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Samsung is the 'King of Smartphones' but when it comes to tablet competition, the Asian tech giant remains inferior. But with the July 2013 release of the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, the situation could change drastically.

Obviously, the Tab 3 8.0 nemesis is the nine-month old iPad Mini since the latter's supposed successor, the iPad Mini 2 with Retina, is yet to arrive. The Mini is a monster hit, clocking more than 20 million buys for Apple in one quarter alone, in Q4 2012. To date, it remains an Apple money-cow.

No doubt the first Mini is riding on a good run. Google's Nexus 7 last year and any of the tablets that Samsung has shot-gunned release in 2012 proved no match.

It would be a different story with the 8-inch Tab 3, which was welcomed in mixed reviews by tech experts. Yet the dominant theme is Samsung is gradually coming up with the right formula in tussling with Apple's iPad Mini.

Note that even Apple fans view the Mini as overwhelmed when compared to more capable foes and as discussed below, there are just too many areas that the Apple slate underperforms while the Sammy tab shines.Its latest Tab 3 is gorgeous and most importantly powerful for its size. When pitted against the dominant Mini, the specs deployed by Samsung with the latest small Android tablet easily dwarf over that of the Mini's.

Read on to find out the top three strengths of the Tab 8.0 over the first iPad Mini:

The CPU advantage

The Mini draws its power from a dual-core A5 CPU that steams roll to a top-speed of 1.0GHz, which Apple has paired to a very limited 512MB or RAM. For the average tablets users, these provisions are in the 'normal level' but powers users will simply scoff at these components, which experts label as mediocre considering the high standard that Apple is known for.

Looking at the Tab 3 8, the package is just impressive. The device relies on a dual-core Exynos CPU that spins away at 1.5GHz max and taps into a 1.5GB of RAM reservoir or thrice of what the Mini offers. These just spell plain speed and stability for the Samsung tablet that shows off the popular look introduced via the Galaxy S4.

The device storage contest

The Mini boasts off three internal memory configurations: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants. Such an impressive lineup especially for the incorrigible file hoarders but Apple has set a cap - 64GB is tops as the compact iPad is designed minus a microSD expansion slot.

As for the Tab 3 8.0, users can stuffed loads of song, movies, books and other digital treasures inside as Samsung sell the device in 16GB and 32GB editions. Both accommodate up to 64GB of extra memory so even the basic model can theoretically exceed that of the space found in the 16GB iPad Mini. In reality, the same device afford users more than 70GB of usable disk space, ensuring that the Tab 3 will carry virtually endless hours of movie and music playbacks and volumes of reading pleasure.

The screen and pricing factors

This slugfest area is the Dealbreaker in favour of Samsung. Everyone knows the iPad Mini skipped Retina and Apple forced buyers to make do with a 1024 x 768 resolution on its 7.9-inch screen, flashing only pixel density of 162ppi.

The Tab 3 8.0, on the other hand, is at 1280 x 800 display resolution with 189ppi. The numbers connote higher screen brightness for immersive media playback experience plus a relaxing ebook enjoyment thanks to the TouchWiz's (on top of the Jelly Bean 4.2.2) Reading Mode.

And all these small tablet advantages from the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0 come at a reasonable asking price of $300 while the iPad Mini remains at its introductory price of $330 in most markets.