2012 saw Apple and Google dive into the mid-sized tablet market with the iPad Mini and Nexus 7 competing against Kindle Fire tablets with its 8.9 inch version. 2013 witnessed Samsung jump into the bandwagon, releasing its Galaxy Note 8.0 but how does it compare to the iPad Mini? Read below.

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The iPad Mini has a glass and aluminum body that exudes solidity despite its lightweight and thin, tiny bezel surrounded screen. Though Nexus 7 doesn't have the impression of being a solid one, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is even more plasticky with its white and faux metal accents.

While the iPad Mini has the best in the market 1024 x 768 7.9 display, the Galaxy Note 8.0 has a bigger screen with an 8 in display that can even be used for work other than play. The Galaxy Note 8.0 has an excellent S-Pen stylus for note scribbling, sketching and more. Both have vibrant colours and a good contrast.

The iPad Mini has an Apple-made dual-core A5 chip with 512 MB of RAM, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 boasts of a 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos chip and 2GB of RAM. The Note 8.0 excels at multi-tasking with its smooth and speedy processor.

iOS 7 is onboard the iPad Mini that fits nicely within Apple's iOS ecosystem. You can download 300,000 apps without paying a second time and it plays pretty neat with Apple TV, which can use AirPlay that connects your iPad wirelessly to HDTV. While the Galaxy Note 8.0 only comes with Android 4.1.2, its apps are impressive like the Multi-Screen, a multi tasking feature that supports Gmail, Chrome, Maps, YouTube, MXPlayer and other Samsung apps.

The iPad Mini has a 5 MP rear camera and a 1.2 MP front camera, while the Note 8.0 has the same rear, only with a 1.3 MP front one. The iPad Mini offers 11 hours of normal use through its 4490 mAh battery just like the Galaxy Note 8.0 through its 400 mAh power plant. This round is a draw.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 comes at a reasonable price of $300, while the iPad Mini maintains its introductory price of $330. There are a lot of different tablets on the market today and not one will satisfy everyone. The tablet you should buy depends on how you want to use it and how much money you are willing to spend on it.