An outstanding compact tablet, beautifully designed and with great battery life. Apple has done a great job with the iPad mini, although it we do feel that the pricing is not as competitive as it could be.

The iPad Mini is one of the few new product lines that Apple has unveiled this year, yet it's really just an incredibly shrunken-down redesign of the iPad 2. It's a perfect size and weight, and works exactly as advertised: it's a truly portable iPad with excellent battery life and nearly no...

The iPad Mini's ultra-thin and light design is far more intimate than the larger iPad; Offers a full iPad experience; The screen's dimensions elegantly display larger-format magazines and apps

Costs too much comparatively; The A5 processor isn't as robust as the one in the fourth-gen iPad and iPhone 5; Typing on the smaller screen is not quite as comfy

For the past few years, Apple has set the pace in the tablet market. With Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7 gaining a firm foothold in compact tablets, however, Apple has found itself falling behind. Now it's hitting back with its own compact slate: the 7.9in iPad mini.

"Every inch an iPad". That's Apple's marketing punchline for its smallest, lightest and newest iPad, the iPad mini . Claiming to offer all the features of the traditional, larger iPad, the iPad mini packs a 7.9in display into a superbly crafted body.

Outstanding design and build quality; Excellent battery life; Fantastic apps ecosystem

Non-retina display; Some smaller UI elements; Expensive

The iPad Mini is exactly what its name suggests it is – a smaller iPad. With a good build, decent screen and specs, and a solid ecosystem behind it, there's no doubt that it's a compelling device. Price will, undoubtedly, be a factor for many.

One of the major challenges Apple has faced over the past several years has been an inability of both critics and consumers to fully grasp the importance of devices it releases in new form factors-until something, perhaps their unexpected popularity, clicks conceptually and begins to make sense.

A smaller and much easier to carry sequel to the iPad 2, benefitting from newer industrial design elements and technologies introduced in the fifth-generation iPod touch; Generally very solid build quality and highly attractive fit and finish, relying on thin but strong glass painted in either black...

Battery on Wi-Fi model falls modestly short of Apple's 10-hour claim under some circumstances; cellular run time similarly falls below 9-hour estimate. Base $329 price tag is a little high, especially considering the additional expense of Lightning accessories and Apple's decision to pack in an...

In the moment that the iPad mini was announced to feature a starting price point of $330, we were left wondering in confusion as to why? Factoring in its hardware specs and all, it would lead anyone to believe that this latest iPad is rather over-bloated at $330, which is still seen as a...

Super skinny construction; Takes good photos & videos for a tablet; Stellar battery life

Low resolution display

by Brandon Miniman At long last, our wishes of a smaller and lighter iPad have come to fruition. The iPad 3 and 4 are great products, but they're heavy and thick, and because of this, exhausting to use for a long period of time. Apple has done a lot right to be the leader in tablets.

+ Incredible build quality; + Remarkably thin and light; + Access to a plethora of quality apps; + Outstanding battery life; + Great display; despite low-resolution; + Snappy performance; + Plenty of cellular data options

- Low resolution screen can be bothersome from close viewing distances; - Pricey; - iOS is boring

If you're spoiled like us and are already used to high-resolution screens on your new gadgets, the iPad mini may be a let down, initially. But if you disarm your screen snobbery and relax, you'll find an incredibly comfortable, well-sized, well-built tablet at a more affordable $330 price.

Great screen size; Comfortable and light; 300,000 apps; Good rear camera

No Retina screen; Lightning connector adapter is expensive; No microSD; More expensive than Android competitors

If there's one tablet that's tailor made for built-in 4G, it's the iPad mini. This tablet is lighter and thinner than most 7-inch budget slates, yet packs a larger 7.9-inch screen for enjoying all of your apps, not to mention a full web experience, on the go.