I held out from upgrading my iPad Mini when version 2 came out, with Retina (high-res) screen. I found that the screen on the first one was very good, good enough for almost any purpose. And this I still think is true.
But because I plan to use it more, I have now upgraded finally, to the iPad Mini 4. It's much faster, and of course it has the newest version of the Retina Display.
And that screen is just awesome. It's hard to "count the ways", but it is. And I have looked at computer screens daily for over two decades, and tablet screens since the very first iPad kickstarted the market six years ago. This really rocks. For example looking at a full page of a magazine or a comic on it is just a joy. The colors, the contrast, and as much detail as the best eyes can take in...
---
You can get cheaper tablets if you can stand them, sure. But:
A good way of saving some money on that iPad or iPhone for that lucky amongst your loved ones, is to buy a refurbished one ("refurbish"; to renovate inside and out). You can do so directly from Apple.
I've done so before and this time also, and honestly the experience is exactly like getting a new one. All new packaging and so on. And get this: the outer shell as well as the battery are *also* brand new, and it has a full guarantee. So in practice no difference, but you save maybe 25%.
---
Oh, and to save even more, Apple is usually still selling last year's model for a drastically reduced price. For example they now sell, brand-new, the iPad Mini 4 side-by-side with the iPad Mini 2. The price difference is substantial, much bigger, I think, than any tech difference (mainly the 4 is a bit faster).
