The iPad mini 7, perhaps next to the iPhone 16, is arguably one of the most highly anticipated Apple products. The current-generation iPad mini debuted in 2021 — and Apple hasn’t upgraded it since.

However, rumor has it that the Cupertino-based tech giant plans to unleash a new iPad mini this year, as well as the 11th-generation iPad, according to MacRumors. And Nicolás Álvarez on X discovered some clues about gen-over-gen upgrades due to a reference in Apple’s backend code (h/t @aaronp613).

iPad mini 2024: Expected new upgrades

Apple dropped the iPad Air and iPad Pro (the thinnest product the Cupertino-based tech giant launched), and now the company is focusing on two new iPads: iPad mini 7 and the 11th-gen iPad.

According to Álvarez’s findings, the iPad mini 7 is set to sport an A17 chip. It’s unclear whether it will be the A17 Pro processor found in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models, but if it is, MacRumors claims that it may run Apple Intelligence.

The 11th-gen iPad, however, will reportedly sport an A16 processor, a step up from the A14 Bionic chip packed inside the current 10th-gen model.

Did Apple initially plan to launch an M3 iPad Pro?

Álvarez’s discovery revealed that Apple reportedly planned on unleashing an M3 iPad Pro this year — not the M4 iPad Pro. The previous iPad Pro featured an M2 chip, so naturally, we expected an M3 iPad Pro.

Instead, Apple surprised the tech world, leap-frogged the M3 chip, and debuted the M4 iPad Pro. As it turns out, the Cupertino-based giant allegedly planned on unleashing an M3 iPad Pro initially, but it appears that Apple made a last-minute shift of plans.

Finally, Álvarez claims that we should expect an M5 iPad Pro some time next year or early 2026.

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