Next-gen iPad said to be 25 percent lighter after redesign

A report out of Digitimes is lending some potential clarity to Apple’s plans for the fifth-generation iPad. According to their sources, Apple’s next-gen slate will feature a 9.7-inch display of the same Retina resolution as the current model, but it will be manufactured on a thinner 0.2mm glass substrate, will use a single LED light bar for backlighting as opposed to two, and will feature a thinner bezel.

While overall display size remains the same, the device is said to be seeing a complete redesign that will result in a build that is “25 to 33 percent” lighter than the current generation. Some quick math puts it at just under 500 grams. There is some buzz that Apple could go for a design more in line with that of the iPad mini, marking the biggest aesthetic change for the tablet since it was introduced three years ago.

Trial production of the fifth-gen iPad is said to start soon, with volume ramping up throughout the summer ahead of a September launch.