Apple Inc’s latest offering, the iPad Mini, is truly a mini version of the regular sized iPad. It comes complete with all the features that make the iPad a unique gadget.

Stylish and easy to hold, as the iPad Mini is approximately 50 percent lighter and 20 percent thinner than the standard iPad, this latest gadget from Apple has managed to retain the aluminium and glass body of the iPad series. However, the size has been shrunk to 7.8 inches from the original 9.7-inch of the iPad.

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But even with all these changes, the iPad Mini delivers what it promises - helping users experience all that the iPad has to offer, but on a smaller device.

On the performance front, this smaller variant of the iPad runs all the same apps as the standard version. This includes the 275,000 tablet-optimized programs in addition to the over 700,000 apps available for the iOS operating system, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“I've been testing the iPad Mini for several days and found it does exactly what it promises: It brings the iPad experience to a smaller device. Every app that ran on my larger iPad ran perfectly on the Mini. I was able to use it one-handed and hold it for long periods of time without tiring,” according to the Journal’s review.

The iPad Mini is also equipped for long hours of use as the battery can last till about 12 hours and 43 minutes, according to Engadget. “This gives it the longest battery life of any tablet we've ever tested, besting even the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 by 42 minutes. Indeed during the course of our testing the battery on the iPad mini exceeded our expectations, expectations that were already high thanks to the consistently great battery life offered by the iPad family,” the review stated.

Meanwhile, the new iPad Mini is not free from a few glitches. For instance, it is priced considerably higher than its competitors. Consumers will have to pay an additional $129 more for the iPad than for Google's Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD.

Compared to the other two, iPad Mini’s screen resolution is also quite low at 1024x768 (1280x800 in standard versions).

Also, the Retina display, which is considered the flagship of Apple's tablet range, is absent in the iPad Mini.