iPad Pro mini leak tips a new future for tiny tablet

The next small iPad will likely appear in a new lane, with a new look and newly increased power. This new device could be called iPad Mini Pro, it could be called iPad Pro mini, it could just be called iPad mini (with an understanding that it's time for a significant refresh). The newest tip seems to agree with recent analysis from Ming-Chi Kuo, who said there'd be a new iPad mini that was somewhat like a smaller version of the iPad Air.

The most recent leak from Naver suggests that a small version of iPad Pro (iPad mini Pro) will be released in the second half of the year 2021. This new model will be "equipped with a dipple with a reduced bezel like the pro model." This information may suggest that the iPad mini will be removed from the equation completely – OR that there'll be both a mini and an mini Pro.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the new iPad mini will appear in the Fall. If Apple does not introduce a "Pro" model the size of the "mini", it remains possible that they would host a Fall event that focuses on their most affordable model tablets, including the standard iPad and iPad mini.

Imagery leaked in April of this year showed the first two of three models of iPad that were supposed to appear at the first Apple event of the year. The iPad mini there did not appear at said event. That iPad mini did not look particularly different from what is otherwise the most recent iPad mini in Apple's lineup.

Take a peek at the timeline below for more recent bits and pieces of this next iPad release adventure. It's likely we'll see more M1 processing power, more flat edges, and more compatibility with Apple Pencil. But we shall see!