Introduction Apple had introduced the original iPad Mini without the RETINA display and that pretty much confirmed that the second generation of Apple iPad Mini would come with the RETINA display.

Excellent Build Quality and Premium Finish; Lot of tablet specific applications; Top notch performance; Excellent battery life

On the expensive side; Lack of expandable storage; Camera lacks flash and isn't great for lowlight performance; iOS 7 feels boring and same throughout

The Apple iPad mini 2 is just a shrunken, original iPad Air. With a new, lower price, though, it's become the best inexpensive on-ramp to the world of iOS apps.

The iPad Mini with Retina display is essentially the same iPad Mini we used to know and love. It's just faster and better. The improvements are exactly where we wanted them. Our only complaint is that Apple priced it way higher than we expected (almost 20-25% from the previous version) putting it in...

* Great display quality; * Great performance; * Long battery life; * Impressive design and profile

When I concluded our iPad Air review I assumed the iPad mini with Retina Display was a true no-compromise, smaller alternative to the iPad Air. In many senses that's true. Wireless connectivity is identical between the models, battery life is pretty much the same as well.

Overall, the comparisons above make it very clear that if you're going to get any of the Apple iPad mini tablets soon, then your best bet would probably be the iPad mini 2 or iPad mini with Retina Display.

Today's the day for tablet deals and one of the best we've seen so far is Apple's iPad Mini 2 for under $200.