With the release of the Nexus 7 months after the release of Samsung Galaxy Note 8, arguments on which tablet is better should be expected. The Note 8 is an innovative tablet that takes advantage of the S Pen while the Nexus 7 provides users with pure Jellybean experience.
So which tablet should you buy? Let us compare the two:
Display
Though Note has a gorgeous wide display, its 1280×800 resolution and pixel density of 189 pixels per inch are just no match for the new Nexus 7’s 1280×1920 resolution display with pixel density of 323 pixels per inch. Not to mention that the new Nexus 7 supports Open GL ES 3.0, making it more capable of handling polygonal graphics that you usually see in today’s games.
Winner: Nexus 7
Power
The Note 8 barely edges the new Nexus 7 in the power category. The new Nexus 7 sports a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro while the Note 8 has a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4 Quad chipset underneath. Both have 2GB of RAM.
Winner: Note 8 (by a small margin)
Camera
Both the new Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Note 8 sport a 5MP rear shooter and the front cameras are just your standard low-res shooters (1.2 and 1.3MP respectively) for VoIP and selfies. Both are pretty decent cameras though Samsung probably processes images better.
Winner: Note 8 (by a small margin)
Memory
Both tablets have 16GB and 32GB models but what gives the Galaxy Note 8 an edge over the new Nexus 7 is that it allows for memory expansion. Through an SSD card slot, you can expand your Galaxy Note 8’s memory up to 64GB. It is baffling why Google insists on not including memory expansion slots in the Nexus 7.
Winner: Note 8
Connectivity
This is where the Nexus 7 truly beats the Note 8. While both support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, MicroUSB, and GPS, only the Nexus 7 supports Bluetooth Smart, which is increasingly becoming popular because of its power saving feature. Aside from that, the new Nexus 7 has LTE supported models aside from their Wi-Fi only models. The Note 8 was rumored to have the same support but when it launched, the models available are 3G and Wi-Fi only. To make things worse, the US version is limited to the Wi-Fi model with the 3G model being available international. Nexus 7 takes this category by a wide margin.
Winner: Nexus 7
Software
This is a tough one. The S Pen adds a different dimension on the Note 8 user experience and Samsung’s software additions support that. It makes writing on a tablet more feasible and, dare I say, easier and more fun than typing on it. The new Nexus 7, on the other hand, is the only device (as of writing) that has Jellybean 4.3. While there is little improvement from Jellybean 4.2, there are significant features that are only available in the 4.3 version like the mentioned Bluetooth Smart and Open GL ES 3.0 support. In addition, primary users of the tablet can now restrict other profiles so that they will not have access to Play Store and other particular apps.
Winner: Tie (Samsung has the better features but Nexus 7 has pure Jellybean 4.3)
Price
Though Nexus 7(2013) is a bit pricier than the original Nexus 7 when it first came out, the Note 8 still has the higher price tag. The Nexus 7 16GB WiFi model can be had for $229, while the Note 8’s most affordable model is still around $390.
Conclusion
Both are great tablets but if you are looking for a better user experience, the Galaxy Note 8 certainly gives the edge. But if you are looking for a pure Jellybean tablet, the Nexus 7 2013 is the tablet for you especially because it is the first to feature Jellybean 4.3; not to mention that it is more affordable as well.
