Tim Cook, CEO of Apple unveils new iPads during a special event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House October 30, 2018, in New York. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Apple hasn't updated the iPad mini since 2015, when it first released the fourth-generation model, so it stands to reason the Cupertino tech giant will probably give its smallest tablet a refresh soon. A Thursday report out of China backs up that assumption.
As MacRumors reports, supply chain sources told the China Times that Apple is gearing up to launch a fifth-gen iPad mini in the first half of 2019.
Last year, Apple gave the 7.9-inch iPad mini 4 a spec-boost, upping its storage from 32GB to 128GB. Many will likely be unwrapping that model for Christmas as Walmart was selling it for just $279, down from $399, on Cyber Monday.
The fifth-gen version, which people are calling the iPad mini 5, will feature an upgraded processor and cheaper display panel, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in October. Also reportedly on tap for next year is a new, entry-level 10-inch iPad. That model may replace the sixth-gen 9.7-inch iPad released this March, which starts at $329.
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China Times says the upcoming 10-inch iPad will sport a "narrower frame" than its predecessor and a similar price, according to MacRumors. It's expected to debut in the second half of 2019. As for what actually comes to pass remains to be seen.
The sixth-gen iPad earned an "excellent" review in PCMag's April review, and our coveted Editors' Choice award.
"The same price as last year's model but now with Apple Pencil support, the sixth-generation iPad is the best midrange tablet choice for most people," PCMag' Lead Mobile Analyst Sascha Segan wrote in the review.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
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