Claimed iPad mini 6 molds confirm design changes, Touch ID power button

Images of a purported iPad mini 6  mold have corroborated earlier reports that the next iPad mini will switch to an almost fullscreen design, with Touch ID built into a power button.


STORY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Manufacturing molds like this one are often used by case makers
  • This one “confirms” some of the design changes for the next iPad mini
  • iPad mini 6 should have skinnier side bezels like the iPad Air
  • The device is also expected to put Touch ID into a power button

A series of images showing a claimed manufacturing mold for the sixth-generation iPad mini
Image credit: Techordo

iPad mini 6 mold confirms Touch ID power button

Aside from featuring a faster, next-generation Apple A15 chip and perhaps USB-C, as reported earlier, the sixth-generation iPad mini is widely expected to drastically shrink screen bezels in order to make room for a larger display without enlarging the whole chassis.

We’re therefore expecting a design similar to the fourth-generation iPad Air, with the traditional Home button ditched in favor of Touch ID functionality built into a power button. Other expected changes include support for the second-generation Apple Pencil with a magnetic attachment like we saw on the iPad Pro and iPad Air 4 tablets.

We cannot vouch that these images, photographed by Techordo, accurately represent the design changes expected to come to the next iPad mini. On the flip side, we also have no reason to believe that these are fake either.

As mentioned earlier, we saw Apple squeezing its Touch ID fingerprint scanner into a power button with the latest iPad Air, which became the first Apple device to feature a Touch ID power button in what company executives called an “incredible feat” of engineering.

“Speaking of the biggest upgrade ever, the new iPad mini is destined to be an Apple fan favorite with its thinner borders and a complete redesign,” according to reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman.