The Air and Mini are almost exact mirrors of each other when it comes to the overall hardware. The resolution is 2,048 x 1,536 on both models, the Air has 264 ppi while the Mini has 326 ppi. They have the same 1.3 GHZ Dual Core processor and 1 GB of RAM.

Apple has taken its landmark tablet and made it significantly better. There's no doubt this is the best small tablet on the market, and should budget not be a primary factor in a buying decision then it's the device to go for whether it's for screen quality, range of apps, battery life, physical...

At ￡319 for the 16GB, cellular-free, model, the iPad Mini Retina isn't cheap, especially compared to its rivals. Things get almost MacBook-like at the top-end, with the 128GB/4G model setting you back ￡659.

Stunning Retina display; Speed performance; Size and weight for daily use

Price; No Touch ID

You needed to know two things about the first iPad mini. The first thing is that it was, well, mini -it was a 7.9-inch tablet from a company whose CEO once said that users would have to sandpaper their fingers down to comfortably use anything smaller than a full-size iPad.

Retina display resolves all of our gripes with the old mini's screen; A7 SoC blows the old mini's A5 out of the water and nearly runs as quickly as the version in the iPad Air; Great battery life; and the battery charges more quickly if you use the included 10W adapter; Nice Wi-Fi upgrade; although...

iOS 7 is still a little rough around the edges on this and every iPad; Air gap between glass and LCD keeps screen from being as good as it could be; Features like Touch ID will have to wait until next year at the earliest; Scattered reports indicate that some screens may suffer from image retention...

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.

The second iPad Mini is our favorite tablet of 2013, and the current tablet to beat. We wish it cost less than $400.

Adds a high-res Retina screen; Thin; light; and comfortable to hold; Powerful 64-bit processor; New Wi-Fi antennas are fast; iOS 7 runs smooth; Battery life is still 10 hours

Camera quality has not improved; A hair thicker and heavier than iPad Mini; $400 price tag is steep for a compact tablet; No fingerprint sensor; Some users complain about iOS 7's new look

This is the iPad mini we've all been waiting for. When the first generation iPad mini debuted last year, it was a terrific product. Apple's first stab at a smaller tablet looked more far more elegant than the competition, managed to squeeze a larger 7.9-inch display in a traditionally 7-inch tablet...

Gorgeous 2048 x 1536 pixel display; 10-plus hour battery life will more than serve your cross-country plane flight, or close to a week of casual daily use; A7 processor (with M7 co-processor) offers more power than you may ever need on a 7-inch tablet.

Pricey - similar sized and specced tablets go for closer to $200; Stereo speakers both located on one end of the device; Would be nice if it had TouchID like the iPhone 5s, but with the problems cropping up related to that feature lately, we're wondering if not including it was a smart move after...

The iPad mini matches the full-sized iPad Air in display quality, design and performance. Just be prepared to pay more than you would have for last year's model.

Stunning display; Solid performance; Long battery life

No Touch ID; Relatively expensive

While Apple got almost everything right with the Retina iPad mini, there is a catch: The cost for every model has increased by $70 from last year's prices. The starting price for the iPad mini with Retina display is now $400.

Apple's Retina display standard once again lives up to the hype; The 64-bit A7 chip's performance impresses; just as it did on the iPad Air & iPhone 5s; Same great lightweight; ultraportable design as last year

Though lower-priced competition continues to improve; Apple has increased the iPad mini price by $70; Limited supply could make the Retina iPad mini hard to get for the holidays; Some may want to wait for Touch ID in a future model

If there's any one product that embodies Apple's entire product philosophy, it's the iPad mini with Retina Display. This is not a tablet that's designed to go head to head with cheaper slates like the Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HDX.