Mac Otakara: iPad Air 5 to Feature iPad Pro-Like Design, No Design Changes Coming to iPad Mini 6 or iPad 9

The next-generation iPad Air will feature a design that's similar to the third-generation iPad Pro, according to Japanese site Mac Otakara.

iPad Pro Feature Magenta
Citing a Chinese supplier, the site says that the fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will continue to feature a 10.9-inch display and a Touch ID button on the side, but it will gain a dual-lens camera system with Wide and Ultra Wide cameras.

A LiDAR Scanner is also a possibility for the ‌iPad Air‌, though it is not guaranteed and the supplier did not know for sure. Additional features include a four speaker audio system and a 5G mmWave chip.

Mac Otakara expects the fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ to feature an A15 chip, and while today's rumor includes no detail on a release date, prior information has suggested an early 2022 launch.

There's also no mention of an OLED display, and multiple other rumors have suggested that Apple is working on an iPad Air-sized ‌iPad‌ with an OLED display. The ‌iPad Air‌ is expected to use OLED technology while the ‌iPad Pro‌ line will stick with mini-LED technology.

‌Mac Otakara‌ also says that its "latest information" indicates the upcoming ninth-generation low-cost ‌iPad‌ and the iPad mini 6 "do not seem to be any different" from the existing eighth-generation ‌iPad‌ and ‌iPad mini‌ 5.

The site suggests that it's possible that the only update will be an update to the A14 chip, with a design change not coming until 2022 or later.

That is not in line with previous rumors, especially about the ‌iPad mini‌ 6. We've heard reports from reliable sources like Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that have suggested the next ‌iPad mini‌ will have a larger display and possibly no Home button.

The ‌iPad mini‌ 6 is expected to come out this fall, so we don't have too much longer to wait to find out which rumor set is true. We're either getting a small refresh that does not tweak the design, or a larger refresh that brings the ‌iPad mini‌ in line with the ‌iPad Pro‌ and ‌iPad Air‌.

As for the low-cost ‌iPad‌, ‌Mac Otakara‌ earlier this year said that it would look similar to the iPad Air 3, but it's no longer clear if that's accurate.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad Air , iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

collin_ Avatar
52 months ago
iPad Mini needs the modern iPad design. :< It was never marketed as a low-end device.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
52 months ago
Am I missing something? We already have an iPad Air that is the "same design" as the iPad Pro...
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
52 months ago
They can't possibly NOT change the design of the mini at this point. Don't get me wrong, LOVE LOVE LOVE my mini 5, but.....
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
52 months ago
Unchanged iPad mini 6? Expect a riot!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Homme Avatar
52 months ago
Mac Okatara STOP LYING. you idiots not only have a piss poor track record like digitimes but come on… prosser, Gurman, 9to5 Mac, Ming Chi Kuo and even Ross young ( who have much better track record than them) said that there will be a redesigned iPad Mini…. I still can’t believe this is the second time that they still think mini 6 will look the exact same as mini 5.

heck even digitimes is saying the same thing as above that there is a redesigned iPad Mini (besides the part when they said that there will be Mini LED instead of LCD)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Radeon85 Avatar
52 months ago
Apple better change the iPad Mini design because if they don't by next year its going to be 10yrs with no design change whatsoever and that's just pathetic.

The Mini is in desperate need of a refresh and it would be nice if all of the tablets had the same design.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)