[NewsPoster]

Although the iPad mini 4 was (briefly) introduced during the recent "Hey Siri" Apple event in San Francisco as a scaled down version of the iPad Air 2, specifications and testing reveal that the new device has more in common with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The iPad mini 4 uses the dual-core A8 chip found in Apple's current smartphones, rather than the tri-core A8X used in the iPad Air 2, but has speed-bumped the processor to provide a 20 percent improvement over its predecessor.

The A8 in the iPad mini 4 runs at 1.5GHz, slightly higher than the default 1.4GHz A8 used for the iPhone 6 line. It also offers 2GB of RAM, a doubling over what was available for the previous iPad mini. Tests by Ars Technica showed that the iPad Air 2 still offers a 50 percent CPU speed difference, but the iPad mini 4's benchmark scores showed solid gains over the third-generation iPad mini in all areas, and were more-or-less in line with the performance seen on the iPhone 6.

3D Touch display technology, more makes iPhone 6s 11 percent heavier

Another report, this time based on Apple's own specifications, has revealed that the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are around 11 percent heavier than their predecessors, largely owing to the addition of the 3D Touch technology that is a prominent feature. The display for the iPhone 6s weighs 29 grams, more than double the 12g weight for the iPhone 6, while the iPhone 6s Plus display is 40g, again about double the 19g weight for the iPhone 6 plus.

Other factors, like the addition of a new Taptic Engine module, may also have contributed to the overall weight in a minor way. The iPhone 6s is 143g (5 ounces), which is 14g heavier than the iPhone 6 (at 4.55 ounces), while the 6s Plus (192g, or 6.77 oz) is 20g heavier than the 6 Plus (six ounces). As The Verge notes, without the glass the displays now take up a fifth of the overall weight of the new devices.

[MarkTime]

If looking for an iPad 7.9" model I'd go with the cheapest Retina model - iPad 2 - that speed boost is worthless, not worth the price.

However, it's a toss up whether I'd go with iPad Mini 2 or iPad Air 2, if you can 'live with' (or certainly if you 'prefer') the larger Air 2's larger size, it's definitely faster. I picked one up off e-bay, for $300, not the wi-fi model either, has a sprint 4g on it, even if I don't actually use the sprint radio...

[Charles Martin]

I very much enjoy my iPad Air 2, and use it all the time -- was just at a coffeeshop an hour or so ago writing some stuff with a BT full-size keyboard. I really like writing with the iPad in portrait mode.