The next generation of the iPad mini will feature a bigger display and a design inspired by the 2019 iPad Air, according to a new report.
Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider
Japanese site Mac Otakara reports that the "iPad mini 6" will debut in March 2021, citing sources within Apple's supply chain in China.
The new iPad mini will feature a larger 8.4-inch display rather than the 7.9-inch screen in past models. It's expected to retain Touch ID and a Lightning port in the traditional locations, but it could feature a narrower frame like the iPad Air 3 from 2019.
That echoes another recent report from Mac Otakara that the 9th-generation iPad model would be inspired by the 2019 iPad Air but would otherwise feature few major design changes.
Thus is not the first time that a screen size change for the iPad mini has been rumored. Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecast back in 2020 that Apple would release an iPad mini model in the first half of 2021 with a display between 8.5 inches and 9 inches.
The current iPad mini 5 model was released in March 2019 with few changes from the past iteration beyond an A12 Bionic processor and Apple Pencil support. Although short on changes, the iPad mini 5 was Apple's first refresh of the device since 2015.