Apple will cut costs by re-using an old SoC in the new iPad Mini: new rumor

Some reports have pointed to the upcoming release of the fifth-generation Apple iPad Mini. This line of rumor was kicked off back in 2018 with a prediction to this effect by the trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. It was quickly followed up by leaks of more variable quality ever since. The latest post on the subject of the 'iPad mini 5' implies that Apple are making cost-saving decisions in its specs and design.

This latest indication comes from the blog MacOtakara, which claims to have been told by sources in the accessories industry that the next budget Apple tablet will re-use the SoC from either the iPhone 7 or the iPad Pro 2017. To recap, they are the A10 and A10X Fusion chipsets, which are based on 16- and 10-nanometer architectures respectively.

This news may be slightly disappointing for fans of the iPad Mini series; however, the silicon found in the latest version of these slates was also considered outdated even at the Mini 4's release. In addition, the A10 series is capable of many modern-day Apple functions, including Face ID, Force Touch and Pencil support. Furthermore, devices with these processors are still receiving up-to-date versions of iOS (correct at the time of writing).

However, MacOtakara also asserts that it has heard the Mini 5's design will not deviate much from that of its predecessor. On the other hand, the post also states that the next entry-level iPad will have a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

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