LG G Pad 8.3 GPE vs. iPad Mini Retina vs. Google Nexus 7 FHD
Santa Claus brought an LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition tablet early this years. To me the display is perhaps the most important aspect of a tablet, so here is a how it stacks up versus some competitors:
| Tablet Model | Release Date | Diagonal Screen Size | Total Screen Area (Dimensions) | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Pixels Per Inch (PPI) |
| LG G Pad 8.3 | 2013 | 8.3″ | 30.96 square inches (7″x4.4″) | 1920×1200 | 16:10 (8:5) | 272.79 |
| Apple iPad Mini (2nd Generation) | 2013 | 7.9″ | 29.96 square inches (6.3″x4.7″) | 2048×1536 | 4:3 | 324.05 |
| Google Nexus 7 (2013) | 2013 | 7″ | 22.02 square inches (5.9″x3.7″) | 1920×1200 | 16:10 (8:5) | 323.45 |
Specifications courtesy of Pixensity.com
Nexus 7: I really like the compact size of the Nexus 7 device and it is a great device for game playing and multimedia. However, for me it falls shorts as a news reading device as the screen area is just too small for my taste (being not that much larger than a Note 2/Note 3 phone). For me that is a killer deal, as generally if I am using a tablet it is to catch up on tech news.
iPad mini: The iPad Mini with retina display is a huge improvement over the old Mini. I am also a fan of it’s 4:3 aspect ratio as I love it for reading etc. but the price is very high and I dislike some of Apple’s software policies.
LG G Pad: Overall the G Pad hits the sweet spot for me in screen size and the price is something I am willing to pay. Especially since I can get the 16GB device, +64GB of media storage via MicroSD (totaling 80GB) for the same price as a 16GB iPad Mini with Retina display 🙂
Real World Review of the LG G Pad 8.3 GPE
Display quality: Excellent
I find the display quality to be comparable to the excellent 2013 Nexus 7 display AND I love the larger size of the G Pad’s display.
Display brightness: Good
Most reviews seem to mention that the display is dim. I do not find this to be the case, as the overall display visibility is excellent indoors. Generally I have the tablet turned down some from max when I am indoors, thus there is brightness to spare for my purposes.
However, I do not use tablets much outdoors. If I did, then yes I would probably find that the G Pad lacks the lumens to compete effectively with the sun.
Device build quality and feel: Excellent
I actually prefer the feel of the G Pad over the Nexus 7, and the G Oad in hand reminds me very much of the feel of my wife’s iPad Air. It is a very premium metallic feel that is fairly unique in the world of Android tablet. However, I will soon have a case on it to prevent scratches.
Performance: Excellent
The device is very speedy and I rarely have to wait on it. This is truly how tablet performance should be 🙂
Battery life: Fair
Battery life is reasonably good but I find that opportunistic charging (i.e. plugging the tablet in whenever I get the chance) is a good idea. This is not a tablet that is going to stand up to multiple days of heavy use without putting some juice back into it at some point along the way.
Software: Excellent
I am a big fan of stock Android and I generally do not like the various vendor (Samsung, HTC, LG) skins since they inevitability degrade performance. Without the overhead of a skin/theme, everything is nice and snappy with the GPE edition of the tablet.
Drawbacks so far?
Price – price is the main drawback, as the GPE edition carries a premium over it’s very similar (hardware wise) cousin: the regular LG G Pad 8.3
Accessories – there are no where near as many accesories for this device as there are for the iPad Mini or even the Nexus 7
The ultimate tablet? For me, yes.
It is a perfect size for on the couch or carrying in a backpack on the go. Performance, build quality and display are all excellent. Storage is expandable. Stock Android is super fast and reliable. All in all it combines into my favorite tablet yet.
PS Is it enough to make an iOS devotee switch? No way, as the iPad mini is a great tablet for those who like (or are invested in) iOS and the G Pad has no features that truly outshine the mini… though the IR blaster capability and the nice memory expandability is much appreciated. Overall the G Pad is a great device but mainly because it does everything as good as (not better than) an iPad.