iPad Mini 4 News: Leaked Photos Released, Upgrade Soon to Be Unveiled? (VIDEO)

Apple may be preparing to unleash a major upgrade on its iPad mini line with a new iPad mini 4, and images of the device’s aluminum case have been circulating online from an apparently leaked photograph.

Appearing to be thinner that its predecessors, the iPad mini 4 is likely to be more like an iPad Air 2 than the previous models. Based on photos of the leaked casing, the device will have a single row speaker grill on the bottom on both sides of the Lightning port, and it also dispenses with the mute/lock switch, just like Apple’s latest Air.

@ubergizmo/Twitter

Possible iPad Mini 4 Housing Appears In Leaked Photos & Video. Ubergizmo Twitter image. April 8, 2015.

Other big changes that set it apart from the current gen iPad mini is its chassis which reveals a big antenna cutout at its top, with a SIM slot on its right side, the arrangement making the 7.9-inch tablet appear to be a cellular version of the iPad mini 3.

The iPad mini 4 will be a device a majority of iPad mini users may be anticipating given the lukewarm reception the iPad mini 3 received when it made its debut in October last year after no major changes really set it apart from the iPad mini 2 apart from Touch ID and another color option in gold.

With the leaked photos of the alleged iPad mini 4 shell, users may be expecting the next gen device to match the specs of the iPad Air 3 at the very least.

Last year, the iPad mini 2 received some a generous upgrade with performance improvements via its new and faster 64-bit chip A8X processor and an 8MP camera with 1080 video recording capabilities.

The iPad mini 4 may receive the same improvements, and speculations run to an A9 processor with at least 2GB of memory similar to the iPad Air 2.

Detailed information about the iPad mini 4 remains scarce as it is still early in the release cycle, but users can expect the device to make its debut by October this year at the latest with a starting price point of $399.