- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Barnes and Noble Nook HD
- Google Nexus 10
- Google Nexus 7
- Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF300
- Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Rated 80% by by Judy (Apr, 2013)Very nice tablet...does what I want with internet and books...tapestries was a bit to understand, and battery life could be better.
Rated 90% by by The Verge (Oct, 2012)For instance, because the screen real estate is so much larger than an iPhone but icons are now roughly iPhone size, apps with lots of navigational elements can be a little less intuitive to navigate.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Kobo Arc compared to the Apple iPad mini
“7
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Rated 100% by by Jose-Munoz-nieves (Mar, 2013)I also found the slightly longer screen to be an asset.
7.9”
iOS 6
Rated 100% by by Jerra-Dooley--jerradoo (Jan, 2013)It has everything the big ipad has except retina display - and I haven't missed that at all on this little baby.
screen size
7"
7.9"
screen resolution
iPad mini by Fatmir-Sadiku--Fatmir (Dec, 2012)I cannot imagine what a package like this will look like with retina display, looking FWD to that (this one looks very good too, not retina but much better than the Ipad 2).
memory
| 0 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 1.3 MP | 2 MP |
iPad mini by Jason-Baker--Jason-Baker (Nov, 2012)The iSight 5 megapixel camera takes great pictures and shoots decent movies for what it is.
processor
iPad mini by G.-Rivet--G---Arabia (May, 2013)The NHL program I use is smoother on the mini than the Nexus, this despite the Nexus having a faster CPU.
Performance Real world tests of Kobo Arc vs Apple iPad mini
cpu speed
iPad mini by D.-J.-Pierce (Dec, 2012)My only reservation is that the processor can seem a bit slow at times, but I have to remember this is not a laptop computer - it's more about convenience than speed.
battery life
10 hour
10 hour
iPad mini by alspachslOn my first charge I got over 15 hours of usage (which included a lot of internet surfing and video watching) and on my second charge I already have over 5 hours of usage and 62% battery charge left.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Apple iPad mini
| More storage capacity | 64 GB | vs | 32 GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2x more storage capacity; Holds more music, movies and photos | |||
| Supports multitasking | Yes (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) | vs | No (iOS 6) |
| Somewhat common; Run multiple apps at once | |||
| Significantly faster processor | 1.5 GHz | vs | 1 GHz |
| 50% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster | |||
| Supports Adobe Flash | Yes (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Many games and videos on the Internet require Adobe Flash | |||
| Has an open source operating system | Yes (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) | vs | No (iOS 6) |
| Somewhat common; Allows you the freedom to use your tablet however you like | |||
| Supports face unlock | Yes (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) | vs | No (iOS) |
| Somewhat common; bypass PIN entry, easier to unlock with one hand | |||
| Significantly sharper screen | 215 ppi | vs | 163 ppi |
| More than 30% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images | |||
| More RAM | 1 GB | vs | 0.5 GB |
| 2x more RAM; Better able to run big apps with lots of content | |||
| Higher resolution screen | 1280 x 800 | vs | 1024 x 768 |
| More than 30% higher resolution screen | |||
Advantages compared to the Kobo Arc
| Has a rear camera | 5 MP | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most tablets have a rear camera; Can be used like a point-and-shoot camera | |||
| Has a light sensor | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Automatically adjust screen brightness for environmental factors | |||
| Supports 3G | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; be online anywhere that has cell coverage | |||
| Has a compass | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Great for maps and navigation apps | |||
| Has a GPS | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Get directions and navigation, geotag photos | |||
| Bigger screen | 7.9" | vs | 7" |
| More than 10% bigger screen | |||
| Thinner | 7 mm | vs | 12 mm |
| More than 35% thinner | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Kobo Arc | Apple iPad mini | ||
 |   Rated by 5 users at amazon.com |  Rated by 311 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by v-wong (Dec, 2012) Rated 100% by by carol-irvin--carol-irvin (Jan, 2013) Rated 80% by by Margaux-Paschke (Dec, 2012) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Barnes and Noble Nook HD 4-way tie: Supports Flash |
 | 2 | Google Nexus 10 Much faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark |
 | 3 | Google Nexus 7 2-way tie: Most CPU cores |
 | 5 | Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Longest battery life |
 | 6 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 4-way tie: Has a compass |
 | 7 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 4-way tie: Supports 3G |
 | 8 | Kobo Vox 4-way tie: Supports Flash |
Popular Questions
October 27, 2012
Popularity?
Why does popularity count towards rating the Kobo Arc versus the IPad Mini? From the specs listed on this review, the Kobo Arc seems superior as well as being cheaper.
Visitor
1
Answers December 16, 2012
A screen with a 7.7" diagonal is not 10% bigger than a 7" screen
It is much bigger than 10%... Someone could say by how much exactly please. Thanks in advance..
Beginner I
1
Answers Kobo Arc
Apple iPad mini
theastromechdroid 
Intermediate I
I think it is 10% since finding 10% of 7" would be .7 of an inch. (.10 x 7 OR [10 x 7]/100) View theastromechdroid's recommendation
- 0 comments
- December 27, 2012
- Reply to: A screen with a 7.7" diagonal is not 10% bigger than a 7" screen
