With the absence of any announcements relative to the release date of its hardware devices like the iPad mini 5 2016 during the World Wide Developers (WWDC) last June 13, many have continued to speculate Apple's next move.

Will the upgraded iPad mini tablet finally be available within the year?

According to MacWorld UK, there is a possibility that the highly-anticipated smaller version of the iPad will already be out by September. 

This theory about the Apple iPad mini release date 2016 was based on the actual availability of its successor, the iPad mini 4, which was also in the same month last year.

When it comes to its specs, MacWorld UK shared a detailed summary of the expected features and enhancements that the upcoming new iPad mini will be packed with.

It has been theorized that the iPad mini 2016 will be thinner than the one it preceded at just 5mm, even sleeker than the 5.6mm Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. The current iPad mini is 6.1mm thick.

Another anticipated upgrade hinted by the tech site is the use of 7000-series aluminium chassis to make the new iPad mini 5, which has a rumored release date of just two months away, more durable compared to its predecessors.

In the meantime, when it comes to prices, especially in the United Kingdom, PC Advisor revealed that based on the price tag of the iPad mini 4, its successor will be sold for £319 (16GB Wi-Fi only), £419 (16GB Wi-Fi + 4G), £399 (64GB Wi-Fi), £499 (64GB Wi-Fi + 4G), £479 (128GB Wi-Fi) and £579 (128GB Wi-Fi + 4G).

On the other hand, the tech site narrated that some rumors have also suggested that Apple may come up with a smaller version of iPad Pro which may bear the name iPad mini Pro.

Keep posted for more updates, news and rumors about the highly-anticipated Apple iPad mini 5 release date 2016.