Apple iPad Mini 4 Release Imminent With Drastic Design Change As Rear Casing Images And Video With Key Details Emerge [View Photos]

Check out the cool and useful features of the new Apple iOS 9. Pictured above: The Apple logo is pictured inside the newly opened Omotesando Apple store at a shopping district in Tokyo June 26, 2014. Reuters/Yuya Shino

After the successful run with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple launched the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 tablets in late 2014. However, many users were apparently disappointed with the iPad Mini 3 in specific, because the device comes with the only note-worthy addition of Touch ID, when compared to the predecessor iPad Mini 2. But now, the latest rumour suggests that the Apple iPad Mini 4 release is imminent and that, it will reportedly include iPad Air 2 design elements.

According to the credible tipster site NWE, a video and several iPad Mini 4 images showcasing the early version of the rear case have been unearthed. And apparently, the aluminium shell looks a lot like the shell of the current-generation iPad Mini. However, there are several unmissable design element changes last seen in the iPad Air 2. Notably, there is a single row of speaker holes that are relatively larger and located alongside the Lightning port at the tail end of the tablet. In comparison, the current-generation device apparently features two smaller rows. Plus, the mute switch on the iPad Mini 4 has reportedly been removed and instead, a new microphone hole has been introduced, notes MacRumors.

Based on the earlier reports, the upcoming Apple iPad Mini 4 will be comparatively thinner than the iPad Mini 2 and the iPad Mini 3. Therefore, the dimensions of the tablet will apparently be similar to that of the iPad Air 2. In addition to picking the design elements of the iPad Air 2, the iPad Mini 4 will reportedly be powered by either the latest Apple A8X processor or the A9 processor expected to make a debut sometime later in 2015. Speaking of the iPad Mini 4 release date, even though there is no official confirmation available at this point, going by the history of the launch, the tablet is likely to make a landfall in late-2015, notes the same site. In any case, readers should note that, Apple has not confirmed the iPad Mini 4 specifications, features or release date thus far.

Readers can check out the iPad Mini 4 images of the rear case: