Over the holidays, I had the chance to use an iPad mini belonging to one of my relatives, along with my Nexus 7, and I realized something about my personal tablet use that I hadn’t before: I actually found the iPad mini’s display, despite the lower resolution, was a better fit for most of what I want to do on a tablet. Now, this is certainly not enough to make me switch to iOS, but it does make me wish that Android manufacturers would change one thing about some small Android tablets; namely, the aspect ratio.
Yes, the iPad mini’s display is physically larger than the Nexus 7′s at 7.9 inches to an even 7, but the big difference comes in aspect ratio. The Nexus 7 has a 16:10 aspect ratio, while the iPad has a 4:3 aspect ratio, or 16:12 for comparison to the Nexus. Essentially, what this boils down to is a slightly wider tablet in portrait mode, which is superior for a number of uses.
When the original iPad came out, it was criticized for its aspect ratio and the fact that it wasn’t ideal for movies, which is completely true. However, I’ve found that the 4:3 aspect ratio is better for most of what I use my tablet for, particularly in portrait mode, so much so that I would trade my Nexus 7 for a 4:3 Nexus 7 equivalent in a heartbeat.
First, there is web browsing. Yes, it works fine on the 16:10 display, but it just feels a little bit cramped on many sites because of the narrow display, often requiring zooming to read comfortably. In contrast, the added width on the 4:3 display means that most websites don’t require that slight zoom, and look a bit more natural on the display.
Then there are magazines and PDFs, which I use my tablet for quite a lot as a student. The standard iPad may be closest to an actual piece of paper, but the size and weight of the mini make it superior in many situations for PDFs and other mediums that imitate paper. Of course, what really makes the difference once again is the aspect ratio, as Andreas found while using his iPad as a textbook. On the Nexus 7, most PDFs are just a bit too small to be read without zooming, which makes the experience at least a little bit annoying. Magazines are sometimes worse and waste space at the top and bottom of the Nexus 7 display due to the aspect ratio.
I also found that while most two-pane apps look fine on the Nexus 7, they look just a little bit better on the iPad mini. Perhaps it is simply because each of the panes can be a little bit bigger, but regardless of the reason, apps with two-pane interfaces seemed just a little bit better suited to the iPad, once again mostly in portrait mode.
Finally, the 4:3 aspect ratio also works just fine for most other content like books and games, leading me to think that the 16:10 ratio’s only advantage is in videos and media. While I still love the Nexus 7 and recommend it to those looking for a 7-inch Android tablet, I just wish Samsung (or anyone) would make an updated Galaxy Tab 7.7 with the slightly wider 4:3 aspect ratio. I’d never buy an iPad mini simply because I couldn’t live with iOS, but I’ve been convinced that for many potential uses of a tablet, the 4:3 aspect ratio is superior.
I’d also be pretty happy with a 4:3 Android tablet – for the same reasons.
I love my Galaxy Tab 7.7, almost as much as my iPad mini. It sounds like Samsung’s next Galaxy Note will use the 7.7′s AMOLED display. Fingers crossed.
In general, the difference is seamless. I have yet to find an app where the extra screen real estate is a detriment.
4:3 is definitely king. I’m curious though, did you notice any difference in tablet optimized apps? Not with regards to aspect ratio, but just in general
Agreed!
In addition to the advantages of the 4×3 ratio, I prefer the 7.9″ size over the 7″ Nexus 7. Specifically, you end up with a lot more display area:
29.58 sq inch (iPad mini) vs. 22.02 sq inch (Nexus 7)
http://pixensity.com/list/tablet/
Unfortunately, after using a variety of devices with high PPI displays I find the current generation mini too low-res for my purposes
This was what I liked about the LG OPTIMUS VU.
I only saw a display model, and didn’t get to really work with it more than just check it out.
Peace
For me it is about screen real estate and resolution.
I like the Galaxy Note as 1280 x 800 and 16:10
This I find is the best resolution. It shows more from a web page or book than the iPad Mini at 1024×768.
However being bigger makes a difference. The Galaxy 7.7 Note if true should stick to 16:9 aspect. So 1920×1200 is better than 16:10 which is too thin.
1440×900 is also good which is why I would get a Nook before a Fire HD.
The Windows 8 ratio of 1366×768 is wrong. Should be 16:9 then it wouldn’t seem so elongated. Hopefully they will bring out a smaller Windows 8 hybrid with 1440×900 res.
yes, aspect ratio of 4:3 is much better. Sadly all the android manufacturer think everyone just watch movies with their devices. The mini also has a higher screen size/foot print ratio though. Look at that slim bezel compared to the thick ones on ipad 4 and nexus 7. Also the weight, 300 g vs 340 for Nexus. It’s so light weight it can easily fit inside a big jacket pocket without any consideration. The pixel density is lower, that’s true, but the size and weight advantages are more important. I like Android OS more, but I’m going to switch to the mini just because of the size.
“…leading me to think that the 16:10 ratio’s only advantage is in videos…”
That advantage is only artificial. The advantage is only there because videos are recorded with a wide ratio.
When cinema attendance dropped, Hollywood created widescreen aspect ratios (such as 1.85:1) in order to differentiate the film industry from TV.
Another reason is that a 4:3 cinema screen costs more: the height of the building must be higher, if not using wide screen.
You are probably underestimating iOS. A lot of suff felt wierd when I bought my iPad 4 day before yesterday. But now I realise that it’s actually pretty good. It’s far superior to Android tablets in battery life and actual speed. I mean, Android stuff may have a good CPU, but iOS runs stuff much much faster and smoother on a higher resolution, probably due to lack of slowpoke Java, or something like that.