Design Drawings Purportedly Show Exact Dimensions of Smaller, Thinner iPad 5

Rumors of a narrower and thinner design for the fifth-generation iPad have been circulating for a number of months now, with Apple reportedly taking some design cues from the iPad mini in redesigning the full-size iPad with narrower side bezels, a thinner shell, and more rounded curves.

As long ago as last December, rumors indicated that the new iPad would shave off 4 mm in height, 17 mm in width, and 2 mm in thickness compared to the current design, and based on those rumors and leaked rear shell photos, we created renderings of what the device might look like fully assembled. A number of photo leaks of the rear shell and front panel of the device have continued to support the claims of the iPad mini-inspired redesign.

A case maker's design drawings have now been provided to AppleInsider showing the expected exact dimensions of the fifth-generation iPad. According to the drawings, the next iPad will measure 7.5 mm thick, a full 2 mm thinner than the current iPad and 0.3 mm thicker than the iPad mini.

ipad_5_4_design_drawings
The new iPad will only shave a little more than 1 mm off of the height of the current iPad, but the much narrower side bezels will reduce the width of the device by over 16 mm or nearly 9%.

Similar design drawings surfaced for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, and while they were nearly spot on in several of their measurements, it should be noted that those drawing had pegged the iPhone 5c as being 8.5 mm thick while the official thickness according to Apple is 8.97 mm, indicating that these design drawings are not always perfect.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...

Top Rated Comments

Zmmyt Avatar
153 months ago
i'm ready for my first iPad!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FelixAng Avatar
153 months ago
...and then, in the course of about 1-2 hours, the iPad 4 looks like a device from the past. I've noticed, Apple tends to use the Mini for marketing props ever since Sept. 10. It's pretty clear the old iPad will really seem old, heavy, and bezel-fat almost immediately. Just as the iPhone 4 made the 3GS look like a soap bar.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
153 months ago
Hey, as long as they start selling iPads in this lovely desaturated grape color, I'll be a happy camper. :p

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decimortis Avatar
153 months ago
Fake. Who the hell wants a purple iPad?

D.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
153 months ago
Thinner and lighter is awesome, but I'd keep it at the current thickness and weight if that meant longer battery. But maybe I'm a little more function over form. But cmon, quick poll: Who would rather a better battery than a thinner design?

I use my iPad for reading so will welcome a hopefully lighter device.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RightMACatU Avatar
153 months ago
Llllove it!
But a Retina Mini would probably do it for me.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)