When the iPad mini with Retina display launched alongside the iPad Air in 2013 the biggest choice you had to worry about was whether or not you wanted a 7.9-inch or a 9.7-inch screen. The message from Apple was clear: you get the same power either way.

Great size; good screen; TouchID integrated

Same as last year; iPad mini 2 offers far better value for money

With the Apple iPad Mini 3 , Apple once again splits the specs between the larger iPad and its smaller sibling. How does the Mini 3 compare to the rest of the small tablet offerings on the market? Let's see how the reviews look!

Touch ID support; Great battery life; Peppy performance; Apple SIM

Little difference from iPad Mini 2; No NFC; Price

The iPad mini 2 is Apple's best mini yet, but it's too similar to last year's model and substantially worse than the iPad Air 2 .

Stylish design; Touch ID; Good screen

Underpowered; Very similar to mini 2; Expensive

Mini update is really the correct term here: Except for the fingerprint reader and a new color for the case, the third generation of the iPad Mini does not offer any new features or components .

High-resolution display; Excellent build quality; Good camera under daylight; Precise touchscreen; Free office suite; Very good GPS; Fast processor; Fast graphics unit; Low temperature development; Decent speakers; Apple once again delivers a premium tablet; but it also has a premium price tag

Hardly any new features, Sometimes very small controls, Depending on the configuration very high price, No 802.11ac WLAN, WLAN connection sometimes with signal issues, Proprietary connector, Only LTE Cat. 3, The new version does not introduce any real innovations; it is more of a very small facelift

Blink and you might have missed it. The iPad mini 3 made an especially quiet debut at Apple's latest event, a mere footnote compared with the iPad Air 2 . With the dust now settled, it's easy to see why-aside from a gold paintjob, Touch ID sensor, and Apple SIM, the $399 16GB mini 3 receives no...

Beautifully built; Fast; Sharp screen; Excellent app options

Pricey; Few reasons to buy over the less-expensive, still-available iPad mini 2

The iPad mini is a great device. It does what I want it to. It would be nice for it to support the split screen mode.

Touch ID; the size of the iPad mini

Does not support the split screen multitasking in iOS 9; same specs as last year

Following a couple of weeks of use, the iPad Mini 3 performs mostly as expected. (See Notes)1. For my use, I prefer the smaller size. My wife has the iPad Air that I used for a while to compare. 2. I like how the Unit communicates with my iPhone 5.

The Mini 3 is futureproof thanks to fingerprint scanning but makes the iPad Mini 2 too much of a bargain to ignore

The best small tablet experience; Touch ID for unlock and iTunes; Gorgeous build; stunning Retina screen; All-day battery life

The Mini 2 is now much better value; No spec bumps like the iPad Air 2; Non expandable; no 32GB; Slightly inferior colours next to Air 2

The iPad mini 3 is a great tablet in almost every way, and if that verdict sounds familiar, it's because that was our conclusion about the iPad mini 2. Apart from the Touch ID fingerprint reader and the option of a gold-coloured back, there's no difference between the two models.

Hiding in the shadows of Apple's iPad Air 2 announcement was the smaller iPad Mini 3, neglected, with the only improvement made to the year-old tablet being Touch ID.

Powerful and yet small tablet; High resolution 'retina display; Touch ID

Hardware is a year old; Expensive