The long-rumored Apple ‘Spring’ event could be just around the corner and with it an announcement for the iPad Pro (2021). With WWDC announced for June 7, we feel certain that Apple is also close to announcing the new hardware which will showcase its upcoming iOS 15 software.
At the time of writing, nothing has been confirmed, but it’s expected that a new iPad Pro and AirTags will be unveiled sometime before the end of May. With that deadline looming, and multiple rumors now swirling around, we thought it was time to highlight the five we’re most excited about.
As with all leaks and rumors take these with a pinch of salt, until Apple unveils the next iPad Pro there’s no guarantee which features will come packaged with it. However, with that in mind, here are the biggest iPad Pro (2021) leaks so far.
1. Mini LED display
No, this doesn’t mean the iPad Pro (2021) will have a smaller screen than its predecessors, instead, the LEDs being used in the display may be mini. These tiny light emitters would form a display that’s better than the LCD screen the iPad Pro currently uses, with improved color reproduction and contrast.
On top of that using Mini LED could be more energy-efficient – maybe giving the iPad Pro (2021) a longer battery life – and the screen will be less likely to suffer screen burn-in than OLED screens used by high-end smartphones. Screen burn-in causes an image to remain semi-permanent and damage the device’s screen if it’s left idle while turned on for too long.
2. A processor “on par” with the M1
If you aren’t a computer junkie this might not mean much to you, but just know that having an M1-like processor means the iPad Pro (2021) could be one powerful tablet.
M1 chips are the CPUs used inside of modern Macbooks, and these powerful processors have managed to outclass some of the best alternatives on the market – beating out chips from veterans AMD and Intel.
The leak is fairly recent and from a trusted source, so we can’t help but get a little excited about this, but again we’ll have to wait for an official announcement. What’s more the iPad chip will apparently not be an actual M1, just something similar, so we might not get as much power out of it as we hope. Still there’s a lot of potential here which makes it too exciting not to include it on this list.
3. New Magic keyboard
This next leak isn’t about the iPad Pro (2021) directly but instead about a revamped version of its Magic Keyboard peripheral. While the leaked information comes via a patent – which feels more official than a typical leak – it’s still not guaranteed to happen; even ones that are granted are never turned into actual products.
If it does come true though we could be looking at some interesting improvements to the Magic Keyboard. For those working at home, an inbuilt mic could help improve the quality of audio and video calls from your iPad, while vibration sensors could improve the peripheral’s versatility. These sensors could detect gestures made on the surface the keyboard is placed on or create different effects depending on how much pressure is applied to keys.
The patent doesn’t give too much away, but Apple could unveil a pretty neat add-on for its upcoming iPad Pro.
4. 5G capabilities
While this leak might seem a little basic, the iPad Pro 2021 having 5G is a very interesting prospect for those who like using their iPad on the go. As the next generation of mobile data connectivity becomes increasingly available in various territories, it makes sense that Apple feels 2021 is the time to give its iPad Pro the ability to use it.
Being faster and more reliable it seems like a no-brainer iPads would use 5G, especially given that older models of iPads have had the ability to access 4G networks. However, you will most likely need a data contract to be able to take advantage of this function.
5. Camera changes
Last, and a little least, we have that the iPad Pro (2021) could be getting a camera change. Dummy models suggest that the LiDAR sensor on the old iPad Pro will be replaced with a more typical third camera.
LiDAR is a tool that users lasers to judge distance and depth to help improve AR (augmented reality) environments. While it can be used in photography, it’s not the most useful. If the LiDAR has gone we imagine that Apple either noticed very few people used it – and decided to swap it out – or felt that it should focus its AR efforts on the upcoming Apple Glass AR glasses rather than all its tech.