iPad mini 2 with Retina could be a bit thicker thanks to a bigger battery

iPad mini 2 dimensions
Large and holds a better charge!

The iPad mini 2 is said to upgrade Apple's smaller tablet line with a much-needed Retina display, but the trade-off may be that this "thinner" device is actually a bit thicker than last year.

The size difference is said to be a negligible .02mm increase in the width, from 7.2mm to an unconfirmed 7.5mm, according to 9to5Mac.

It's literally a fraction of an inch, and for the extra space, we're hearing that the new iPad mini 2 will boast a bigger battery to support that high-resolution Retina display.

Concerned about the stigma of having a "thicker" iPad mini 2 when the whole point of owning a device with a 7.9 inch display is its compactness?

It sure didn't stop people from ordering the iPad 3, which was 0.6mm thicker than Apple's previous generation iPad 2.

More junk in the trunk?

The iPad mini 2 may need more room for a thicker Retina-display-ready battery, but it could also be making room for an intensive 64-bit processor.

The iPhone 5S launched last month with Apple's new A7 processor, and despite some now-retracted claims that it's just a gimmick, the company is moving full steam ahead with the powerful 64-bit chip.

That would be a major upgrade over the current iPad mini's aged A5 processor.

So would the 1GB of RAM that is expected to be in the iPad mini 2, doubling the 512GB of the current model.

All of a sudden the rumored extra girth is making a little more sense.

We're likely to find out whether or not Apple's iPad mini 2 requires a new notch on it's belt after the October 22 launch event.

Matt Swider