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iPad Mini adds Retina -- and a few grams

Everyone knows by now that the iPad Mini has gone Retina. Psst...it gained a few grams too.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers
The iPad Mini Retina Wi-Fi and Cellular versions: they're a little bit thicker and heavier than the original.
The iPad Mini Retina Wi-Fi and Cellular versions: they're a little bit thicker and heavier than the original. Apple

Another prediction has come true: the iPad Mini got thicker and heavier.

While everyone is oohing and aahing over the display, they may not notice that the just-announced iPad Mini with Retina display is a little thicker than the original Mini.

The Mini Retina is 7.5mm (0.29-inches), while the original Mini is 7.2mm (0.28-inches).

And the Mini Retina gains 23 grams in weight over the over the original: 331 vs. 308.

Similar gains in grams apply to the Cellular (3G/4G) versions. The Mini Retina is 341 grams, while the original is 312 grams.

Why the extra heft? You can thank the Retina display for that. It requires better backlighting to push the light through all those extra pixels and has a slightly larger battery, among other reasons.

The 9.7-inch iPad Air went the other direction compared with its predecessor the iPad 4. The iPad Air slimmed down -- it boasts the same thickness as the Mini -- to 7.5mm compared to the older iPad 4, which was a chunky 9.4m (0.37 inches) thick.

Watch this: New iPad Mini features super crisp and clear Retina Display
See CNET's complete coverage of all of today's Apple iPad and Mac news.