Tablet Faceoff: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 vs. Google Nexus 7

If an 8-inch stylus-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note wasn't your cup of tea, Don’t worry, Samsung just announced a new addition to its Galaxy Tab lineup several days ago and is expected to hit shelves in this month. The Galaxy Tab 3 sports a 7-inch, 1,024-by-600 pixel display, and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, etc. So how does Samsung’s latest – the Galaxy Tab 3 – compare to the Google/Asus Nexus 7?

Size

Compared to Google Nexus 7, The Galaxy Tab 3 promises a more sleek and stylish design that is comfortable to hold in one hand. The Galaxy Tab 3’s smaller bezel makes it about six percent shorter and eight percent narrower than the Nexus 7.

Build

Both of the two devices are made of plastic chassis. The Tab’s backside is smoother, and it also has a removable battery cover. The Nexus 7’s rear has a grippy texture to it, and can’t (easily) be opened.

Weight

Both tablets are light.

Display

The resolution of the Tab 3's LCD is 1024 x 600, which isn't much of a match for the 1280 x 800 display on the Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 is growing a little long in the tooth.

Processor

The Tab3 powers with a mystery processor, but we do know that it’s a dual core chip clocked at 1.2 GHz. The Nexus 7’s Tegra 3 is a known quantity and will almost certainly be faster than whatever mid-grade chip Samsung squeezed into this new Galaxy Tab.

RAM

Both tablets have 1 GB of RAM.

Storage

The tab 3 arrives with 8 GB or 16 GB of internal space, and up to 64 GB of additional space via a microSD card slot. The Nexus 7 comes in 16GB or 32GB of non-expandable memory.

Wireless

Samsung says the Wi-Fi-only Tab 3 will be available beginning in May, followed by a 3G model for making calls and browsing the web untethered sometime in June. Like the Nexus 7, it maxes out at HSPA+ 21 speeds (that typically means between 4-8 Mbps in real world speeds).

Cameras

The Tab 3 features a 3-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front facer, while Nexus 7 only has a 1.2-megapixel front camera.

Battery

There probably isn’t much to worry about here. Crappy display + mid-range processor + decent sized battery should mean plenty of uptime for the Tab 3. Ditto for the Nexus 7, only with better speed and a better (but not exactly mind-blowing) display.

Software

Both slates run Android. Samsung gives you its TouchWiz UI slapped on top, but you still get Google Play, and all the fun stuff that goes along with it.

The Nexus 7’s big advantages are that it runs a newer version of pure Android, and it will always be more up-to-date than the Tab 3.

Wrap-up
Samsung didn't reveal how much the Galaxy Tab 3 will retail when it begins to arrive this month. So which do you choose? The Nexus 7 or the brand new Galaxy Tab 3? Or Wait for the 2nd-gen Nexus 7, which might be announced at Google I/O 2013 in a couple weeks. Welcome to show your opinions.

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