iPad mini 2 with Retina

Top tablets compared - which is best for you? 

Look at that - Apple's taken the top two spots in our tablet round up. You'll either love or hate that decision, but we can't deny that Apple has the best slates on the market right now.
The iPad Air is just ahead of the Mini 2, thanks to being more competitive on price and having a larger screen for all those iPad-friendly apps.
But this is far from a poor device. It's got reams of style from the aluminium back, a superfast A7 chip and that screen... well, it's what we should have had last year, but it still looks the business 12 months on.

Quick verdict

The iPad Mini 2 is actually slightly cannibalised by the change to the Air's design - the larger tablet is now encroaching on the 'portable tablet' space.
That said, the Mini 2 has as many pixels in a smaller space, leading to greater sharpness for text and pics - plus there's no loss in power or battery life, which is a marvel in itself.
If only it was a little cheaper, we'd have two five star tablets on the market at the moment - but even still, if you're looking for a brilliant tablet in the smaller category (and aren't too worried about cost, you wealthy little so-and-so) then the Mini 2 is without compare.

• Read more in our iPad Mini 2 with Retina review