Steve Jobs once branded 7-inch tablets as “tweeners” and stated that the size was useless unless you include sandpaper so users can sand their fingers down to a quarter of their size.”

Despite the former Apple CEO who passed away last year being so publicly against a smaller slate, Apple decided to take the fight to Amazon and Google by announcing the iPad Mini.

If there was any doubt that this was a response to the success of the Nexus 7, while the Cupertino company did not name the tablet when comparing its 7.9-inch device to Google-powered tablets, it’s was clear to everyone else that was the intention.

So how does the smaller Apple tablet compare to the Award-winning Nexus 7? We take a look at how the specs shape up

iPad Mini vs Nexus 7: Build

iPad Mini: Made from an aluminium and glass design, the iPad Mini weighs in at just 308g which Apple claims makes it lighter than a pad of paper. At 7.2mm thin it’s as slender as a pencil and 23% slimmer than the larger 9.7-inch new iPad.

Nexus 7: Sporting the Android standard black bezel display, the Nexus 7 features a rubberized dimple-like removable back that makes it comfortable to grip for long periods. Weighing in at 340g and measuring in at 10.5mm thick, the Nexus 7 is lighter than the Kindle Fire (413g) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (345g), but clearly not quite as slender as the iPad Mini.

iPad Mini vs Nexus 7: Screen

iPad Mini: For so long everyone thought it was going to be a 7.85-inch screen, but Apple went a little bit bigger with its 7.9-inch LED Multi-Touch display. Packing IPS display tech to deliver the wide viewing angles, the Retina display is disappointingly missing in action but the 1024x768 resolution with 163 ppi is the same screen quality as the iPad 2. The extra screen estate should mean 67% more room than 7-inch tablet devices to browse and watch videos.

Nexus 7: One thing that Asus has managed to nail on the tablet front is making a beautiful iPad-rivalling tablet screen like the one on the Transformer Prime. So, prospective Nexus 7 owners can expect a 1280 x 800 HD display with 216 ppi which might not put it in the same category in terms of clarity and vibrancy as the 9.7-inch iPad, but does ensure it surpasses the 1024 x 600 resolutions sported by its closest 7-inch tablet rivals and the iPad Mini. The Corning glass coating should also ensure it can withstand the odd knock or two.