retina ipad mini

Apple offers more iPad options then ever. There's the ultra-portable iPad mini 4, the full-sized iPad Air 2, and now the ultra-powerful iPad Pro. It's not just the screen sizes that vary either, the processors go from ridiculous to ludicrous, and the prices... they go up too. So, do you go with small, big, or bigger? Portable or powerful? Which iPad should you get?

'iPad' sounds like just one thing, but Apple has two distinct iPad lines - full-size and mini - and two distinct generations - new and old - available for sale right now. There's the brand new iPad Air and Retina iPad mini, and there's the held-over iPad 2 and iPad mini. But what's the real differences between all these iPads? Does more money really get you more features, does saving up-front cost you in the long run, and how much tablet do you really need? If you're looking to get your first iPad, or looking to get one for family or friends, figuring it all out can be confusing. Here's what you need to know!

As Rene pointed out yesterday, one of, if not the most frequent question we've been asked this past few weeks is which iPad should you buy. Which iPad would we buy? Podcasts, buyers guides, reviews of each, but it seems everyone really wants to know which gets our personal recommendation. Rene outlined some fine points in both camps, so we'll not go over the same ground again – so if you haven't, go read! – but we came to a different decision. For me, if I really, truly, had to choose just one, I'd be taking the Retina iPad mini.

When the iPad mini with Retina Display first launched, here in the UK there was no initial reseller availability – as indicated on the GSX portal. It was either Apple or don't get one, but thankfully that seems to have changed with several major retailers now offering Apple's latest. However, if you're wanting a 4G LTE model then you'll be looking much, much harder, as it seems that WiFi only is about all that's available in a lot of places right now.