Last year's Nexus 7 kicked off the small-tablet movement and predated the iPad Mini, with an aggressive price and comfortable design, but a set of features that were slightly bare-bones (no rear camera). The iPad Mini offered a deeper feature set, but the new Nexus 7 has taken the lead -- at least, on paper -- once again.
Screen 
The 
new Nexus 
7 has a 1,920x1,200-pixel 16:10 7-inch 
display, whereas the iPad Mini has a larger 4:3, 7.9-inch display at only 
1,024x768 pixels. The iPad Mini's screen was bigger and better than the original 
Nexus 7, but the new Nexus 7 has the clear edge here -- although color quality, 
brightness, and viewing angles have yet to be 
determined.
 
Processor/RAM 
The 2013 Nexus 7 has a 1.5Ghz 
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and Adreno 320 graphics, plus 2GB of RAM. Eric 
Franklin points out that these graphics match the Samsung Galaxy S4's, but 
the processing power isn't as impressive as an Nvidia Tegra 4 might be. In terms 
of gaming graphics, the Nexus 7 could have a big edge, thanks to being OpenGL ES 
3.0 capable, which adds a lot of extra graphics effects to games.
The iPad Mini's processor is an A5, with performance similar to that of the fourth-gen iPod Touch and iPad 2. In short: it's a capable but older processor. And, it has only 512MB of RAM.
Storage 
size/price 
In small 
tablets, price is everything. On nearly every level, the Nexus 7 offers a better 
deal than the iPad Mini, and its storage configurations are less of a 
markup.
The 16GB Wi-Fi Nexus 7 costs $229, versus $329 for a 16GB iPad Mini. The 32GB Nexus 7 is only $269 -- $40 more -- but the 32GB iPad Mini costs $429, a $100 upgrade.
The Nexus 7 also has an LTE-ready 32GB model for $349, and it's unlocked to work across Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T. Apple's LTE iPad Minis are carrier-specific. A 16GB LTE Mini costs $459, and the 32GB version costs a whopping $559. The Mini also comes in 64GB configurations.
 (Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)
Design/color 
The Nexus 7 comes in just black. 
The iPad Mini comes in black as well as white/aluminum.
 (Credit: CNET)
(Credit: CNET)
Cameras 
The new Nexus 7 has a 1.2-megapixel 
front camera and 5-megapixel rear camera. The iPad Mini does, too. We'll see 
which one takes better photos and video.
Wireless 
connectivity 
Both the 
Nexus 7 and iPad Mini support Bluetooth 4.0 for low-power connected wireless 
devices and 802.11n Wi-Fi, but the new Nexus 7 also supports NFC for near-field 
communication uses, like Google Wallet.
Operating 
system and apps 
The iPad 
Mini currently runs iOS 6 but will get iOS 7 capability this fall, and it runs 
the exact same apps and features as the larger Retina iPad, minus the Retina 
Display. The Nexus 7 comes ready with Android 
4.3 Jelly Bean, a new version of Android with a few additional tweaks like 
multi-user settings, which also enables Bluetooth Smart, the low-energy 
Bluetooth element.
The iPad Mini already has Bluetooth 4.0, and iOS 7 is said to enable better support for Bluetooth accessories like game controllers and health monitors.
Apple has more tablet-optimized apps on the whole than Google, as well as a larger selection of games, but Google is making strides in gaming on Google Play.
Ports, 
extras 
The Nexus 7 has an 
Micro-USB port that doubles as HDMI-out with a separate adapter. it also 
wireless charging. The iPad Mini has a Lightning connector for syncing and 
charging, and supports HDMI output, USB camera input, and SD card camera card 
importing with the purchase of Lightning adapter accessories. Both lack SD card 
slots.
 (Credit: Best Buy)
(Credit: Best Buy)
Conclusion 
(for now) 
The new Nexus 7 
not only offers a better screen, processor, and bells and whistles, but it 
remains less expensive across the board than October 2012 iPad Mini.
The iPad Mini has a physically larger screen and the same wireless/camera capability, but it's clear that, right now, the Nexus 7 has a lot going for it. Of course, Apple's next iPads -- and perhaps a new iPad Mini -- may only be a couple of months away.