New entry-level iPad and iPad mini 5 launching in the first half of 2019
Apple launched the new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with thin bezel design and support for Face ID facial recognition system at the end of October. Now, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker might be planning to bring that design to smaller iPad variants as well.
Apple is working on iPad mini 5, which will be a major revamp of iPad mini 4 and also end a long time that this device has gone without an update. The report claims that the device will enter mass production any moment now and it hints at launch sometime early next year. That’s not all, the 9.7-inch iPad, which got revised a few months back, is also set to receive an update.
Citing people familiar with the development, Apple is in plans to launch two entry-level iPad models in the first half of this year, including the iPad mini 5 and an entry-level iPad model. It is also said that touch panel manufacturers General Interface Solution (GIS) and TPK Holding are already gearing up for the launch.
Specifications and features of the upcoming iPad models aren’t reported this time. However, a past rumor suggested that the iPad mini 5 could sport a vertically stacked dual camera setup and include a headphone jack.
The report says that the new 9.7-inch iPad will feature the bezel-less design that we saw on the iPad Pro last month. It is claimed to sport a slightly bigger 10-inch display thanks to minimal bezels but retains the form factor of an existing smaller model. This only confirms that Apple is dropping the Touch ID in favor of Face ID. Like the iPad mini 5, the updated 9.7-inch iPad is also said to arrive in the first half of 2019.
