A Google Search Page Is Reflected In Sunglasses In This Photo Illustration
A Google search page is reflected in sunglasses in this photo illustration taken in Brussels May 30, 2014. Google has taken the first steps to meet a European ruling that citizens can have objectionable links removed from Internet search results, a ruling that pleased privacy campaigners but raised fears that the right can be abused to hide negative information. REUTERS

Speculations surrounding the release date of Nexus 8 (also known as Nexus 9) from Google are rife. Going by the reports, HTC could be making Google's Nexus 8 (Nexus 9) device. The product name Nexus 8 has been spotted in the Chromium Code Review by German developers recently, according to Know Your Mobile. Thus, confirming the search giant's upcoming Nexus device.

Also, Google Nexus 8 boasts killer specs and stunning features. Here is a specification, and feature comparison between the upcoming Nexus 8 and the ubiquitous Apple iPad Mini with Retina display (also known as iPad Mini 2).

Display, Exterior and Size

The upcoming Nexus 8 features an 8.9 inches display with a whopping 2,048 x 1,440 pixel screen resolution. The Apple iPad Mini, on the other hand, comes with a smaller 7.9 inches IPS LCD display with 1,536 x 2,048 pixels screen resolution. Also, the pixel strength of Nexus 8 stands at 241 ppi, while the Apple iPad Mini comes with superior 324 ppi of pixel density.

The Apple iPad Mini sports the famous high-resolution Retina display with an aluminum chassis. This makes the iPad look premium over the plastic/polycarbonate chassis of other high-end tablets. Interestingly, the upcoming Nexus 8 will also come with aluminum zero-gap construction. It is worth reminding that, the front panel of the Nexus 7 (2013) tablet features a black strip of glass covering the display and it blends with the rear panel. And hence, the images, videos and texts look crisp and sharp; therefore the Nexus 8 can also be expected to provide a stunning display quality which is synonymous to Google products.

The Nexus 8, codenamed Volantis/Flounder, is expected to come with a thickness and weight of 0.31 inches and 418 g respectively. Whereas the Apple iPad Mini is 0.30 inches thick and weighs 331g. Hence the iPad Mini is lighter and thinner than the upcoming Nexus device.

Hardware and Software

The Nexus 8 is powered by a superior NVIDIA Logan 64-bit processor (Tegra K1), and it houses a solid 2 GB of RAM. The Apple iPad Mini, on the other hand, is powered by a dual-core Cyclone (Apple A7) ARM v8-based processor clocked at 1.3 GHz and it comes with only 1 GB of RAM.

The Nexus 8 is expected to run on the upcoming Android 5.0 OS, while the Apple iPad Mini runs on iOS 7, which is upgradable to iOS 7.1.1. In addition, the Mini 2 can also be upgraded to iOS 8 in future.

Memory, Battery and Camera

The Nexus tablet is expected to come with 16 GB and 32 GB of internal storage, while the iPad Mini comes with 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of internal storage capacity. In addition, Apple iPad Mini does not support microSD card for expansion. The Nexus 7 2013 model did not feature a microSD slot, but Nexus 8 is expected to come with the slot for further expansion.

The Apple iPad Mini comes with a non-removable Li-Po 23.8 Wh battery unit. The 2013 model of Nexus 7 houses a good 3950 mAh battery unit, but the battery details of the upcoming Nexus 8 tablet is not available currently. Nevertheless, Google is expected to pack punch in this category as well. While the battery detail pertaining to the Nexus 8 is not known currently, the iPad Mini can provide up to 10 hours of web browsing charge.

The Apple iPad Mini houses a 5 MP rear-facing camera without flash and a 1.2 MP front-facing camera unit. Whereas the Nexus 8 will sport a much-better 8 MP rear-facing camera and a 3 MP front-facing camera unit.

Misc

1. Both the tablets come in LTE and non-LTE (or Wi-Fi only) variants.

2. Also, the upcoming Nexus 8 is expected to support NFC.

3. The Apple iPad Mini comes in space gray/black and silver/white colour combinations, whereas the Nexus 8 colour details are yet to be revealed.

Price and Release Date

The Apple iPad Mini 2 (16 GB, Wi-Fi only variant) is priced at AU$459.95, the Nexus 8 Wi-Fi 16 GB variant is priced at US$399, while the 32 GB model is priced at US$499 and the LTE variant is expected to cost in the range of US$600+. The Nexus 8 release date in slated for summer 2014.