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iPad mini battery snapped, 13-inch retina MacBook Pro tipped

The iPad mini's battery has been snapped in advance of a potential unveiling next week, alongside a 13-inch MacBook Pro with retina display.

Andrew Lanxon Editor At Large, Lead Photographer, Europe
Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
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Andrew Lanxon
2 min read

The iPad mini's battery has apparently been caught on camera, indicating that it offers three times the capacity of the iPhone 5. We've set our faces to excited in the run up to the purported launch event next week, as we might also see a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a retina display turning up.

The images of the battery -- papped by MacRumors -- might not give any indication as to its physical size, but some of the numbers scrawled on it do give an indication as to its performance. Its capacity is apparently a healthy 4,490mAh, which is just over three times the size of the iPhone 5's 1,440mAh cell.

Unsurprisingly, it's about a third of the size of the latest iPad's 11,666mAh capacity, but with a smaller screen and, as rumoured, without the same stonking retina display, it should be much more efficient with its juice. The smaller battery is roughly on par with the Google Nexus 7, so it's at least keeping up with the competition.

Speaking of retina displays, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is due to get a screen upgrade to boast the retina name at the same launch as the iPad mini. 9to5 Mac quotes a "consistently reliable source", who explains the baby of Apple's MacBook Pro line will receive not only an upgraded screen, but also the same slimmer and lighter design seen on the new 15-inch model.

Like the 15-inch model, the new 13-inch retina-touting machines will be offered at a higher price alongside the existing 13-inch non-retina models, so you won't need to shell out the extra cash if you don't need your eyes sliced open by a super-sharp screen.

Rumours have been circulating about a 13-inch retina Pro for a while now, but there's been little word on when to expect it. I was surprised the 13-inch model didn't get the retina treatment at the same time as its bigger brother, so it's good to hear that a launch might be round the corner.

Numerous recent rumours have pointed towards an event taking place some time next week, so we might not have long to wait to find out all about the iPad mini -- if it even exists -- and any new Pros.

In the meantime, check out our complete guide to the iPad mini to see just what might be on board -- or watch our video below. Make sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.

Watch this: iPad mini rumour guide

Image credit: MacRumors