A new iPad mini is right around the corner, it seems, and it will supposedly bring some notable upgrades. The folks at Macrumors dug through Apple’s code and found crumbs of a new iPad mini, along with some core hardware details and a visual representation as well. The form factor will apparently remain identical, and the thick bezels seem to be here to stay. But there are a couple of changes, according to the report.
First, the lens of the front camera is moving to the landscape orientation, which means it’s now going to sit alongside the longer edge of the device, instead of sitting up top in a portrait setup. Second, the report also mentions cutouts on the front. It claims that could be a new speaker assembly. Previous reports have indicated that this could be a new vibration-based speaker. “The change allows the company to remove speaker holes where water could enter,” says a previous report by Bloomberg. Apple appears to be adding a small groove in the top section of the display glass, similar to the speaker design seen on the iPhone.
The speaker change could be more significant than it looks. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple was working on a vibration-based speaker system for the iPad mini that could eliminate traditional speaker holes. That would potentially allow Apple to improve the tablet’s resistance to water by reducing openings through which moisture could enter. One of the most visible changes is the front-facing camera moving to the landscape edge. That means the camera will sit alongside the longer edge of the tablet rather than above the display when the iPad mini is held vertically.
OLED and A20 Pro could make the mini much more capable
The biggest upgrade may be hidden behind the screen. The next iPad mini is widely expected to switch from LCD to OLED, bringing deeper blacks, stronger contrast and richer colours. Reports also suggest the screen size of the upcoming iPad mini is set to be slightly more generous. An OLED upgrade has already been implemented on the iPad Pro, and is expected to materialize on the iPad Air pretty soon. Given the recent trajectory of Apple’s hardware pricing structure, the next-gen iPad mini could be more expensive than its predecessor, and it is expected to launch next month.
The latest leak also mentions the A20 Pro chipset powering the iPad mini, the same as the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Duo. This won’t be a surprise, as the current generation model also gets a top-of-the-line Pro series chipset, powering flagship iPhones. Approach if it also means the iPad mini is ready for all the AI-powered bells and whistles that Apple bundles with the Apple Intelligence stack, alongside a sizable boost in raw processing power and graphics progress. Given the recent trajectory of Apple’s hardware pricing structure (read: steep hikes), the next-gen iPad mini could be more expensive than its predecessor, and it is expected to launch next month.
