Is it time to say farewell to one of Apple’s best-loved devices?
While the majority of Apple's product line up has been given a refresh over the last 12 months, there's one gadget that's languished without an upgrade for a while now. We are, of course, talking about the poor old iPad mini. Last updated two years ago, the mini is starting to look a little old – and if new leaks are to be believed, it may even be approaching retirement age.
A new report suggests the iPad mini could soon be replaced by the so-called iPhone Flip, Apple's much-rumoured foldable iPhone. Touted as a smartphone/tablet, it makes sense that the new device might usurp the tiny tablet – but if it's true, we'll certainly be sad to say goodbye to one of our favourite drawing tablets.
The iPad mini (left) could be replaced buy a successor to the iPhone 12 (right) (Image credit: Apple/Future owns)
According to MyDrivers (as spotted by PocketNow), Apple is planning to get rid of the iPad mini in favour of the iPhone Flip as soon as 2022 or 2023. Rumoured to feature a larger display than the iPad mini in a smaller body (when folded), the new device ought to offer a double whammy for creatives on the go: a larger digital canvas within a more portable package.
A recent render of the rumoured iPhone Flip (Image credit: foldable.news)
And with the folding iPhone rumoured to feature Apple Pencil support, it's certainly sounding like an incredible gadget for digital artists. A tiny device that can unfold to reveal a large screen for sketching whenever inspiration strikes sounds like a winner to us.
That said, we'll be sad to see the iPad mini go. The diminutive tablet certainly has its place, even if it doesn't currently spot the same contemporary edge-to-edge design as its bigger siblings, the iPad Air 4 and 2020 iPad Pro. (If you fancy a tablet with the super-sleek new design, check out our best iPad deals.)
Plus, we've seen some brilliant future iPad mini concepts over the last 12 months, which prove there could still be some life left in Apple's smallest iPad. From this iPad Pro-inspired design to a rather more fanciful concept featuring under-display Touch ID, there are clearly plenty of ways Apple could tweak the mini to keep it in the race.
We love this iPad Pro-inspired concept for the iPad mini (Image credit: Parker Ortolani)
Still, with the iPhone Flip not said to be arriving for another year at least, we'd say the iPad mini is safe – for now. And hey, maybe it'll even be given a long-overdue update at next month's rumoured Apple event. If you don't fancy waiting to find out, check out our best iPad deals below (and head over to our main Apple deals page for more fantastic offers).
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
