The new generation iPad mini will feature a larger screen and a design inspired by the 2019 iPad Air, according to a new report.
Japanese place Mac Otakara reports that the sixth-generation iPad mini will debut in March 2021, citing sources in Apple’s supply chain in China.
The new iPad mini will feature a larger 8.4-inch screen instead of the 7.9-inch screen of previous models. It is expected to retain Touch ID and a Lightning port in traditional locations, but could include a narrower framework like the iPad Air 3 starting in 2019.
This is echoed in another recent report from Mac Otakara that the ninth-generation iPad model would be inspired by the 2019 iPad Air, but on the other hand, it would feature few major design changes.
So this isn’t the first time a screen size change has been rumored for the iPad mini. Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in 2020 that Apple would launch an iPad mini model in the first half of 2021 with a screen between 8.5 and 9 inches.
The current iPad mini 5 model was launched in March 2019 with few changes from the last iteration beyond an A12 Bionic processor and Apple Pencil compatibility. While unchanged, the iPad mini 5 was the first update to Apple’s device since 2015.