If there's one Apple product that's due a fresh coat of paint, it's the poor, neglected iPad mini. Last updated in 2019 (with a design straight out of 2015), it's fair to say that the diminutive tablet is looking a little, er, tired. But it seems a new iPad mini could finally be on the horizon – and if it looks like this, we're sold.
Apple leaker Jon Prosser has already claimed that the iPad mini 6 will finally shed the old design in favour of a favour of an iPad Pro-inspired edge-to-edge display. And now, reports suggest it "should be a go" for a fall 2021 launch. Yep, our best drawing tablets roundup could be welcoming its very first iPad mini this year.
We loved this iPad Pro-inspired iPad mini concept from last year – is it about to become a reality? (Image credit: Parker Ortolani)
According to a new Bloomberg report, “the biggest redesign in the nine-year history” of the iPad mini will arrive before the end of this year. This could be great news for digital artists who love the portability of the mini – and if, along with the redesign, it gets Apple Pencil 2 support, the new mini could become an indispensable tool for artists on the go.
As for the design, according to Jon Prosser's new Front Page Tech site, the iPad mini is "set to receive the flat treatment, getting the very familiar flat sides and back, as we’ve seen with almost every new Apple product recently". As Prosser puts it, the diminutive new device will be like an iPad Air 4 – but smaller.
Front Page Tech's mockup of the rumoured new iPad mini (Image credit: Front Page Tech)
Prosser's concept looks just like Parker Ortolani's brilliant iPad mini 6 concept from last year (below) – by which we mean a mini-er iPad Pro. We've been keen to see such a design ever since we set eyes on Ortolani's concept, and it's great to hear that it might finally be happening.
damn do I wish they'd make an iPad mini like this pic.twitter.com/y4qYdslDCfJuly 24, 2020
There's clearly an appetite for an updated iPad Mini – although some have pointed out that if Apple is indeed working on a folding iPhone with a large display, the iPad Mini's days could eventually be numbered. Whether or not that will become a reality remains to be seen – in the meantime, if you're looking for a great deal on an iPad, check out our best Apple deals.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.
