We’ve seen mockups of the iPad Mini in the past, but it seems that the Chinese blog KisPlay has released photographs of particularly high quality iPad Mini dummy units which have been appearing in Taiwan. The photos place the mockup alongside the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 for the ubiquitous size comparison, but also feature detailed close-up shots of the iPad’s ports, buttons, and other physical features.

I think there’s a law against showing the iPad Mini without the screen-size comparison shot.

We already knew a lot of details about the rumored device, but the photographs released by KisPlay draw attention to the back of the iPad Mini instead of the biggest and most obvious change; the size of the screen. One thing that the photos make clear about the iPad Mini is that it’s a less curvy device than the iPad 3. In many ways, its been refined, sort of like the transition from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4. The back’s been made more square. It will be interesting to see if Apple brings this design change forward on the next big iPad, or if the smaller size allowed Apple greater freedom to focus on aesthetics over ergonomics.

Squared edges, SIM tray, and fake FCC compliance stamps.

Of course there’s the obligatory screen size comparison shot, and the shot of the new Lightning connector and the speaker grill at the bottom of the tablet. You might want to take a closer look at the shot of the camera, lock button and LTR antenna which really demonstrates how clean and fresh the iPad Mini’s design really is in comparison to the current iPad.

This shot in particular really showcases the design difference between the iPad and the refined iPad Mini.

Do you prefer the design of the iPad Mini to the original iPad? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.