The iPad Mini was considered to be a high quality, lightweight and pretty cost-effective tablet when it was first released by Apple Inc. But the upgraded version, the iPad Mini 2, is packed full of new features, all aimed at making the user experience that much crisper.
As well us upgrading the iPad Mini to retina display, Apple also has some impressive upgrades ‘under the hood.’ For example they have introduced the faster, superior Apple A7 processor which makes using the tablet more seamless.
Despite the upgrades, the iPad Mini 2 looks almost identical externally to the previous model. The silver version has the classic light-grey backing and white screen surround, while the black one has been superseded by a space grey version.
As always, the new iPad Mini is very durable, featuring a super strong metal casing which can withstand even the worst of falls. If you compare this to the inferior casings found on the Kindle Fire HDX or the Nexus 7, it’s clear the iPad Mini is in a different league.
The new Mini is a little thicker than its predecessor, but only by.3 of a mm which means it’s hardly noticeable. It is also slightly heavier than the original iPad Mini, weighing in at around 340 g, about 20 g more than the first one.
The most noticeable difference on the new iPad Mini has to be the display. Apple have replaced the old 768 x 1,024 for a much bigger 1,536 x 2,048 panel, making that much easier on the eye. With a maximum brightness of 396cd/m2, and a contrast ratio of 792:1 the iPad Mini is at the very top of the range when it comes to tablets.
Whichever way you cut it, the new iPad Mini with retina display is a fantastic, high quality tablet, even if the price tag isn’t quite as low as others on the market.