Any new device worth talking about is, as a matter of protocol, subject to numerous public tests, with the drop test being by far the most popular. As well as enjoying the perverse pleasure that is watching a brand-new device sustain serious damage, viewing such a test does have its practical benefits, since if a gadget performs particularly poorly, perhaps we’ll think twice before parting with our cash.
The iPad mini is the very latest tablet to emerge from Apple, and although it’s quite a bit different to the Google/ASUS Nexus 7, the sizes of both naturally draw comparisons. Here, AndroidAuthority takes to the bay of Hong Kong to test two of the most sought-after slabs on the market.
To start with, the iPad mini is dropped on its side, and emerges relatively unscathed, but when the same process is applied to the Nexus 7, things start to get a little messy, The slow-motion replay of the Nexus’s plummet shows a couple specks of the device flying off in different directions, and while the iPad mini was only very slightly dented, some of the plastic edge of the Google slate had gone, with much of the display also shattered.
The second test saw both dropped on their backs. The iPad mini actually landed on its side, and sustained significant damage to the display as a result. Despite this, the Nexus 7 managed to have a decidedly worse outing, and having also flipped somewhat in mid-air, lost quite a bit of the display on impact. The back cover of the Google tablet had popped off, and although the iPad mini was still functional at this point, the touchscreen of the Nexus was completely totaled.
The third and final test saw the two titans dropped face down. The iPad, once again, didn’t land as intended, but despite sustaining a few more cracks on the display, was still in perfect working order. The Nexus 7, however, was already a dead-device-walking, and this last drop proved just too much as it completely died.
So, while the iPad mini has been slated for its hefty price tag, you do get that quintessentially-Apple build quality. As an owner of the Nexus 7, the standard of build has always been of concern to me, and although it offers excellent value for money, it’s not particularly hardwearing.
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