A massive iPad mini redesign is reportedly finally coming this fall

iPad mini 5 (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

New rumors have Apple announcing a big iPad mini refresh this fall.
Apple's iPad mini hasn't been refreshed since 2019.

Apple's much-neglected iPad mini will get a refresh this fall, according to a new report. The iPad mini is long overdue a new design and we've been hearing rumors for months that such a refresh is in the cards. Now, it seems we'll see it before the year's out.

As part of this week's Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that the refreshed iPad mini is ready for a fall launch, also going on to say that it is "the biggest redesign in the nine-year history" of the miniature tablet.

Apple last gave the iPad mini some love back in 2019 and that was nothing more than a processor bump and the addition of Apple Pencil support. This new refresh is thought to be much more comprehensive, with a new design potentially bringing an iPad Air-like removal of the Home button.

The removal of the Home button is unlikely to mean that we get Face ID on the smallest iPad, however. The iPad Air already put Touch ID into its sleep/wake button and a similar move is likely here, although we will obviously need to wait for an official announcement to be sure.

Apple looks set to have a busy fall on its hands. The iPhone 13 launch is big enough all on its lonesome, but Apple Watch Series 7 is also set to be announced and rumors of new Macs won't go away — suggesting a bumper for months for Apple's product teams before 2021 comes to a close.

We wouldn't suggest picking up an iPad mini right now, but the iPad Air is a great machine. In fact, it's arguably the best iPad for most people right now.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.