We saw leaks before suggesting that a fifth-generation iPad mini may look virutally indistigusihable from the current model and now a pair of reports published Tuesday have indicated that the device will be just a specs bump.
Smartphone leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer wrote on his Twitter account OnLeaks that he received an alleged CAD rendering of iPad mini 5 from a trusted source.
While he did not share the photo at the time of this writing, Hemmerstoffer says it indicates that the only major design tweak to the device will be a relocated microphone, centered on the upper back panel like on the $329 iPad.
He said he couldn’t vouch for the veracity of the image, but the reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara back up Hemmerstoffer’s claim. The site was told by accessory manufacturers in the know that the new iPad mini will look almost identical to the iPad mini 4 design (Mac Otakara said the same thing a week ago).
The device is apparently 203.2 mm tall, 134.8 mm wide and has a thickness sof 6.1 mm. These are the exact same dimensions of the current model but even though your existing iPad mini 4 cases may easily fit the new model, the relocated microphone may render them useless.
The jury is still out as to whether the device will support Apple Pencil.
The tablet should retain the Lightning connector and the 3.5mm headphone jack. It should run an Apple A10 chip, like the $329 budget, versus the Apple A8 powering the current model. iPad An edge-to-edge design like we saw on the 2018 iPad Pro series and Face ID are not expected to be adopted across the mini line.
Both reports seem to add an aura of credence to a trio of claimed photos, published in January, that picture an alleged enclosure for iPad mini 5 revealing potential design changes like a relocated microphone hole, redesigned cellular antenna and no camera flash on the back.
According to supply chain sources and revered analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo, the refreshed tablet will be arriving later in 2019, but it’s unclear if the tablet may start shipping in the spring following Apple’s March 25 event or in the fall. Either way, expect it to be a bit cheaper than the current 128GB $399 Wi-Fi iPad mini 4.
I’m pretty sure many people who prefer the iPad mini form factor and price will be pissed if iPad mini 5 really turns out to be just a specs bump like iPad mini 4 was.
What would you do to make iPad mini great again?
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