While Apple has yet to confirm if its 7.9-inch iPad Mini 4 will have a follow-up, speculations on the iPad Mini 5 have already surfaced online. Rumor has it that as a smaller variant in the 2017 Apple tablet lineup, the new Mini, will be a scaled-down version of the iPad Pro.

According to PC Advisor, the iPad Mini 5 will come out early next year, a co-release with the new iPad Pro 2 lineup. The new slate will also serve as an entry-level and small variant in the iPad Pro 2 series. It is expected that the new Pro lineup will come out in at least three variants. Aside from the original 12.9-inch version and the expected 9.7-inch one, Apple will reportedly add a newer 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2.

However, as the top-tier lineup, all three variants of the iPad Pro 2 will likely have similar specs and features. As Apple will need an entry-level variant for the series, it is said that aside from the next iPad Mini, Apple will also release the much-awaited iPad Air 3.

As for what fans can expect for the next Mini, it is said that the slate will be a smaller version of the current iPad Pro. This will make the iPad Mini 5 be only one level down from the iPad Pro 2. Supposedly, the iPad Mini 5 will sport an A9 chipset, as well as at least 3 GB of RAM. Additional specs and features may include a 32-GB storage as base version, ditching the 16-GB version introduced by the iPad Mini 4. Since the current slate also has a 128-GB storage version, the iPad Mini 5 is also likely to be offered in 64- and 128-GB storage options.

Other purported specs and features include a new display with 3D Touch, and an all-new, all-metal build from the 7000-series aluminum introduced in the iPhone 6s. Apple is also likely to ditch the 3.5-mm audio jack, much like what it had done with the iPhone 7.