Apple is expected to refresh the iPad mini in the second half of this year. The claim has been made by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo based on a supply chain check.
Kuo previously claimed Apple would refresh the iPad mini in the first half of 2021. However, the company seemingly changed its plans following supply-chain constraints. Apple last refreshed the smallest iPad in its lineup in 2019. The iPad mini 5 was an incremental update over its predecessor featuring faster internals, an upgraded Retina LCD, and Apple Pencil support.
Rumors surrounding the iPad mini refresh suggest it will feature an 8.4-inch display, up from the 7.9-inch display found on the existing model. It will continue to feature a Touch ID-based home button along with a Lightning port. The new iPad mini will not be a major refresh in any way, just like the last model.
Apple announced the 2021 iPad Pro lineup at its ‘Spring Loaded’ event last month. The new iPad Pro features an M1 chip, Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, up to 16GB RAM, and 2TB of storage space. The bigger 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a mini-LED back-lit offering up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness and a million-to-one contrast ratio. The analyst believes there will be a strong demand for the 2021 iPad Pro lineup due to a surge in work-from-home scenarios.
In the long term, Kuo believes Apple will launch an iPad mini with a mini-LED display. This should allow the mini tablet to offer deeper black levels, higher brightness levels, and more. In the same note, Kuo also claimed that Apple would be launching an 8.4-inch foldable iPhone in 2023.
