Back in June, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Apple would be refreshing its entry-level iPad in the second half of 2020, and that it would be getting a bit of a size boost, going from 10.2-inches to 10.8. As we wrote at the time, the change would suggest a move towards the design of the iPad Pro, which cut down the screen-to-bezel ratio considerably.
It appears those predictions were correct, if a new leak from 91mobiles proves to be accurate. The site claims to have got hands on schematics for the upcoming 2020 iPad from a “trusted source”, and yes: it really does look like an iPad Pro with one sensible cutback.
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Dealing with said cutback first, the schematic shows a single camera on the back of the device, while the current batch of iPad Pros have a dual array plus LiDAR. To me, that feels entirely sensible – how many people use their tablets for photography anyway?
Elsewhere, the schematics show a device with great promise. The bezels are thinner to allow for the larger screen. And while that does mean that Touch ID is gone with no fingerprint reader visible on the front or back, the schematic does show the complicated camera array required for Apple’s excellent Face ID authentication tech.
A couple of other interesting things to note. Firstly, there appears to be a smart connector on the back, which 91mobiles says will allow for Magic Keyboard support. Secondly, the site says that Apple will ditch the Lightning cable in favor of USB-C, like on the recent Pro models. Finally, the schematic shows two speaker grilles at the bottom — although that could just be for symmetry rather than a guarantee that sound will be improved.
The site doesn’t reveal anything about specifications, but it’s pretty much guaranteed that the new model will get a speed boost, given the current 2019 iPad is still running the Apple A10 chip that powered the iPhone 7 back in 2016. It’s probably optimistic to hope that an entry-level tablet will share the upcoming iPhone 12’s A14 chip, but perhaps it could at least catch up with the iPad mini’s A12 Bionic.
Last year’s iPad was unveiled early in 2019, so hopefully we’ll get a good look at the new tablet by the time the iPhone 12 gets unveiled this fall. While early reports suggested the 2020 event would be delayed due to coronavirus, the latest information indicates it will go ahead as planned, even if the devices themselves are a bit slower to hit store shelves.
