iPad Mini 6 Rumored to Feature A15 Chip and Smart Connector

[rangen]

I’ve been waiting for this. Having used iPad in various incarnations since Gen 1, I’ve realised (despite never having one), the mini is what I really want. The portability and handling is what it comes down to. I hope they go down the Air route with Touch ID.

 

[Aston441]

I wish Apple would make a decision quickly on whether they are converting to USB-C. Although I would hate to see Lightning go, it sucks that half their products are USB-C and half are Lightning.

You can still force the USBC into the lightning port in a pinch if you have to, so its not all bad.

 

[bodonnell202]

There was a time when the iPad Air and Mini were the same tablet only differentiated by screen size. They broke that parallel track when they introduced the Air 2 and the Mini 3 was simply a re-packaged Mini 2 with Touch-ID. Ever since then the Mini has lagged well behind the performance of the lager iPad Air. Even today, an Air 2 is still a usable tablet. My Daughter still uses her's daily. The Mini 3 is a frustratingly slow piece of garbage. Even the Mini 4 and 5 are quickly aging out from a performance standpoint while the regular iPads from that generation are greatly more usable. It would be great if they got in sync so you could gauge by generation what the performance and capabilities were and not be forced to compromise just to get a more manageable form factor.

The Mini usually follows the Air, but it has been inconsistent whether it is a year behind or in step. The Mini 5 was released at the same time as Air 3 and matches it's specs, whereas the Mini 4 was released a year later than the Air 2 and matches many of it's specs but with an A8 instead of A8X.

 

[AND411]

What’s the main point tho, the iPhones are big and the mini is to small for a tablet

Why has the iPad Mini been around for so long (9 years)? Because customers want it.
I recently bought an IPad Mini 4 as a second hand device, I was lucky, it's like new. My IPad Pro 11 is too big for me to have with me all the time, the IPhone Xs is too small to be able to go online on it reasonably.
Next year I will sell both devices and buy a MacBook (Air?) and an IPad Mini 6. I think I'll be completely happy with that.

 

[Falhófnir]

"Original" can cover a multitude of sins, but there have been a variety of differences in the X versions.
They've always had a wider memory bus, they sometimes ran at higher GHz, packaging was frequently different, A8X and A10X came with 3 CPU cores (10X of course had those hard-paired big+little cores), and with 12X and 14X we get 4 large cores.

Point is "just graphics boosted" does them a disservice.

And the X chips are now the M chips. If there is going to be an ‘A15X’ it’s going to have a different raison d'être, extra graphics punch might be it.

 

[thingstoponder]

Think of it not as an in-between chip but more like an M1 or M2 minus the USC 4 / Thunderbolt or the like. We know the individual core design is virtually the same between A & M chips, but the core-number, RAM, I/O configurations can vary and allow for A, AX, M & MX variants even if they're mostly a marketing label on a specific chip configuration.

They would never spend the millions to make a new chip design for tiny differences like a thunderbolt port which takes up a tiny amount of die space. Much less for a mid level iPad that isn’t even the Pro. It makes perfect sense to put the iPhone chips in the non-Pro iPads because they’re fast enough and differentiate it from the Pro.

There’s just no room for a chip between the A14 and M1.

 

[DummyFool]

What’s the main point tho, the iPhones are big and the mini is to small for a tablet

The iPhone Pro Max as a screen size of 17.50 square inch while the Mini (at 8.4") would have 33.07 square inch. Almost double the screen. So we are not talking about same screen size by a long shot.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Make sure both the updated iPad mini and an updated iPad Air have 10Gbps USB-C, none of this 5Gbps goofiness. I don’t expect TB3, but so do expect 10Gbps in 2021, it’s not 2014.

 

[PsykX]

A15X? That would be the M2 unless they’re making an ‘in between’ chip just for the iPad Air (or that rumoured folding iPad).

I don't see why they would put an M2 an iPad Mini.
They would kill a differentiating factor found on the iPad Pro.

The upcoming line should be like this :
iPad Mini + iPad Air = A15
iPad Pro = M2

 

[DotCom2]

it's an ideal size for travelling too. You can type with it in portrait mode like a phone, while you're walking.

I used an old mini 2 with GPS while traveling in Europe for walking navigation. It's size made it just perfect and sooooo helpful. Can't wait to get this new version.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

I really hope this works out. I'm using the ipad pro 9 inch but i have always loved the size of the mini.

 

[dannyyankou]

So a smart connector probably means Smart Keyboard. That’s going to be a tiny keyboard then.

 

[poematik13]

I used an old mini 2 with GPS while traveling in Europe for walking navigation. It's size made it just perfect and sooooo helpful. Can't wait to get this new version.

Yup, I take mine with me abroad a lot too. It's also the perfect size for an airplane seat tray where you can have it propped up and have your drink next to it as well

 

[gorkt]

I will believe it when I see it.

 

[dampfnudel]

I hope the 6th Gen iPad mini comes in Sky Blue like the iPad Air 4. Even if it doesn’t, I’m still getting it. It sounds like the upgrade I’ve been waiting for since I sold my slowing iPad mini 4 last year.

 

[Yorkshire Lad]

" and Apple is said to be working on a more powerful "A15X" "

Seriously? Not an M1X? Not an M2? Not an M2X?
Enough with this idiocy!!!

We all know there will be a faster companion to the A15. If you have no idea what it will be called, then don't waste our time with this speculation -- we can make up names just as well as you.

Remember the days when we used to complain about Apple muddying the waters with Mini, Pro, Pro Max, SE, 'regular' etc? Now they're doing the same with the chips!

 

[dampfnudel]

If iPad mini is getting A15, is it likely the iPad Air will get a minor spec bump to A15 as well?

I would assume so.

 

[RAS2MR]

What’s the main point tho, the iPhones are big and the mini is to small for a tablet

This mini is actually very appealing to me. I have an iPad Pro, but use my current iPad mini more than either my iPhone or my iPad Pro. Its a great size for reading books and casual web/email and for use on an airplane, and will be better with a slightly larger screen in the same form factor. The light weight, compared to the other iPads, is also a benefit for extended use while reading and web for web/email...If it emerges as a product with specs similar to what's being rumored it will definitely be a purchase...

 

[Rafterman]

I'm also hoping for at least 512GB storage option. Maybe even 1TB, though that might be more of a wish than reality. Also, a tiny magic keyboard would be awesome. I imagine it will have the same magnet connectors, like the Pro.

If true, this Mini upgrade is more than I expected.

 

[apparatchik]

They would never spend the millions to make a new chip design for tiny differences like a thunderbolt port which takes up a tiny amount of die space. Much less for a mid level iPad that isn’t even the Pro. It makes perfect sense to put the iPhone chips in the non-Pro iPads because they’re fast enough and differentiate it from the Pro.

There’s just no room for a chip between the A14 and M1.

I don't think you read my answer, I wasn't talking about a new chip design, just like the A12Z was an A12X with an extra GPU core enabled, they can keep having AX chips which have always been the exact same design as an A chip with extra GPU cores or extra thermal headroom. You might want to read up on wafer/chip binning.

The rumored M1X will be the same M1 but with different number of cores, ram and additional I/O capability, the individual core design (perf core & efficient core) shared with the non-X variant.

I'll give you some news, the A14 and the M1 share the core design. They're not different designs, and an AX configuration wouldnt be a different design either. Having an AX is just a different configuration of the same chip design like it has been all along since the very first AX. In other words, what they call A, AX, M and MX, are different configurations of the same chip design, it's just a way of labeling the specific configuration.

Picture it like this, they can call AX whatever they want, Apple's decides what a AX is, it can be a USB-C enabled A15 with an extra GPU-core.

 

[hatchettjack]

put a phone in it and I would buy 4 of them!

 

[AdonisSMU]

I’ve been waiting for this. Having used iPad in various incarnations since Gen 1, I’ve realised (despite never having one), the mini is what I really want. The portability and handling is what it comes down to. I hope they go down the Air route with Touch ID.

I like the idea of the finger print being in the button.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I really hope this works out. I'm using the ipad pro 9 inch but i have always loved the size of the mini.

Huh???

 

[Spock]

Huh???

I am assuming they are referring to the short lived 9.7 in iPad Pro before it was replaced by the 10.5 in iPad Pro.

 

[ElectronGuru]

put a phone in it and I would buy 4 of them!

A key goal of $500 iPads is not stealing sales of $1000 iPhones