Just a few days ago, some alleged CAD-based 3D renders of the iPhone 13 Mini made their way online, and soon after, concept renders based on it re-imagined the upcoming phone in all its colorful glory. Now, a hands-on image of what is being called an iPhone 13 Mini prototype has started making rounds of the internet. The image, which first started circulating on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo and later landed on Twitter, shows a blue iPhone 13 Mini.

Today I was sent an alleged photo of the iPhone 13 Mini in Blue color. My source said that it is a prototype but did not specify the prototyping stage. I can’t be sure it’s true however I have been allowed to share it #apple #appleinternal #iphone #iphone13 pic.twitter.com/h93UoORJ2j

— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) April 20, 2021

This might be the last 'Mini' of its kind

The device is said to be a prototype, but it is unclear what prototype stage it belongs to. Apple devices go through multiple prototyping stages before certain changes are finalized and incorporated into the final product, while the rest are nixed without any details being made public. With that in mind, it is unclear if the iPhone 13 Mini prototype shown in the leaked image is one of the approved prototype models. Plus, some eagle-eyed users on Twitter have flagged that the image is a good Photoshop job, so do process this leak with a heavy dose of skepticism.

Now, coming to the actual design, it does look identical to the leaked CAD-based schematics, clearly identifiable by the diagonally-positioned rear camera lenses. Apple is reportedly making this change for the vanilla iPhone 13 as well, abandoning the vertically-aligned camera lens positioning on the iPhone 12 and its Mini sibling. We don’t get to see the device from the front, but the only change, as per leaks, will be a smaller notch.

The sides are flat and the build is likely the same glass and metal affair with support for MagSafe charging hardware, but with chances of a few new color options. Inside, a new A-series chip will drive the device, while a familiar dual 12MP camera setup will handle imaging duties. Apple is reportedly going to arm the iPhone 13 Mini with sensor-shift image stabilization technology that has so far been exclusive to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, replacing Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for better results.