Apple’s new iPad mini is on track to launch this fall with its “biggest redesign” to date, according to one reliable reporter.
The sixth-generation device, which could look like a more compact version of the iPad Air, is expected to feature a larger edge-to-edge screen. It could be powered by the lightning-fast A14 Bionic chip.
The iPad mini seems to have been forgotten by Apple in recent years. Its latest refresh rolled out in March 2019, when the device got the A12 Bionic processor, True Tone technology, and Apple Pencil support.
But it seems there’s still a future — a very bright one — for Apple’s smallest tablet. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman expects the device to see a significant refresh with its biggest redesign yet this fall.
iPad mini could get a massive refresh in 2021
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman predicts the sixth-generation iPad mini will see major design changes and could look like a smaller version of the fourth-generation iPad Air.
The device will get a larger screen — 8.4 inches up from 7.9 inches in previous models — Gurman adds. It is expected to make its debut this fall, likely after Apple rolls out its next-generation iPhone lineup.
Gurman isn’t the first to suggest the new iPad mini will share a lot in common with the latest iPad Air. Leaker Jon Prosser last month shared renders, based on his own information, that teased its rumored redesign.
And an Apple Pencil mini?
Prosser also claimed at the time that the iPad mini refresh could bring USB-C connectivity, a Touch ID sensor embedded in its power button, and an A14 Bionic processors — all of which are found in iPad Air.
Prosser also expects Apple to introduce a new, more compact version of Apple Pencil to go with the next-generation iPad mini.
