More and more reports are coming out that the next-generation iPad Mini will be sporting that high-res display everyone's been wanting. The latest rumor, according to Chinese news outlet My Drivers, tells us that the iPad mini 2's display will sport 324 pixels per inch (ppi).
My Drivers (via BrightWire) apparently somehow got wind that the iPad mini 2's screen resolution will be 2048X1536, which is the same resolution as a 9.7-inch Retina iPad. If you do the math, this means 324 ppi on the iPad mini 2's 7.9-inch display, which also means the next-gen iPad will have 80 more ppi than the Retina iPad. Not a bad step for Apple to take.
While the iPad mini has sold incredibly well and has found its niche with buyers, many did complain that the iPad mini's low-res display was a turn off. In an era where Full HD 1080p displays are set to begin rocking the mobile world, giving the iPad mini 2 a better display must be high on Apple's list if it's to stay competitive against increasingly-aggressive Android tablets.
A new, more compact A5X chip was recently spotted, and while its purpose is unclear, tech writer Marco Arment suggested that it hints at a Retina iPad mini.
"I couldn't believe that Apple would use the iPad 3's A5X in anything again since it was huge, hot, power-inefficient and too slow for... Retina iPad pixel volume. A process-shrunk A5X probably won't contain faster CPUs, but it would be smaller, cooler, and more efficient. It's obvious, in retrospect, what this is probably for: the Retina iPad Mini," Arment wrote in his blog.
Not much else is known about the iPad mini, except that it should receive the standard hardware boost and possibly boast better cameras. It is expected to release some time in the first half of 2013, although there are some who do think a fall launch is more likely.