It has been almost two-year since Apple had refreshed its iPad mini lineup and iFans are eagerly waiting for the arrival of the next-gen 7.9-inches tablets. The iPad mini 5, is the iPad mini 4's successor and rumored to be gearing up for a March release.

According to Techtimes it is believed that the next-generation tablet may be renamed and sport the name moniker iPad Pro mini instead. Rumors are rife, that like its predecessor, the iPad mini 5 shall also come with a 7.9-inch Retina display.

As per Oigel says analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo have indicated at three iPad sizes -10.5-inch, 9.7-inch and, 12.9-inch. There is nothing mention for a 7.9-inch variant so it remains to be seen if the iPad Pro mini surprises consumers and analysts alike or not.

However, Apple is believed for boosting the resolution for the iPad mini 5 and it is also expected that the tablet could also deploy an aluminum chassis. It's the same material which is used for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7, which suggest that the iPad mini 5 will be quite durable.

Some of the more features which might be added to the new iPad mini 5 are 3D touch feature which was earlier introduced in iPhone 6s and this new flagship will be water resistance thanks to its IP68 certification. The tablet may also support Apple pencil and deploy a D-jack which will replace the older outdated 3.5mm headphone jack.

The upcoming iPad mini 5 will reportedly be powered by the A9 or A10 processor. It may also be flagship with an M9 co-processor, which also supports motion tracking. The new iPad mini 5 may offer 3 GB of RAM.

The iPad mini 5 is expected to be introduced in March this year and possibly may début along the iPad Pro 2, as well as the iMac (2017).

The cost of the device is to based at $399(for 32 GB model) if Apple sticks to its old pricing model. Whether the device will be ultimately called the iPad Pro mini or the iPad mini 5 remains to be seen.