Alleged iPad Pro and iPad mini 2021 model dummies show little changes

This year we're expecting perhaps the last iPad mini to be released alongside new iPad Pro 2021 models. Whether or not those would've gotten a refreshed design, with particularly the upcoming iPad mini 6 needing one, was up for speculation.

New photos claiming to show dummy models of the iPad Pro 2021 and iPad mini 6 reveal what some of us were probably expecting. The images are courtesy of Twitter user Sonny Dickson.

No design changes for iPad mini 6

The fact that we're about to get a new iPad mini model shows that Apple still sees a market for small tablets in 2021, despite our phones getting bigger each year. However, it doesn't seem to be a large enough market for the company to spend extra effort in redesigning the mini with the modern edge-to-edge screen look we recently got even on the newest iPad Air models.

If those photos can be trusted, the iPad mini 6 will look just like its predecessors. We see the familiar large top and bottom bezels, with the top one holding a centered front camera and the bottom one – a Touch ID sensor.

Possible iPad Pro 12.9" Smart Connector change?

Along with the iPad mini 6 dummy model we see dummies of the 2021 iPad Pro 11" and iPad Pro 12.9" models. The latter in particular reveals something interesting – its Smart Connector is no longer on the back, suggesting that it has been moved to one of the tablet's sides.

If this is really the case, we can expect that the upcoming iPad Pro 12.9" will no longer be compatible with previous accessories, such as the Magic Keyboard for iPad, and will have its own new ones, separate from the 11" 2021 iPad Pro.

The 11" iPad Pro looks to be unchanged from last year, with exactly the same design and Smart Connector placement. As for the camera situation, on both iPad Pro 2021 models we see two cameras and a LiDAR sensor, along with a flash.