Alleged CAD-based renders of the iPad mini 6
David Kowalski has leaked several devices over the past twelve months including the Google Pixel 5, Galaxy Note 20, and iPhone 12 Pro. More recently, he shared renders of the iPad Pro (2021), and now he’s back in partnership with Pigtou to share alleged images of the iPad mini 6.Certain elements of this leak seem very sketchy, though, so make sure to take these alleged CAD-based renders with a nice pinch of salt.
The iPad mini 6 may offer a punch-hole camera
The sixth-generation iPad mini will introduce a much larger 9.1-inch display while retaining virtually the same dimensions as its predecessor. To be precise, the thickness has increased by 0.15mm but the height and width remain unchanged.
Making this possible are the thin bezels that now sit around the screen. Ming-Chi Kuo hinted at a 9-inch iPad mini 6 with an all-screen design last May, so the device pictured above and below falls in line with those predictions.
But things get interesting (and much less believable) when you take a closer look at the panel. Unlike other all-screen iPads, the next-gen iPad mini allegedly introduces punch-hole tech.
Of course, it could be the start of a new design language for the company, so the design may well be accurate.
Apple’s next iPad mini could be the first with in-screen Touch ID
The least believable part of these images can be found on the bottom half of the display. Specifically, the next-gen tablet is depicted with a cutout for a Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
It’s unclear whether this is for illustration purposes to confirm the presence of an under-screen Touch ID implementation, like the one expected in the iPhone 12S later this year, or whether Apple is allegedly planning a large cutout.
But if the latter is what these renders imply, that seems extremely unlikely, especially for Apple which tends to avoid unconventional designs at all costs in favor of something simple.
Expect the iPad mini 6 to arrive in the first half of 2021
The iPad mini 6 is expected to arrive in the first half of this year, potentially at an event in late March alongside the iPad Pro (2021) line and a third-generation iPhone SE.
It should be powered by the A14 Bionic, currently used inside the iPhone 12 series, and include both a lightning port and 3.5mm headphone jack, both of which are found on the iPad mini 5.
The rest of the tablet’s external package consists of an aluminum body with a small camera on the back, a power button on the top, and the volume keys on the frame’s left side.
Apple’s alleged iPad mini 6 vs the iPhone 12 Pro
