iPad 5 concepts show sleek design against iPad 4

News Clare Hopping 12:37, 31 Jul 2013

iPad 5 renders, compared against the iPad 4 show a thinner design with soft-touch back and iPad Mini design

A new set of iPad 5 renders have appeared and show a very sleek looking finish against the iPad 4.

The concept, thought up by Martin Hajek on Concept Phones, shows what looks like a soft-touch rear, slimmer bezels and more curved edges.

This first picture shows a black rear, with a shiny Apple logo in the centre, Lightning connector at the bottom and a camera at the top. Previous rumours have suggested the iPad 5 will feature an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, although this picture doesn't show it particularly well.

This top-on-top comparison shows the iPad 5 is slightly smaller than the iPad 4, with dual speakers at the bottom. It's not totally clear which is thinner, because the iPad 4's pointed edges make it look thinner.

The screen on the iPad 5 looks to be the same size as the iPad 4's, yet the bezels round the edges are smaller. There's still a homescreen button beneath the screen and it looks like lots of extra space between the homescreen icons still.

Side-by-side, it's clear the side bezels are smaller than on the iPad 4, yet the top and bottom bezels are the same size. Could this mean Apple will be using the top and bottom bezels for something a little special, say, an extension of the screen as was rumoured before?

It's when the iPad 4 and iPad 5 are behind each other that the difference in size becomes clear. The iPad 5 is noticeably thinner than the iPad 4. This shot also shows plastic, raised buttons for the volume and power on/off. It also shows the same style for a further two buttons - on where the mute slider is and an additional round key - could this be a camera shutter button?

Again, side on, we can see the iPad 5 is thinner than the iPad 4. It also shows the extra height on the iPad 4.

This last shot shows the much more angualr shape of the iPad 5. Although it still has curves, it's a lot squarer in design and looks more like the iPad Mini as previously predicted.

The iPad 5 is said to feature a quad-core A7 chip, 7.9-inch Retina display and will run iOS 7.

Rumours around the iPad 5's release date suggest September, although as usual, this is all hearsay and Apple hasn't confirmed anything.