More doubts are being erased that buyers will pick up similar-looking, almost, iOS 7 tablets in the upcoming iPad Mini 2 and iPad 5 on their release date, rumoured to happen by mid-part of Q4 2013.

Prolific Apple gadget leaker Sonny Dickson published anew new batches of the two iPads, sitting side-by-side and convincing iOS device watchers that what will get out in the coming months are near-identical slates.

Of course, there will be some differences, foremost of which is the size as the gadgets bear different screen spans - the iPad 5 at 9.7-inch and the iPad Mini 2 at 7.9-inch. But as the images suggest, the bigger tablet is now the scaled up render of the Mini 2.

According to analysts, Apple was compelled to radically revise the fifth make of its original iPad to keep consumers interested and to save from threats of extinction. Since the twin iPad 4 and iPad Mini launch in November 2012, the latter has consistently overshadowed its bigger brother by posting more than 20 million units of sales in December 2012.

Those big numbers are believed to continue rising since the stat of 2013.

Now, Apple appears all set to push out a slimmed down iPad 5 to keep pace with the expected heavy demands that the Mini 2 will generate on its commercial debut. One major thing that should keep the cash register ringing is the alleged Retina display panel that will come with the Mini 2.

Though differing in size and weight, the two iPads now share many characteristics, per the Sonny Dickson leaked images.

On one of the pics, both slates are seen having the same key control configurations - the placement of the power button on the top-right corner and the volume rocker on the right edge of the devices.

Similarly, the headphone jack is seen on the top-left, both for the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2, while the speakers are situated at the bottom edge, seen as hole-grills that sandwich the charging and connectivity port.

The Apple logo placement was likewise alike, printed at the back centre of the two devices. On front, the bigger iPad is obviously borrowing the thin-bezel design approach that made the first Mini irresistible to buyers, also shrinking the margins allowed on the top and bottom portion of the screen real estate.

However, it is unclear if the two iPads will get a taste of the revised Home button that Apple has unveiled via the iPhone 5S. This iconic key is now capacitive and embedded beneath it is a fingerprint scanner dubbed by the tech giant as Touch ID.

Main purpose of the mechanism is to allow consumers to unlock their iOS devices using only biometrics data - fingerprints in numerous dimensions - instead of pass codes.

Release date for the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2 with Retina is supposed to happen by early November 2013 with the unwrapping to take place by mid-October.