Apple iPad mini 3

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 substantive upgrades over last year's iPad mini 2, which gets a sizeable price cut to $299 for 16GB. One hundred bucks is a lot of money to shell out for what amounts to a small convenience or outsized vanity. New tablet buyers should snag the discounted-and-renamed iPad mini 2, one of our top picks for small-screen tablets, while existing mini 2 owners have very little reason to upgrade. 

Design, Touch ID, and Apple SIM

The iPad mini 3 is physically identical to its predecessor (7.87 by 5.3 by 0.29 inches and 11.68 ounces), save for the accent ring surrounding the new Touch ID button. There's also a new gold colorway to go along with the existing silver and space gray options. The gold here matches the gold finishes of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It's no longer the thinnest or lightest tablet in town—that honor belongs to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4—but it's still arguably the best-looking and best-built small tablet.