New iPad Air 5, iPad mini 6, iPad 9 Rumours Emerge from Supply Chain: Report

Japanese site MacOtakara is hearing some more details about what Apple’s next iPads may entail.

iPad Air 6

The site says Chinese suppliers note the next-gen iPad Air (5th gen) is “likely to be based” on the iPad Pro (3rd gen) design. While the display will remain at 10.9-inches, and Touch ID in the side button will stay as well, the Chinese supplier details the rear camera will get a dual-lens system, consisting of wide and ultra-wide angle cameras.

An included LiDAR scanner may be possible, but the site says it’s unclear on that feature for the next iPad Air. Other iPad Air 5 details claim 4-speaker audio and 5G NR mmWave cellular connectivity, plus an expected A15 Bionic chip upgrade.

iPad mini 6 and iPad 9

As for the iPad mini, the next generation is said to include a larger 8.4-inch display, based on details from Chinese suppliers since January of this year, reports Mac Otakara, to go with an A14 Bionic chip.

As for the iPad 9, details claim it will remain the same as the iPad 8, with no major changes coming aside from a possible CPU upgrade to the A14 Bionic.

Both the iPad mini and iPad design may remain the same until 2022 or later, claims the site.

Last week, 9to5Mac reported it had learned the next iPad mini will have an A15 processor, USB-C and also add a magnetic Smart Connector.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says this year’s iPad mini is said to be the biggest design change yet for the tablet, as it may finally ditch the Home button.

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