Leak suggests new iPad mini camera placement

Leaked artwork of the next iPad mini shows its front camera on the long edge, a useful change for video calls that would bring the small tablet in line with other iPads.

The images reportedly come from Apple’s code and show only the front of the device. They offer a glimpse of its layout, but leave the back and sides unseen.

The current iPad mini’s Center Stage camera sits on its short edge, so the lens ends up off to one side during landscape calls. Center Stage can keep you in frame, but it can’t move the lens above the screen where you’re looking.

A narrow groove also appears along the top of the pictured display glass when the tablet is upright. Earlier reporting described a vibration-based speaker that could eliminate conventional speaker holes and help improve water resistance.

The groove raises questions about how that design might work, but the image can’t settle them.

The code reportedly identifies an A20 Pro chip, which earlier leaks had already suggested. An OLED display is also expected, but the artwork can’t confirm the screen technology.

MacRumors first reported the images and code details in its original report.

An earlier report put the new iPad mini’s release by the end of October. Product artwork in Apple’s code suggests preparations are underway, but it doesn’t establish when Apple will announce the tablet.