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Next-gen iPad mini with A20 Pro chip found in Apple's code
Apple's own code describes an A20 Pro iPad mini that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects to launch by the end of October. Anyone about to buy the current A17 Pro model should wait those few weeks, unless the purchase has a deadline that lands first.
The Product Desk · Product desk
What happened
- The files were spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris and include product images that show only the front of the new mini.
- The front camera moves to the landscape side, which makes the mini the last iPad to adopt that position, according to MacRumors.
- A small groove cut into the top of the display glass, like the iPhone's, is presumably there for a new speaker.
- Gurman had earlier reported water resistance and a new vibration-based speaker, and MacRumors says the icons appear to back that up.
- The A20 Pro is the same chip Apple put in the iPhone 18 Pro models that launched last week, according to 9to5Mac.
Compiled by The Product DeskSomething wrong?How this is made
Why it matters
- decision Anyone ordering a mini this month has to weigh a few weeks of delay against starting out three chip generations behind the model Apple appears ready to ship.
- cost A team that holds its order takes on the risk that Apple misses Gurman's timing, and it commits before any price has been reported.
- constraint Because the images show only the front, buyers who need current cases or mounts to fit the new model cannot plan accessories from this leak.
- capability Once the mini switches, every iPad would have its front camera on the landscape side, so a mixed fleet could use one call setup for every model.
Put the current iPad mini on its side for a video call and the front camera ends up on one of the short edges. That is because it sits in the top bezel when the device is held upright [12]. The person on the other end sees you from off to one side. In the model described in Apple's code, the camera moves to the landscape side, where every other iPad already puts it [3][12].
Most of the coverage leads with the chip. By Apple's numbering, the A20 Pro is three generations past the A17 Pro in the mini on sale now [13][11]. I'd expect that gap to matter more for how long a unit stays in service than for anything a user notices on day one. The camera change is different. A user notices it the first time they join a call with the device on its side.
The evidence comes from Apple's own files [1]. That is harder evidence than a parts-supplier rumor, and MacRumors says the files' presence suggests a launch is likely soon [6]. It is still one find. MacRumors is not publishing the files' details [6], and 9to5Mac's report credits the discovery to MacRumors [14]. The independent support is Gurman's earlier reporting, which MacRumors says the icons appear to corroborate [7].
The images show only the front, so changes to the back and sides are unknown [2]. 9to5Mac reads the icon as keeping the current model's overall design [12]. The same device is also rumored to get a slightly larger screen and an OLED display [8]. A buyer who needs existing cases or mounts to carry over cannot settle that from a front-facing icon. The volume and power buttons stay on top [5]. Neither report includes a price.
I'd wait if the purchase can slip into November. Waiting means betting that Apple hits Gurman's end-of-October timing [9] and committing before Apple has announced a price.
To apply this to a specific order, sort it on two axes. The first is timing: whether the devices must be in people's hands before the end of October. The second is use: whether the people receiving them take calls with the device on its side or work near water, where the reported water resistance would count [7].
- Can wait, and the use matches: wait for the new model. - Can wait, and the use does not match: wait anyway. The cost is a few weeks, and you see the new price before you commit. - Must buy now, and the use matches: buy only what the deadline requires and move the rest of the order to the new model. - Must buy now, and the use does not match: buy the current model. It is still the device Apple released in October 2024 [11].
What to watch
- Whether Apple ships the new mini by the end of October, as Gurman expects; a slip past that date weakens the case for holding orders.
- The launch price, with an OLED display in the rumor mix, which decides whether the wait pays off for budget-bound buyers.
- Images or code showing the back and sides, which would settle whether the rumored larger screen changes dimensions and accessory fit.