Buoyed by its number three position in the global smartphone arena, as of June 2013, LG is venturing into the compact tablet class via the LG G-Pad, visibly attempting to break new paths by taking the fight directly to Apple and Google.

The G-Pad marks LG's re-entry into the tablet contest, shying away since last year as iOS and premium Android tablet brands continue to lord it over everyone else. Clearly, the device is designed to undercut two of the most popular small tablets around - the iOS-powered iPad Mini and the 2013 Nexus 7 edition that draws its powers from Jelly Bean 4.3.

LG has yet to officially unveil its new slab take but scant details have been leaked out and it should be interesting to see how the specs should fare against the leading brands, at least in three areas: screen rendition, CPU might and software prowess.

Let's see how the Nexus 4 maker will fight off the compact tablet biggies.

The tablet screen showdown

In a YouTube teaser uploaded by LG, the G-Pad was presented as a tablet that "is just right," having all the ingredients to lure hordes of buyers - power, portability and perhaps even affordability.

By sporting an 8.3-inch screen, LG thinks it is edging out the Nexus 7, which is too small at 7-inch flat, and the iPad Mini, clocking at 7.9-inch. The G-Pad brings in a tablet front real estate that sits in the middle of small and big tablets, fitting just right into sphere that sold the first Mini tens of millions units.

The screen resolution, LG said is 1920 x 1080, almost equalling that of the Nexus 7 2 render and leaving the Mini by a mile.

Processing muscle

The G-Pad will be fuelled by Snapdragon 600 CPU, Gotta Be Mobile said in a report, pointing to TechKiddy as its source. This places the tablet in the same Qualcomm class with that of the Google native tablet, which uses a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro.

The same report did not mention the processing speed that the G-Pad is bestowed with but in all likelihood, it will overpower the Mini's dual-core 1.0GHz A5 CPU.

The tablet platform dogfight

Underwhelmed as it is, Apple's iPad Mini leans on a solid wall called the iOS ecosystem. To date, the App Store remains the best source of tablet-optimised applications with a collection of more than 300,000 mobile apps all created with tablet screen and functions in mind.

As the Mini is the winner in this respect, the battle boils down to the Android version that the G-Pad and the Nexus 7 will flash. The LG slate will likely wield Jelly Bean 4.2.2 while Nexus boasts of a stock Jelly Bean 4.3 build. Is it a clear case of the former getting the best of the latter? Not necessarily as the latest Android is reportedly going through birth pains while the 4.2 offers both power and stability. Until the 4.3 bugs have been addressed, the G-Pad will leave the Nexus 7 in terms of platform supremacy, however short-lived.

All three tablets are fitted with LTE chips, ensuring of fast access to wireless broadband.

Launch day of the LG G-Pad is set to take place in the first week of September via the IFA 2013 event in Berlin, Germany with the actual release date to likely follow before end of the same month.