Despite continuing supply chain problems, Apple ended 2020 with a flurry of new technologies. And it looks like we won’t have to wait long until the first Apple branded products from 2021 are released.
Japanese website Mac Otakara obtained information from Apple’s supply chain about the future iPad mini 6 – and it looks like it won’t be as ‘mini’ as before. While the smallest current iPad launched in 2019 has a 7.9 inch screen, the new model will be considerably larger, with a reported 8.4 inch screen.
How much this will really affect your hand size is yet to be seen, as the report notes that the device will have finer bezels. It is possible that the ratio between the canvas and the body is so improved that it actually has a similar size and weight.
But the smaller bezels do not indicate a new revision of the design. Instead, the Mac Otakara report indicates that the new iPad mini will be similar to the iPad Air 3. In other words, the Touch ID home button will survive another day, as will the Lightning port – the new iPad mini apparently does not imitate the almost frameless design of the latest iPad Pros this time.
An increase in size for the iPad mini has been in the cards for a while. Last May, Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo predicted that 2021 would see an iPad mini with an 8.5 to 9 inch screen in the first half of the year, possibly with a mini LED display.
iPad mini 6 release date
Although this report makes no mention of the display technology involved, it appears that the sources are in agreement on the release date. Mac Otakara says the updated iPad mini will be released in March. And given the rumor that Apple is planning to launch new iPad Pros around this time, don’t be surprised if Apple announces an event with the tablet theme in a short time.
The March 2021 release date would be two years after the month since the last update of the iPad mini, which may seem a little slow compared to Apple’s other core products, but it could be worse.
Before the latest model came out, there hadn’t been a new iPad mini since September 2015, and many feared that the format had been completely abandoned, only to return with support for Apple Pencil and a True Tone screen. Although the changes are probably not as dramatic this time around, an update is still extremely welcome.