...if we believe that Jon Prosser and RendersbyIan has accurate leaks and renders.
I was thinking about the aspect ratio of the rumored upcoming iPad mini today and started pixel counting an image on the FrontPageTech article that shows a size comparison between iPad Air 4 and the upcoming iPad mini 6. The rumor is based on schematics, CAD files as well as real images of the new mini so it should be fairly accurate.
By pixel counting i found out that the aspect ratio of mini 6 is exactly 14:9 which is an aspect ratio that is between 4:3 and 16:9. This is exciting news to me since the less width the mini 6 has the easier it will be to hold in one hand. 16:9 video will also fill more of the screen without being cropped.
This aspect ratio makes sense when considering the rumored smart connector on the back of iPad mini 6 (more length to fit a keyboard) and the magnetic Apple pencil connector on the side (more length to fit an Apple pencil).
Comparing different iOS devices to each other we can clearly see a trend that smaller devices have narrower screens.
This is in line with what Kuo Ming-Chi said about an 8.5 to 9-inch iPad mini last year but is conflicting with what Ross Young said about an 8.3-inch iPad mini last month. I would argue that 8.9" is more believable if it's true that the overall size of iPad mini will increase by 3.1mm in height and 3.0mm in width according to Jon Prosser's leak. A less boxy aspect ratio would also contribute to a larger diagonal screen size.
Other interesting tidbits is that the new mini seems to have narrower bezels than the 11" iPads with more rounded corners as a consequence. Finally, here's a display size comparison I made using displaywars.com.
I was thinking about the aspect ratio of the rumored upcoming iPad mini today and started pixel counting an image on the FrontPageTech article that shows a size comparison between iPad Air 4 and the upcoming iPad mini 6. The rumor is based on schematics, CAD files as well as real images of the new mini so it should be fairly accurate.
Aspect Ratio
The yellow rectangles show how a shrunk down Air 4 display would fit if it had the same width as the mini 6 display and how an enlarged mini 6 display would fit if it had the same height as the Air 4 display.By pixel counting i found out that the aspect ratio of mini 6 is exactly 14:9 which is an aspect ratio that is between 4:3 and 16:9. This is exciting news to me since the less width the mini 6 has the easier it will be to hold in one hand. 16:9 video will also fill more of the screen without being cropped.
This aspect ratio makes sense when considering the rumored smart connector on the back of iPad mini 6 (more length to fit a keyboard) and the magnetic Apple pencil connector on the side (more length to fit an Apple pencil).
Comparing different iOS devices to each other we can clearly see a trend that smaller devices have narrower screens.
Device | Aspect Ratio | Relative Aspect Ratio | Relative to 16:9 and 21:9 |
iPad 8, iPad mini 5, iPad Pro 12.9" | 4:3 | 1.333:1 | 12:9 |
iPad Pro 11" | 10:7 | 1.432:1 | 12.88:9 |
iPad Air 4 | 23:16 | 1.439:1 | 12.95:9 |
Original iPhone - iPhone 4S | 3:2 | 1.5:1 | 13.5:9 |
iPad mini 6 | 14:9 | 1.556:1 | 14:9 |
iPhone SE 2, 16:9 | 16:9 | 1.778:1 | 16:9 |
iPhone 12 | 19.5:9 | 2.167:1 | 19.5:9 |
21:9 (standard for movies) | 21:9 | 2.333:1 | 21:9 |
Display Size
By counting pixels and comparing to the 206.3mm x 137.8mm size that Jon Prosser leaked I could calculate the display size to be roughly 8.9".This is in line with what Kuo Ming-Chi said about an 8.5 to 9-inch iPad mini last year but is conflicting with what Ross Young said about an 8.3-inch iPad mini last month. I would argue that 8.9" is more believable if it's true that the overall size of iPad mini will increase by 3.1mm in height and 3.0mm in width according to Jon Prosser's leak. A less boxy aspect ratio would also contribute to a larger diagonal screen size.
Other interesting tidbits is that the new mini seems to have narrower bezels than the 11" iPads with more rounded corners as a consequence. Finally, here's a display size comparison I made using displaywars.com.
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