A Japanese blog, Macotakara described expectations and forecasts for the iPad series in 2021. According to this report, the 2021 entry-level iPad will adopt a design similar to that of the iPad Air 3. But the appearance of the iPad Pro may not have changed.
Apple launched the new fourth-generation iPad Air last year, which is similar in design to the iPad Pro. However, today’s report claims that the entry-level iPad launched in 2021 will adopt a design similar to the third-generation iPad Air launched in 2019, that is, it will still have an arc frame and a home button.
The so-called 2021 entry-level iPad, the 9th generation iPad, will have the same 10.2-inch display as the 8th generation, but will be thinner and lighter. According to Chinese suppliers, the display size of the next-generation iPad (9th generation) will remain the same as the 10.2 inches of the iPad (8th generation). But its thickness will be thinner, only 6.3mm, and the weight will be reduced to 460g.
The source said it will continue to use Touch ID, Lightning ports, fully laminated, anti-reflective coatings, P3 and True Tone displays.
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As for the update of the iPad Pro, Macotakara stated that its ‘physical design’ will remain unchanged. But the performance of the internal A-series processors ‘may be greatly improved’. The report did not mention whether the iPad Pro will use the mini LED display screen.
Mini LED Displays Coming
In this regard, from another source, we learned that Apple will launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Mini LED screen in the first quarter of 2021, and the 11-inch iPad Pro may still use an LCD screen.
Compared with previous traditional LCD screens, Mini LED screens support more precise multi-zone backlight control. This can bring better color performance and higher contrast. The screen more purely displays the black part, which effectively improves the screen display effect of the iPad Pro.
The release schedule of the new 9th-generation iPad is not yet clear. But as the 8th-generation iPad was only launched last fall. So we don’t expect an update until this fall at the earliest. On the other hand, other reports indicate that the iPad Pro may be updated sometime this quarter.
