wi-Fi, 16GB)  |  Web: www.apple.com/au  |  Critical specs: 7.9-inch IPS display at 1,024 x 768 pixels, 1GHz Apple A5 dual-core CPU, 512MB RAM, 16-64GB storage, 308g.

Steve Jobs was wrong. At least partly. The late head of Apple famously poo-pooed the idea of a 7-inch iPad back in 2010, saying that a screen of that size “is too small to express the software” — meaning that, from his perspective, it didn’t gel well with the design and usability of iOS. The resounding success of other 7-inch tablets — notably Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Fire HD — would seem to prove that many of us disagree with Jobs on this point. And indeed, some in Apple must, too.

The arrival of the 7.9-inch iPad Mini isn’t perhaps a complete reverse course for Apple — the tech juggernaut has often been pragmatic in the face of customer demand (just take a look at the diverse array of iPods as an example) and to be fair, the Mini’s screen is closer to 8-inch than 7-inch. So does that extra 0.9-inch really make any difference? And is this a more usable and better-built tablet than Google’s Nexus 7? This month, we set to find out, as objectively as possible.

By the numbers

Before we dig into the nitty gritty, let’s take a quick second to run through the basics. The iPad Mini doesn’t have much in the way of new hardware under the bonnet — this is essentially just a shrunken-down version of the iPad 2. While the chassis is different, inside there’s the same 1GHz Apple A5 processor with 512MB of RAM, the same dual-core PowerVR graphics chip and an IPS-based LCD screen with the same 1,024 x 768-pixel resolution.

It’s no surprise then that in our Labs testing, the Mini produced almost identical results to the iPad 2. Both general CPU grunt and gaming capabilities are within 1-2% of each other, so there’s really no discernible difference between the two. It’s a tad disappointing that the Mini doesn’t match the third-generation iPad for graphics grunt, especially given that the latter’s already been superseded and outclassed by the fourth-generation iPad. But in a way there is an upside: it means app developers only need to make sure their programs and games run on an iPad 2 to ensure they’re also OK on the Mini.

Screen test

For many TechLife testers, the screen is the most critical component in a tablet. Apple’s done a great job of reinforcing this idea with its focus on Retina displays. That may have actually worked against it this time, however, as the Mini doesn’t pack a Retina-class panel. What makes a Retina display is how densely packed the onscreen pixels are — packing more pixels in a smaller area allows for both greater detail and sharpness.

Here the Nexus 7 has a clear advantage, with its 7-inch 1,280 x 800 screen giving it 216 pixels per inch (ppi). The Mini, by comparison, has a ppi of 163 with its 7.9-inch display at 1,024 x 768 pixels. While its physically smaller size means the Mini does render text, images and games a little more crisply than the bigger iPad 2, the Nexus’s extra 50ppi makes as noticeable difference. Small text in particular is much more legible, with better edge definition making it easier to read. The iPad Mini’s rendering of smaller text is comparatively blurry and smudged, and in the web browser you’ll need to zoom in to make things legible — just like on an iPhone.

But while the Nexus may have the advantage in sharpness, in our tests the iPad Mini hits back with superior contrast. What it means is that it can show more detail in both very dark and very light areas, which arguably gives it the edge for both watching films and playing games. That contrast advantage also helps to broaden the Mini’s colour palette and give it generally more vibrant and natural colours. That’s particularly apparent with skin tones, where the Nexus 7 casts a yellowish hue over people of all races.

And moreover, while the Nexus 7’s 16:9 aspect ratio screen should make it superior for movies and TV shows — they’re more likely to fill the entire screen — in terms of physical size, the iPad Mini’s larger screen means both tablets show 16:9 videos at virtually the same size.

As a final point, though this does somewhat come down to personal preference, the Mini’s 4:3 aspect ratio display also has advantages for web browsing. It can comfortably be used in either portrait or landscape mode, while the Nexus 7 is too narrow in the former and too short in the latter.

Overall usability

Apple seemingly hasn’t made any adjustments to tailor iOS to the Mini’s slightly smaller screen — onscreen buttons and other interface elements are just rendered smaller. That change doesn’t drastically affect interacting with it, but it does change the dynamics of the keyboard.

Given that a regular 9.7-inch iPad display is too narrow in portrait mode for touch typing, the Mini is definitely out. However, it’s actually more comfortable for thumb typing, as it takes less thumb gymnastics to reach far-flung keyboard keys. Landscape typing is conversely a little less pleasant; physically, the onscreen keyboard is a tad too narrow for touch typing. We could hunt and peck with three fingers and thumb, but those with larger hands will likely find it cramped.

Weight also affects using a device and this is one area that the Mini seriously owns. At a tiny 308g, it’s under half the weight of its 2012-model brethren (the third- and fourth-generation iPads) and 30g less than the Nexus 7. Yet despite that low weight, this is still a device that’s rigid and well-built — it’s perhaps not quite as reassuringly robust-feeling as bigger iPads, but it’s exceptionally thin at 7.2mm (to put things in perspective, the iPhone 5 is thicker at 7.6mm). Those combine to make it a breeze to hold for prolonged periods, whether you’re reading ebooks, playing games or surfing the web.

Battery life is likewise excellent. Across three full cycles, we managed between 9.5 and 10.5 hours of screen-on time with mixed real-world usage including gaming, web browsing, movies and email. Using our standard iPad battery life test streaming ABC News 24 across a Wi-Fi connection, the Mini outdid both the iPad 2 and Nexus 7, hitting almost 11 hours. That’s an absolutely first-rate result.

Better value?

If the iPad Mini has one standout problem (besides its lowish resolution), it’s price. It sits in an uncomfortable middle ground, straddling the divide between the $249 Nexus 7 and the $429 iPad 2. And with Google’s $469 Nexus 10 now available (which packs a 10.1-inch Retina-smashing 2,560 x 1,600-pixel screen — review of this model coming soon) it’s not really even trying to be competitive. The iOS ecosystem’s raft of high-quality apps, games, music and movies does give Apple some justification (or perhaps ‘leverage’ is a more honest description) in asking us to pay a higher price. It’s just a shame that the Mini’s hardware doesn’t quite justify that premium on its own.

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