Despite owning a 2019 iPad mini and loving it very much, I would hate to suggest that Apple is due for a refresh. Sure, I have a 2015 tablet body, but given that Apple left the iPad mini unloved for four years, I think it's misguided to expect annual updates in the same manner as MacBooks and iPhones.

In any case, if Apple were to update the iPad mini, they would not say no to having an aesthetic similar to the iPad Pro. That's exactly what designer Parker Ortolani envisioned in his latest concept design. It's an iPad mini that's nearly 20% smaller while keeping the same screen size, just with less chunky bezels.

Such a change would entail several changes that might be unpopular. First, the current iPad Pro eliminated the home button to accommodate Face ID, and this iPad mini concept will have to do the same (unless there is a fingerprint sensor on the back or no biometric authentication at all).

More importantly, many people, myself included, are happy with the iPad mini's current size. For me, the Apple Pencil and the great Notability app make it a perfect replacement for notebooks when I go to events and interviews; a smaller iPad would lose that feeling, and I'm not sure I'd be able to use it as a notebook if I had a smaller iPad.

So what about keeping the dimensions the same and using the saved bezel space for extra screen real estate? If that's your dream, wonder no more: Ortolani has you covered with a mockup:

This, as Ortolani points out, would collapse the aspect ratio but allow you to play with an 8.9-inch screen. It is not a million miles away from the 9.7-inch display of the original iPad. Still, if body-to-screen ratio is important to you, it's sure to be attractive.

Of course, in a way, it's easy to create such a beautiful design; Apple could definitely have made the 2019 iPad mini a bit more beautiful by creating a new one, but it made sense to keep the form factor of four years ago.

Now that they have hopefully figured out that they are one, they could be a bit more experimental next time. Current rumors suggest that the iPad mini 6 will arrive in early 2021 and may feature the same Apple A13 Bionic chipset as the iPhone 11 series and iPhone SE.

Rumors suggest that the screen will expand to 8.5 inches, so Ortolani's concept art may not be that far off from what will be out of the box early next year.