iPad 5 Will be 15% Thinner, 25% Lighter?
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says he expects production to ramp up in August/September for a new iPad that is 15% thinner and 25% lighter.
We think the tablet will, at 7.5-8.0mm, be 15% thinner than iPad 4. The new device will likely be about 500 grams, or some 25% lighter than iPad 4, run on an A7X processor, and sport cameras with similar specs to the iPad 4’s (front HD, rear 5MP). The casing shape and color (silver and black) and narrow bezel design will be similar to the iPad mini’s.
Kuo also said that it's likely Apple will use the same GF2 touch technology that's used in the iPad mini for a thinner display. More efficient display and chip technologies will also result in a thinner battery.
We therefore think that iPad 5’s battery capacity will be 25-30% smaller, at 8,500-9,000mAh, than iPad 4’s, and the battery’s thickness will be 15-20% smaller, at 7.5-8.0mm, and the number of cells will be reduced to two from three.
Finally, Kuo believes Apple will still be using a chip produced by Samsung on its 28-nm process.
Notably, just yesterday, numerous case photos for a new iPad were leaked online and show a design more similar to the iPad mini.
