Apple's build quality is an upside on the Mini 4. The dimensions of 8 x 5.3 x 0.24 inches and weight of 0.66 pounds make the Apple's iPad Mini 4 one of the lightest tablets we've seen.

The Mini 4's rounded edges and weighty aluminum construction give it a durable feel. The tablet lasted for a lengthy nine hours and 23 minutes in Laptop's battery test, in which a tablet loops through webpages at a constant brightness until it powers down. Apple offers the tablet in 16GB, 64GB or 128GB configurations, and separate models include support for cellular data.

During our hands-on evaluations, pixelation was still present in high-detail applications like those for reading, but the display's brightness kept the screen from appearing dulled. Likewise, the Samsung Galaxy Tab E performed superbly in battery benchmarking.

Our testing followed methodology developed by our colleagues at Laptop Mag, wherein a tablet is set at a constant brightness and simulates normal web browsing until it powers down. The Tab E produced an exceptional mark of 13 hours and 22 minutes, which managed to beat the 11-hour average of competing premium tablets.

The Apple iPad Pro was also a strong performer in Laptop Mag's battery testing, in which a tablet loops through webpages until it powers down. With a mark of 10 hours and 53 minutes, the 9.7-inch Pro was in line with the average nine-hour mark for mainstream tablets.

Considering that the Pro is more power intensive than standard tablets, its battery life is especially impressive. For home users, the 9.7-inch Pro's physical appearance is familiar. With dimensions of 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.24 inches and a weight of 0.96 pounds, it's virtually identical to the iPad Air 2.