New iPad Mini 5, 10-Inch iPad for 2019, report says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
More From PCmag
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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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.