iPad Pro We won’t see a new iPad Pro til October 2021

[TheRealAlex]

The 2020 iPad Pro is amazing and definitely a must buy if you have anything except a 2018 iPad Pro. So the new iPhone 11 Pro MAX uses a 7nm A13 CPU.

in Late 2020 the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro MAX will use new TSMC 5nm CPUs probably the A14.
By Late 2021 the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro MAX will use a improved 5nm process for the A15 and by then the A15X for new 2021 IPad Pro launching in Fall 2021 or early 2022.

Heres a feature rundown.

A15X 5nm CPU 12 Cores 4x4x4 HMP support
6GB or 8GB Samsung LPDDR5 RAM (already used in Galaxy 20 Ultra) its super fast and efficient RAM this will be a game changer
Tripple Cameras and LIDAR
USB-C Thunderbolt 3 speeds
Most likely a 13” and 11” Mini LED displays sourced from the same vendor used for the 14” MacBook Pro Mini LED display.
4K HDR 120Hz capable
*possibly with FreeSync support
Which we are already capable of

2018 iPad Pros are Here With 120hz VRR

Apple's new iPad support 120 Hz and VRR. The panels themselves employ Pro Motion variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, with range of 24 to 120 hz, and capable of HDR10 decoding with a DCI-P3 colour space.

blurbusters.com

Added HDMI 2.1 FreeSync 4K 120hz HDR output. (As a matter of spec compliance with HDMI 2.1 VRR is a given)
WiFi 6 with WPA3
Apple Pencil 3 with Vibration and Haptic feedback (it’s a leaked Apple patent)

Take my money now Apple. A 14” MacBook Pro with Mini LED Display is a must buy Also.

 

[Deliro]

Agreed. The source of the second 2020 rumor isn’t the greatest. The current iPad Pro is a great device and not a iPad 3. I hope the iPad gets into a state that people don’t feel the need to update it every 2-3 years. My PC desktop is 6 years old and still runs any game at 1440 and 4k well. My daughters 2012 MacBook Air still runs fine and is snappy. The 2018 and 20 should last for quite some time. Hardware isn’t the bottleneck, the software is.

 

[Kal-037]

Agree on quite a bit, but I’m starting to think Apple is going to possibly do yearly refreshes since the 2018/2020 iPPs are now 75-80-ish percent more like MacBooks in hardware and design, and they are absolutely capable of replacing one’s computer (with the Mac inputs, accessories, and iPad OS desktop like hybrid OS.


If next year does get upgraded earlier than the fall, it might still be a 7nm chip (A14Z/X). if they are released late 2021, I definitely see 5nm.
Anyways, these are my imagined/partially realistic expectations mixed with some more fantastical/radical features.
it’s stuff I imagine the next next iPad Pro may have (or maybe just the next gen.)

1.) A14X/Z or A15Z/X (depending on when they release the next model that will probably have a slight redesign/refined design from the 2018 model.
2.) Glass as strong as iPhone 11 Pro along with 7000 Series Aluminum.
3.) 6GB for lower storage iPads with possible (but unlikely 8GB for higher storage.)
4.) 2TB storage option (If this actually happens, the 8GB RAM would come with this I think.)
5.) Increased Wifi 802.11ax performance and reliability.
6.) MiniLED with 800-1000 Nits brightness for absolute HDR and Dolby Vision.
7.) If refined design occurs, I expect reduced bezels by a few mm (making the 12.9 into a 13” or 13.3” and the 11 becoming 11.4“-11.6” screen size maybe.
8.) IF they increase screen size and do MiniLED, we may actually get 4K iPads. My issue with this though... is that Apple’s retina displays and PPI are so darn good that a 4K display maybe won’t be that easily noticeable. Because the biggest thing about 4K is getting smaller more energy efficient pixels and panels. iPads have already been industry leading in having almost indiscernible pixels. I wouldn’t be against Apple officially doing full 4K though... I just don’t expect a very major noticeable change TBH. *My Sony 4K is great, but honestly my iPad has a better display in terms of PPI and sharpness. I have a 2017 900D 4K TV, but I can see the pixels very easily still.
9.) BT 5.2, U1 or U2 chip, and T2 or T3 type chip for better encryption/security for FaceID and whatnot.
10.) Same as or improved high‑fidelity six‑speaker system with force‑cancelling woofers like the MacBook Pro 16” has.
11.) Possible Gold color option.
12.) Same FaceTime Camera specs and features as iPhone 11 or 12 Pro, or maybe slightly better, (but not as good as the iphone 13 Pro that will come in 2021.)
14.) Possible same 3-camera system as 11 or 12 Pro with LiDAR.
15.) 5G Cellular.

That pretty much covers every possible improvement for the next 2-years that I can think of. lol



Kallum.

 

[Falhófnir]

Agreed. The source of the second 2020 rumor isn’t the greatest. The current iPad Pro is a great device and not a iPad 3. I hope the iPad gets into a state that people don’t feel the need to update it every 2-3 years. My PC desktop is 6 years old and still runs any game at 1440 and 4k well. My daughters 2012 MacBook Air still runs fine and is snappy. The 2018 and 20 should last for quite some time. Hardware isn’t the bottleneck, the software is.

It's from Kuo, given that he's certainly not infallible, and has been out on timings before, it still doesn't get much more authorative than that. Maybe OS code leaks are more watertight, but they tend to only come close in to launches. If there's new mini LED panels being sourced that's going to leave a supply chain fingerprint, and it's exactly that that Kuo is good at picking up on.

 

[ericwn]

Hope this round of guesswork dressed as fact (see title) goes better for Alex than his prediction for the entry level iPad and the headphone jack.

 

[delta0]

Agree but it won’t be A15x it will be A14x.

 

[The Game 161]

Think it’s most likely. I can’t see min led coming even early 2021

 

[Digitalguy]

Just speculation. Not worth more than the speculation that say we'll have a new one by the end of this year or early next year...

 

[AutomaticApple]

The 2020 iPad Pro is amazing and definitely a must buy if you have anything except a 2018 iPad Pro. So the new iPhone 11 Pro MAX uses a 7nm A13 CPU.

in Late 2020 the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro MAX will use new TSMC 5nm CPUs probably the A14.
By Late 2021 the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro MAX will use a improved 5nm process for the A15 and by then the A15X for new 2021 IPad Pro launching in Fall 2021 or early 2022.

Heres a feature rundown.

A15X 5nm CPU 12 Cores 4x4x4 HMP support
6GB or 8GB Samsung LPDDR5 RAM (already used in Galaxy 20 Ultra) its super fast and efficient RAM this will be a game changer
Tripple Cameras and LIDAR
USB-C Thunderbolt 3 speeds
Most likely a 13” and 11” Mini LED displays sourced from the same vendor used for the 14” MacBook Pro Mini LED display.
4K HDR 120Hz capable
*possibly with FreeSync support
Which we are already capable of

2018 iPad Pros are Here With 120hz VRR

Apple's new iPad support 120 Hz and VRR. The panels themselves employ Pro Motion variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, with range of 24 to 120 hz, and capable of HDR10 decoding with a DCI-P3 colour space.

blurbusters.com

Added HDMI 2.1 FreeSync 4K 120hz HDR output. (As a matter of spec compliance with HDMI 2.1 VRR is a given)
WiFi 6 with WPA3
Apple Pencil 3 with Vibration and Haptic feedback (it’s a leaked Apple patent)

Take my money now Apple. A 14” MacBook Pro with Mini LED Display is a must buy Also.

I agree with a lot of what you've said.

 

[GDF]

Agree.

 

[ascender]

Hope this round of guesswork dressed as fact (see title) goes better for Alex than his prediction for the entry level iPad and the headphone jack.

Might be worth changing the title to be “we may not” rather than “we won’t”?

I’ve read the original post a couple of times but am not entirely sure what its saying. The most credible rumours we have around future products (i.e. Not those which could launch imminently) are based on Mini-LED and ARM.

The mini-LED rumours are saying late 2020 to early 2021 with the ARM stuff being 2021+. October 2021 seems like an awful long way away though.

The new iPad spec bump seems to be around getting LIDAR out there ahead of the iPhone and possibly about positioning it as a dev-kit for the ARM transition. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an updated iPad this time next year - same form factor but faster internals and maybe a different camera setup.

 

[ericwn]

Might be worth changing the title to be “we may not” rather than “we won’t”?

I’ve read the original post a couple of times but am not entirely sure what its saying. The most credible rumours we have around future products (i.e. Not those which could launch imminently) are based on Mini-LED and ARM.

The mini-LED rumours are saying late 2020 to early 2021 with the ARM stuff being 2021+. October 2021 seems like an awful long way away though.

The new iPad spec bump seems to be around getting LIDAR out there ahead of the iPhone and possibly about positioning it as a dev-kit for the ARM transition. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an updated iPad this time next year - same form factor but faster internals and maybe a different camera setup.

Don’t overthink it Alex’s posts are usually in this manner. A confused list of features, plus tons of speculation dressed as fact. Maybe we’re just looking at a very sophisticated new kind of rumor bot that Macrumors created to keep the forum busy.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Disagree, I will trust the rumors from Kuo over this.