Apple’s upcoming iPad mini refresh will feature the same mini-LED display technology as the M1-toting 2021 iPad Pro — reports MacRumors, citing a preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report.
The iPad mini redesign is shaping up to be quite an affair. So far, the rumour mill has churned out reports of a larger 8.5-inch to 9-inch screen, slimmer bezels, the Home button removed in favour of a Touch ID power button, and a design language similar to that of the latest iPad Air.
According to a report from 9to5Mac earlier this week, we should also expect the next iPad mini to feature the same next-generation A15 processor as this year’s iPhones, a USB-C port instead of Lightning, and a magnetic Smart Connector for accessories like keyboards.
Here’s an excerpt from the cited report:
BLU maker Radiant to kick off shipments for Apple mini-LED backlit devices in 3Q21
Radiant Optoelectronics will kick off shipments of its backlight units for the upcoming mini LED-backlit MacBook Pro and iPad mini later in the third quarter, with the shipments to expand in volume in the fourth quarter, according to industry sources.
Mini-LED display technology offers significant leaps in peak brightness, more dimming zones, and much richer blacks.
The report talks of mini-LED backlight units for both the iPad mini and the next MacBook Pro, which has been rumoured to be getting the mini-LED upgrade since early this year.
While early reports pointed towards a March launch for the 2021 iPad mini, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May that the device would be delayed to later this year. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, who says the iPad mini 6 will be “the biggest redesign in the nine-year history” of the iPad mini, believes it will launch this fall.
The DigiTimes report pointing towards mini-LED backlighting shipments for the iPad mini in the third quarter of the year does instill confidence in a fall launch.
We haven’t seen a new iPad mini since 2019, when Apple unveiled the 7.9-inch iPad mini 5 with an A12 Bionic chip under the hood.
