It’s been over two years since the last Apple iPad Mini release, with the Cupertino-based company giving their attention to the iPad Air and iPad Pro since. However, serial leaker Jon Prosser along with Ian Zelbo have released renders of the new iPad Mini, based on a mix of schematics, CAD files and images of the new tablet.
According to these leaks, the new iPad Mini will lose the home button as Apple looks to increase the screen real estate on the device without making it much bigger than before. Indeed, there’s apparently just a 3mm difference in footprint between the ‘new’ iPad mini and the last release. With no home button present, Touch ID now gets moved to the power button.
Following the design philosophy of Apple’s other devices, the new iPad Mini is apparently getting flat edges too. The speakers have also been revamped according to Prosser, making them much better than before. It will however come with just one main camera sensor on the back. There would also be three colour options: silver, black and gold.
The last iPad Mini is compatible with the first generation Apple Pencil, and Apple Pencil support looks likely to continue with this new revision. The main difference however appears to be that this time, the Apple Pencil for it will be just like the tablet itself – smaller. This would line up with a previous leak of an unreleased Apple Pencil that’s quite a bit smaller than the current Apple Pencil 2.
Furthermore, the iPad Mini is set to come with a USB-C connector instead of the Lightning connector. This seems to be in line with Apple’s shift away from the Lightning connector for its tablets. As for its internals, it won’t be coming with Apple’s M1 processor inside. Instead, like the iPad Air, Prosser says it’ll be coming with the A14 Bionic chip along with support for 5G.
Again, it goes without saying that all this remains speculation for now, as Apple themselves have yet to confirm if there’s even going to be a new iPad Mini. However, Jon Prosser does have a somewhat okay track record when it comes to these things, with AppleTrack scoring his leaks as 73.6% accurate.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Apple took awhile before refreshing one of its devices. The second generation iPhone SE for example came out four years after the first iPhone SE. As such, it’s perhaps just a matter of time before Apple decides to revisit the iPad Mini lineup.
