Apple's full-sized tablet iPad 5 is expected to make its debut on June 18.

According to TabTimes, a lighter and slimmer iPad 5 will arrive at the aforementioned date. The new, fifth-generation iPad tablet will feature a design similar to the iPad Mini, with a thinner design and lighter body. A photo from China of an alleged iPad 5 case was recently leaked on the internet, with the new Apple device confirming rumours of a narrower look.

The next iPad will also contain major internal and external changes that will be comparable to the design of the iPad Mini, and another recently leaked photo of the upcoming iPad's rear shell seems to fall in line with these claims.

"It's likely that part of the thinner/lighter design will be reducing the size of the LED backlight, partly by making the display more efficient and partly by using more efficient LEDs. The other significant change that we feel is likely is a shift to a film-based touch sensor," NPD DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza told CNET in a recent note.

However, it is still a mystery whether Apple will change the display technology.

"It is not yet clear if there will be a big change to the display - such as using IGZO [indium gallium zinc oxide]," Semenza added.

Rumors that the company would switch to that LCD technology have persisted since 2011; IGZO, developed by Sharp (SHCAY.PK), was expected to be used in the third generation Retina iPad, but it wasn't. In fact, rather than decreasing in size, the third- and fourth-generation iPads were thicker than the previous iterations primarily because of the new Retina technology.

Last week, leaked images of iPad 5 was published by the French site Nowhereelse claims to have the first look at the new iPad 5 tablet's new front-face design.

The purported photos showed that Apple's fifth-generation iPad may have notably smaller side bezels that reduce the tablet's overall mass while maintaining the same 9.7-inch screen size. The iPad 5 is said to be built in an anodized aluminum enclosure which has diamond-cut chamfered edges and an altered speaker design. A vast number of reports claim this iPad mini-like design is most likely what Apple plans to release in this year's full-size iPad.

The iPad 5 is rumoured to have no bezels, and the whole form factor has been made sleeker. Horowitz believes this design indicates that Apple will be calling on Sharp's IGZO screen technology. Sharp, however, according to Horowitz, has been struggling, and its ability to deliver components on time will play a key role in the release of the next iPad.