Categories
Apple Hardware iPad iPad Air retail Rumor Siri Touch ID USB-C

Rumor: Entry-level iPad with larger 10.5-inch display, faster processor, and other improvements could debut in spring 2021

Apple is rumored to release an updated ninth-generation iPad featuring a larger 10.5-inch display and an A13 chip in spring of 2021.

The report speculates that the updated iPad will be largely similar to the current eighth-generation iPad, but feature minor improvements, such as the previously mentioned larger display, A13 Bionic chip, 4GB of RAM, and a lighter, thinner design. The tablet will also reportedly retain the Home button with Touch ID and the Lightning port.

It’s thought that the larger 10.5-inch display and thinner design can be achieved by reusing the chassis and front panel of the third-generation iPad Air. This seems highly plausible because Apple tends to trickle designs down its ‌iPad‌ lineup.

The third-generation iPad Air is currently 0.07 pounds lighter and 1.4mm thinner than the eighth-generation ‌iPad‌, has a 10.5-inch display, and retains the Lightning port and Home Button, so it clearly meets the remit of what is expected from the ninth-generation ‌iPad‌. Reusing this design would also allow Apple to keep costs down for the lower price point of the ‌iPad‌.

The report indicated that the ninth-generation iPad could start at a slightly lower $299 price point with storage configurations starting at 64GB, which would double that of the current generation iPad.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors, iMore, and cnBeta