Rumored iPad mini may look more like iPhone than iPad

The rumored iPad mini is believed to look more like an iPhone than an iPad, according to two new reports.

The 7.85-inch iPad mini, which has been heavily rumored since the launch of the Google Nexus 7 tablet, is expected to have practically no side bezels and be very thin.

Nine to 5 Mac reports the rumored device will likely only have wide top and bottom bezels the same way the iPhone does. The reason for this would be to make the device easier to put in a purse or a pocket. Smaller tablets are also more naturally held in portrait mode, which reduces the significance of left- and right-side bezels.

Daring Fireball reported it expects many of the same qualities as 9 to 5 Mac expects, including the iPad mini being very thin. Both expect the rumored device to be about 7.2 mm thick, like the iPod Touch.

The iPad mini will also share similarities with the iPhone such as split volume buttons and a mic on its back.

The iPad mini will also include a front and back camera, and there is also a chance it might be LTE-enabled, according to 9 to 5 Mac, which put together a rendering of the device that you can see above.

Two big questions that remain very cloudy are when the iPad mini will launch and how much it will cost.

Some sites have reported the iPad mini could launch alongside the iPhone 5 next month, but 9 to 5 Mac says the launch could come in either September or early October, in time to be ready for the holiday shopping season.

As for price, 9 to 5 Mac speculates a $200 price matching the Nexus 7 would make the iPad mini the biggest product launch in Apple’s history.

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